News : Interview With Markus Schulz
News : Interview With Markus Schulz
Over the past 10 years, Markus Schulz has blended trance, progressive, and house music into his own distinct style that takes trance to a level just as hard as any other genre. With his own label (Coldharbor Records) and his own weekly podcast (Global DJ Broadcast), Schulz is at the forefront of dance music, and this Saturday I had the opportunity to chat with the “Unicorn Slayer” (as he has been lovingly dubbed by his fans) before his incredible Scream show at Avalon with The M Machine and KhoMha.
What inspired you to release another album?
The response from fans all over the country has been incredible and really inspiring. I’ve been inspired to write a lot of music during this tour. We were brainstorming what to do with all this new music, and there were a number of cities in the US that I wanted to hit but wasn’t able to, so I’m pleased to announce that in the fall we’re going to be releasing Scream: Part Two, which will be the music that I’ve written along this tour. We’re also going to continue the Scream tour in the fall, adding on to what we have now!
Which venue has been your favorite so far on this tour?
One stop along the tour that really surprised me was in Philadelphia. There’s a club there that had really low ceilings, which reminded me of this old club called Space in Miami. Aesthetically that was one of the cooler venues because it didn’t look like the rest of them.
How would you describe the music you’re writing right now?
The new stuff is definitely big room, but at the same time I’ve also written some moody stuff. To be honest, it gets lonely out there on the road sometimes, so there are some tracks that have more emotion. I think it’s a good balance.
What are you listening to right now?
I’ve been listening to a lot of the classic rock stuff. I go through these cycles, and Pink Floyd is what I always go back to. Before this show I studied Dark Side of the Moon — all the shows and all the concerts — and for me there’s no bigger inspiration than Pink Floyd.
What are your top three songs at the moment?
“ID,” “ID,” and “ID.” [Laughs] Two of the biggest tracks on the tour have been “Nothing Without Me” — everywhere I go everyone is singing along to that one — and “Love Rain Down on Me.” Also I did a remix of an old classic, “Solar Coaster” by Solarstone, and I brought that out on the tour. It’s just one of those moments when the fans are blown away, so that’s been one of the surprise tracks on the tour.
How is life on the tour bus?
It’s not quite as glamorous as it is in the movies. You’ve got a bed in the back, and you think you’re going to sleep on that bed, but the roads in the US are quite bouncy, so that doesn’t really happen.
How do you feel about playing in the US as opposed to elsewhere in the world?
It’s amazing. From Albuquerque to Tulsa to LA, it’s amazing what this music has done, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes now. Going to someplace like Tulsa and having the fans come up to me afterwards and thank me for coming to them because they travel all over and are so passionate… We have a merch table at every show, and by the end of the show everyone is wearing t-shirts. I feel so lucky to be a part of the scene in the US.
How does it feel to be the number one DJ in the US?
DJ Times has built this out as a victory tour, but for me it’s a “Thank you” tour. Whether I’m playing for 5 fans in my living room or thousands at Avalon, I love this music, and there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. I’m just one of the lucky ones because I’ve met so many talented people around the world who are struggling to get their music heard.
How do you prepare for a 12-hour set?
Musically I prepare three different sets: an opening set, a peak hour set with all the strobes and confetti, and my rabbit hole set. After that, I freestyle it and feel the crowd. When I was a resident DJ, that’s all I did. I’d show up with my records and feel the crowd, so for me those long sets are when I can do that again.
How did the New World Punx collaboration come about?
Ferry Corsten and I were hanging out at a barbecue in Ibiza, and we were chatting about music and styles. We realized how alike we were with everything from music to production to the fans, so we decided to get in the studio and make a track together. When we were in the studio, we had so much fun! We then had a couple of dates where we spun back to back, and it was so successful that we started getting calls from promoters to do back to back sets. We decided we needed to give ourselves a name so that people would know when we were going to do those sets, so we combined the name of one of my biggest tracks (“The New World”) and the second part from one of Ferry’s tracks (“Punk”) and put it together. In the beginning, we wanted to update old classics, calling it “Old Tunes in New Jackets,” but now we’ve started writing some original tracks as well. The trance scene can get pretty serious, and we want to put a bit more fun back into it and not be so serious.
What’s the magic between you and Avalon?
There aren’t a lot of places left like this in the world. They have such an amazing combination of the community, sound, production, and management. They get it. I’ve played in some places where security is trying to push everyone out the door, but that’s not what I’m all about. I want it to be an after party as well as the main party.
Would you ever consider an Avalon residency?
I’d love to live here and play shows here every single night, but unfortunately there are only 52 weeks in a year and there are other cities in the world where the fans deserve shows too.
You’re doing an open-to-close set at Tomorrowland. How does that feel?
I’m worried about that one because at Avalon I have fans on the side keeping me cool, but at Tomorrowland I’ve played two-hour sets and come out drenched in sweat. Playing there all day long should be interesting.
