The ‘Reworks’ Festival Here We Come
September 18th-19th, Thessaloniki,Greece
Sven, a huge dance music star – no, a mega star – how did this crazy career begin?
“Ha. Well strangely enough it my mother’s idea to begin DJing, at my parent’s English pub. It had a small dancefloor and it was 1980 I began playing. I was 16, a year later I ventured into Ibiza which so opened my eyes and then, with the backing of my mother, and after working on my technical side of things as a DJ, was eventually was asked to spin there alongside DJs like Michael Munzing and Luca Anzillotti. We would all head off to this small studio after the club to create tunes. That’s how it began. A crazy club situated in a 1970s German airport. Unbelievable.”
And then Vogue…
“Well yes, I was then poached by a very cool manager at The Vogue Club and moved over, spinning stuff from labels like Trax and industrial tunes, and then eventually I went back to Dorian Gray.”
‘Cocoon’ an absolute monster in clubland legend. What’s with the name firstly?
“Well the name ‘Cocoon’ was born from an idea after seeing ‘Fura dels Baus’ in Berlin at The Tempeldrom, they performed an amazing show of metamorphosis with hanging ‘cocoons’ filled with water out of which naked humans emerged. I left that night with the image in my head, that the only constant thing in life is metamorphosis – and that’s where the name came from.”
How did ‘Cocoon’ start…?
“Before ‘Cocoon’ began, I put on four one off parties where the line up included acts such as Underworld, DJ Hell, Japan’s DJ Kudo and B12 – it was a financial disaster. I had no sponsor and had to pay it all out of my own pocket. So I gave it a break for a while after splitting from my labels Harthouse and EyeQ in ’97. In 1999 I founded ‘Cocoon'”
How did you get the opportunity to crack Ibiza, at such a fabulous venue?
“Mar-T from the venue told me that Monday would be available for some one off’s, so we did four parties. We put on a Butu dancer who had a shell and a bleeding ear, it was our take on giving a silent, but powerful message that we took on as the power lies in tranquility. As I saw it, something new being born. The Ibizan locals and our posse from Frankfurt loved it thankfully. And that was the start of ‘Cocoon’ Ibiza.
‘Cocoon’ hitting 10 years in Ibiza – a major landmark on a tiny island that has seen so many big clubs fall by the wayside. Who have been the major stars – and also your home grown ‘Cocoon’ residents over the years?
“It has been an amazing decade. I am just so proud of what we have ALL done, DJ wise, artistically and even down to the decor and production that we do. Musically? Very difficult. Laurent Garnier and Richie Hawtin are always incredible… always. This Summer, Underworld live – wow, Josh Wink brilliant and Mr C playing playing all the old tunes was an honour to see and hear. Green Velvet in years gone by has been a highlight but you know, it’s not fair to single out just one artist. As for our own people in our ‘Cocoon’ crew, Cassy is going to be huge – a real talent from Berlin. And I mean really huge. Dorian, Ricardo, Tobi and oh, Reebot live on stage, just amazing this Summer. The records that have been spinning this season in Ibiza, wow.”
Ibiza has evolved so many times over the years. It began as a Balearic paradise with Amnesia spinning cheesy 80s with an open roof in a nightclub big enough to host a football pitch, then through the 90s when the UK Superclub’s took over such as Cream and Manumission, but now it seems it’s the real music clubs with music in their hearts who have taken over – thoughts on that…?
“Well that’s true Dan. The 80s was the 80s. Then Trance came through and the mainstream. I think I picked the right moment to take my chance in Ibiza, there was no one really doing anything cutting edge. We took Mondays on, taking on Manumission over at Privilege but we were going down such a different route…attracting a different crowd into a new style of music, totally underground and what we feel is so authentic about dance music as regards it’s grass roots. It was the right time to kick it off. We attracted a new generation of clubbers who travelled from everywhere, so many promoters in Ibiza just rested on their laurels, we did things like dropping the BPM, gave the wonderful island a welcomed change.”
Biggest ever Cocoon club anthem?
“Anything by Funk Da Void. Always.”
You are thankfully one of DJs who like to play long, long sets. What is your longest set you’ve brought us?
“I suppose Love Parade in the 90s. I played Parade on Friday and started the after party Saturday night and didn’t stop until Monday night and had people following me all the way through. Back then though it wasn’t an uncommon thing for a DJ to do, if you know your music well and spin across many genres you can do anything. Ricardo Villalobos is someone who can do the same, he was raised in the same Frankfurt school and also people who can play endlessly include Frank Lorber, F.E.O.S. and Mark Spoon.
You played at Greenfields Open Air in July in Munich at Galopprennbahn Munchen-Riem – what was that like?
“A great festival. Open air, 13,000 people, different stages featuring a great line up including myself, Loco Dice, Marco Carola, Joris Voorn, Tini, Reboot, Rene Vaitl – brilliant.”
Best club’s you have rocked worldwide – and you can’t mention Cocoon in Frankfurt or Amnesia!”
“Wow. Womb in Tokyo’s Dogenzaka in Japan is mindblowing – always is. Coco Rico in Rimini, always such a pleasure. The Goa Club on Via Ilbetta in Rome, the line up is always fantastic. And Watergate, a beautiful split level club overlooking The River Spree in Berlin…wow.”
How do you keep up this constant energy playing every weekend – and I mean EVERY WEEKEND !!!?
“I do ask myself that question a lot, but you know, I have a true passion for music – I have never lost interest at all. I think I can say I am a pioneer of electronic music and my parents equipped me well with good endurance and power. I think I found the right thing to do at the right time and I always want to reinvent myself because I get bored very easily, so I am constantly changing. Another very important factor is traveling, you get inspired by what you experience, be it different cultures, nature, art, high end technology and so on. It is also very important how you structure your time for yourself, you need time for yourself, you need to live a conscious, healthy life besides all the craziness, what you eat is very important. And I got married so I feed my heart and soul as well.”
In the UK because of the current credit crunch, there is a lot of rivalry between DJs, in a way that many of them are really ‘out for themselves’ – money is tight. What’s it like in Germany with your home grown DJs?
“We are all struggling Dan to an extent to keep things going. In Germany, it depends on what city really, some are doing better than others and it reflects on the DJs who live their.”
Sven, how difficult is it to combine one of the biggest club brands, a label and DJ career – and also have a social and personal life?
“I manage alright actually. It’s all about delegation, having a great team, a fabulous office team. Communicating with each other, throwing energy around, our festivals and club events bring us all together too. I have been married one and half years now, and life is good personally. I feel that if you have vision, motivation, can jump out of the bed in the morning…it all works.”
What makes a superstar DJ?
“First of all you need the feeling for music, rhythm, then you have to assume the responsibility to rock a crowd and you have to be ready to always search for new music, not just reproduce what other DJs do. You have to be the selector, not just look at play lists. One more thing, you should have your heart in the right place, develop the talent to make other people dance, spread good temper.”
“You are one of the biggest/hardest working DJs EVER. What are your thoughts on certain other ‘Top 10’ DJs of the world at the moment?
“My feeling is that now, there are too many DJs who do not reinvest in our scene. They complain too easy. Some DJs jump into our bed we have all created and take too much out of it. Why not open your own club or start a label? There are too many lazy DJs out there with no vision and forward thinking. And not enough playing good music.”
