Boom! The Frankfurt express delivers his 21st century house sound with the new ‘Chrome’ EP
Interview : Dan Prince
Hey Robert welcome back to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you today?
“Hey guys, thanks for having me again. Right now I’m on a jet with Radio Slave, Loco Dice and his team on the way to Mamaia to play for the yearly festival.”
Cool! Well the big news right now is all about your brand new release, the Chrome/Famas EP swinging our way on Steve Lawler’s Viva Music on May 19th. Talk us through the sound and history of the release…
“Steve and me have been bouncing the idea of doing an EP on his label back and forth for a while already, as I’m a regular guest at his Warriors parties all around the world. He has supported me a lot during the last three years and now it was the time to give something back. The tracks had already been written since the beginning of 2013 in my former studio in Frankfurt. Both tracks are definitely focused on the dancefloor and I’m happy to have two very interesting newcomers (Randall M and Fernando Costantini) and residents of the Viva Warrior nights as remixers on board too.”
This is the first piece of music created in your new studio…has it been plain sailing?
“Well, as I said before, the tracks were actually produced in my old studio at the beginning of 2013. I’m usually a bit behind with my musical output, as I never send demos out to labels. It’s more like an exchange with friends and people I work with and if something fits then we go for it. But the new studio set up is pretty much the best I have ever had; it’s super comfortable and I have way more space for new gear.”
Dying to know what Eddie Fowlkes was doing with you last week, cooking up some music…?
“Actually yes. I was always a big fan of his stuff and I had the chance to meet him for the first time last year during one of the Used and Abused events in London. Some weeks later, I was on tour in the US and he spontaneously invited me to stay a couple of days at his place in Detroit. We wanted to jam around already at this point but then we got lost just hanging around in Detroit. At the moment he’s staying here in Berlin and we took the opportunity to finally go to the studio. I have to say it worked really well; we finished one pretty dope track already on the first day.”
How much of a wrench was it relocating from your hometown Frankfurt to Berlin, was it a move long overdue?
“To be honest, I wasn’t really a big fan of the idea of moving there and I would have probably stayed in Frankfurt if I wouldn’t have had to move due to my girlfriend’s job. But in the end, I finally fell in love with Berlin and realised that there is so much more going on and you have so many more opportunities. The city is very vibrant, as everybody knows how diverse the scene is. I’m really happy to be there at the moment.”
Loving your big up for your friend’s Guti’s new anthemic piano tunes…some beautiful tunes in there huh?
“It definitely is and I’m very happy to see him doing a concept album like this, which is quite rare nowadays in our scene. He is a very talented musician and really good on those keys. These tunes show his diversity as an artist, its’ a beautiful piece of music, I’m proud of him!”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Eddie Fowlkes vs Robert Dietz – 7 Turn Arounds
Ion Ludwig – No Man Can Be One Way You Should See
Danny Daze – I Can’t Breath
Cassy & D’Julz – What you see in me (D’Julz Remix)
Redshape – Itz
Alci – Lessthan
Livio & Roby vs. Guti – Tech Slam
Archie Hamilton – Mind Blank
Djebali – Reputation
Joachim Spieth – Sensual
What are your plans for Ibiza this summer, last summer was a wicked summer for you…
“Last summer was amazingly intense, and I was really happy and thankful for that. The plans for this one, especially on the island haven’t been finalised yet but what I can say for now is that I will definitely play 3 times for Viva Warriors again and one show together with Gerd Janson at Kehakuma.”
You said in an interview a while back that flying in and out of Ibiza keeps your relationship with the island healthy, what’s up…you can’t trust yourself out there?!?!
“It is really a tricky one. Of course I would say that I’m able to keep control of myself but the temptation of just letting everything behind and dive into that constant hedonistic flow of the island during its crazy summer months is very high. So flying in and out, only sipping from time to time on that sweet nectar is indeed healthier than spending the entire season down there. You just ware yourself out if you don’t take a break from it from time to time.”
Not many people know this, but Robert Dietz is really good at…
“Making incredibly good juices and smoothies out of everything! Mainly healthy stuff…”
Everyone has one, a guilty pleasures record. A song you love but really shouldn’t…
“Only one? I have got many of those. I tend to listen to cheesy music when I’m in my car, I guess because that’s the only place where I can sing along without anybody hearing me. Right now it’s actually an entire album of Vybz Kartel. I’ve never really been into dancehall but a friend of mine dropped me that album on my phone the other day and since then I can’t get it out of my head anymore.”
Who are some of the producers from around the world you are giving high fives to at the moment?
“That is definitely Ion Ludwig at the moment. He has been on my radar since we met and played together for the first time in 2008. Since the beginning he put out some very interesting and versatile music with a lot of soul but the groove he’s on right now is just that one you could listen and dance to for hours. Other producers I really dig right now are Archie Hamilton from London and Alci from Zurich. Both of them very young and hungry and always with the right beats.”
What is the 1 festival you cannot wait for this summer…?
“I’m really looking forward to playing Mysteryland in New York at the end of May. The festival will be at the old Woodstock fields and I’m going to play for the Sundays School – Vinyl only stage together with DJ Sneak and Carl Craig.”
And finally, what is coming out next from you studio wise?
“Right now I’ve got loads in the pipeline. After the EP on Viva in May I will finally put out my own EP on Desolat in the beginning of June. Five tracks in total, all quiet different in the style. After that we will finally release the collaboration with Tuccillo and me on Holic Trax from London. I went to the studio with Tuccillo already last year in September and the EP will hit the streets now in July with an edit from Shonky on top of it. Then there is a Remix for Tuccillos new label called Unblock and a remix for the princess of Techno Nicole Moudaber.”
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