Are there any younger acts that we should be on the lookout for?
KhoMha, of course. Everytime he makes a track I just have to take a step back and listen at full volume. Also Orjan Nilsen is really good and diverse. I’ve heard some of his deeper stuff, and I think it’s outrageous. The scene is rich with young talent.
Where do you see trance going in the next couple years?
Hopefully a good balance of serious trance and fun trance — not the fighting in between it. I think there’s a place for everything. When I do my radio show, I try to get a bit heavy, and then when I do the live shows, I want people to leave feeling good. Years ago I went to a show by The Cure. I love the Cure, and they do the best depressing music ever, but when I left the show, I felt awful. I think about those memories, and even though I make some dark, depressing music, I don’t ever want people to leave my show feeling depressed. I want them to leave feeling awesome and like they had a good release.
If you could give a younger version of yourself advice, what would you say?
When I first started off I remember riding my bike home from a gig, and it was brutal because I rode for 20 miles with a stack of records on my handlebars. I went past this construction zone, and they were watering the area to keep the dust down, but the combination of the oil and water made the road really slippery and I crashed.
I was all bloody, and my records went all over. I laid there looking at the stars, and I thought to myself that if a car hit me, I wouldn’t even care. If I could go back in time, I’d tell that kid laying in the street, “Get your ass up. Everything is going to be amazing.”
After my talk with Markus, I went into Avalon and enjoyed an unbelievable display of visuals, sound, and music in the quintessential listening environment. The room was packed with screaming and chanting fans who sang and danced nonstop at this party that went until 8am. The crowed went crazy when he dropped “Nothing Without Me,” a song whose official music video has more than 1 million views on YouTube, and with tracks like ”Love Rain Down” and ”Digital Madness,” Markus slayed those unicorns left and right.
While Avalon has one of the most incredible state-of-the-art sound and visual systems in LA, the multi-layered and multi-dimensional visuals that Markus brought took over the club from top to bottom, immersing the audience in lights and colors in sync with his pulsing beats. Without a doubt, this was one of the most visually stunning and energetic performances I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing.
Contact Markus Schulz
Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Google+ | Email
Contact Ana Diaz
Facebook | Twitter
Contact LA Music Blog
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Sources : Markus Schulz Photo | Markus Schulz ft. Ana Diaz Nothing Without Me Video | Interview With Markus Schulz Article
Over the past 10 years, Markus Schulz has blended trance, progressive, and house music into his own distinct style that takes trance to a level just as hard as any other genre. With his own label (Coldharbor Records) and his own weekly podcast (Global DJ Broadcast), Schulz is at the forefront of dance music, and this Saturday I had the opportunity to chat with the “Unicorn Slayer” (as he has been lovingly dubbed by his fans) before his incredible Scream show at Avalon with The M Machine and KhoMha.
What inspired you to release another album?
The response from fans all over the country has been incredible and really inspiring. I’ve been inspired to write a lot of music during this tour. We were brainstorming what to do with all this new music, and there were a number of cities in the US that I wanted to hit but wasn’t able to, so I’m pleased to announce that in the fall we’re going to be releasing Scream: Part Two, which will be the music that I’ve written along this tour. We’re also going to continue the Scream tour in the fall, adding on to what we have now!
Which venue has been your favorite so far on this tour?
One stop along the tour that really surprised me was in Philadelphia. There’s a club there that had really low ceilings, which reminded me of this old club called Space in Miami. Aesthetically that was one of the cooler venues because it didn’t look like the rest of them.
How would you describe the music you’re writing right now?
The new stuff is definitely big room, but at the same time I’ve also written some moody stuff. To be honest, it gets lonely out there on the road sometimes, so there are some tracks that have more emotion. I think it’s a good balance.
What are you listening to right now?
I’ve been listening to a lot of the classic rock stuff. I go through these cycles, and Pink Floyd is what I always go back to. Before this show I studied Dark Side of the Moon — all the shows and all the concerts — and for me there’s no bigger inspiration than Pink Floyd.
What are your top three songs at the moment?
“ID,” “ID,” and “ID.” [Laughs] Two of the biggest tracks on the tour have been “Nothing Without Me” — everywhere I go everyone is singing along to that one — and “Love Rain Down on Me.” Also I did a remix of an old classic, “Solar Coaster” by Solarstone, and I brought that out on the tour. It’s just one of those moments when the fans are blown away, so that’s been one of the surprise tracks on the tour.
How is life on the tour bus?
It’s not quite as glamorous as it is in the movies. You’ve got a bed in the back, and you think you’re going to sleep on that bed, but the roads in the US are quite bouncy, so that doesn’t really happen.
How do you feel about playing in the US as opposed to elsewhere in the world?
It’s amazing. From Albuquerque to Tulsa to LA, it’s amazing what this music has done, and I’ve seen it with my own eyes now. Going to someplace like Tulsa and having the fans come up to me afterwards and thank me for coming to them because they travel all over and are so passionate… We have a merch table at every show, and by the end of the show everyone is wearing t-shirts. I feel so lucky to be a part of the scene in the US.
How does it feel to be the number one DJ in the US?
DJ Times has built this out as a victory tour, but for me it’s a “Thank you” tour. Whether I’m playing for 5 fans in my living room or thousands at Avalon, I love this music, and there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. I’m just one of the lucky ones because I’ve met so many talented people around the world who are struggling to get their music heard.
How do you prepare for a 12-hour set?
Musically I prepare three different sets: an opening set, a peak hour set with all the strobes and confetti, and my rabbit hole set. After that, I freestyle it and feel the crowd. When I was a resident DJ, that’s all I did. I’d show up with my records and feel the crowd, so for me those long sets are when I can do that again.
How did the New World Punx collaboration come about?
Ferry Corsten and I were hanging out at a barbecue in Ibiza, and we were chatting about music and styles. We realized how alike we were with everything from music to production to the fans, so we decided to get in the studio and make a track together. When we were in the studio, we had so much fun! We then had a couple of dates where we spun back to back, and it was so successful that we started getting calls from promoters to do back to back sets. We decided we needed to give ourselves a name so that people would know when we were going to do those sets, so we combined the name of one of my biggest tracks (“The New World”) and the second part from one of Ferry’s tracks (“Punk”) and put it together. In the beginning, we wanted to update old classics, calling it “Old Tunes in New Jackets,” but now we’ve started writing some original tracks as well. The trance scene can get pretty serious, and we want to put a bit more fun back into it and not be so serious.
What’s the magic between you and Avalon?
There aren’t a lot of places left like this in the world. They have such an amazing combination of the community, sound, production, and management. They get it. I’ve played in some places where security is trying to push everyone out the door, but that’s not what I’m all about. I want it to be an after party as well as the main party.
Would you ever consider an Avalon residency?
I’d love to live here and play shows here every single night, but unfortunately there are only 52 weeks in a year and there are other cities in the world where the fans deserve shows too.
You’re doing an open-to-close set at Tomorrowland. How does that feel?
I’m worried about that one because at Avalon I have fans on the side keeping me cool, but at Tomorrowland I’ve played two-hour sets and come out drenched in sweat. Playing there all day long should be interesting.
Are there any younger acts that we should be on the lookout for?
KhoMha, of course. Everytime he makes a track I just have to take a step back and listen at full volume. Also Orjan Nilsen is really good and diverse. I’ve heard some of his deeper stuff, and I think it’s outrageous. The scene is rich with young talent.
Where do you see trance going in the next couple years?
Hopefully a good balance of serious trance and fun trance — not the fighting in between it. I think there’s a place for everything. When I do my radio show, I try to get a bit heavy, and then when I do the live shows, I want people to leave feeling good. Years ago I went to a show by The Cure. I love the Cure, and they do the best depressing music ever, but when I left the show, I felt awful. I think about those memories, and even though I make some dark, depressing music, I don’t ever want people to leave my show feeling depressed. I want them to leave feeling awesome and like they had a good release.
If you could give a younger version of yourself advice, what would you say?
When I first started off I remember riding my bike home from a gig, and it was brutal because I rode for 20 miles with a stack of records on my handlebars. I went past this construction zone, and they were watering the area to keep the dust down, but the combination of the oil and water made the road really slippery and I crashed.
I was all bloody, and my records went all over. I laid there looking at the stars, and I thought to myself that if a car hit me, I wouldn’t even care. If I could go back in time, I’d tell that kid laying in the street, “Get your ass up. Everything is going to be amazing.”
After my talk with Markus, I went into Avalon and enjoyed an unbelievable display of visuals, sound, and music in the quintessential listening environment. The room was packed with screaming and chanting fans who sang and danced nonstop at this party that went until 8am. The crowed went crazy when he dropped “Nothing Without Me,” a song whose official music video has more than 1 million views on YouTube, and with tracks like ”Love Rain Down” and ”Digital Madness,” Markus slayed those unicorns left and right.
While Avalon has one of the most incredible state-of-the-art sound and visual systems in LA, the multi-layered and multi-dimensional visuals that Markus brought took over the club from top to bottom, immersing the audience in lights and colors in sync with his pulsing beats. Without a doubt, this was one of the most visually stunning and energetic performances I’ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing.
Contact Markus Schulz
Website | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Google+ | Email
Contact Ana Diaz
Facebook | Twitter
Contact LA Music Blog
Website | Facebook | Twitter
Sources : Markus Schulz Photo | Markus Schulz ft. Ana Diaz Nothing Without Me Video | Interview With Markus Schulz Article
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