Deetron Interview: Musical Taste Is Hard To Explain

One of the most respected names in European house and techno, Swiss born Deetron has been a fixture on the international club circuit for longer than most, and understandably so. Having founded a huge fan base on his versatile and dynamic taste in house, techno and beyond, he also knows when to pull it out the bag in terms of productions and remixes.

You’ll undoubtedly have grooved to his club slaying remix of George Fitzgerald’s ‘Every Inch’ over the past few years (above), and his recent ‘Theory of Light’ EP on his own label, Character, is set to occupy a similarly deserved anthemic space.

We caught up with him before his New Year’s Day gig at Maya Jane Coles and Friends at the Renaissance Rooms in Vauxhall, where ravers can expect a solo set from the man himself alongside a rare tag team performance from Heidi, Kim Ann Foxman and Coles, as well as Dense and Pika.

We've noticed you played in Australia at Stereosonic recently. And while in Europe you often play near the top of house and techno line ups, in Australia, you were lower down the bill, with big EDM Djs leading the main stage charge. How did the gigs go, were the crowd receptive, and was it a challenge?
 

I played the Stereosonic festival tour back in 2011 and whilst that was a rather lonely affair on the techno/house stage at times, I have to say that the Awakenings stage I played on this time was really good, both in terms of attendance and response from the crowd as well.

I think that has to do with the fact that this kind of music has enjoyed much more attention in the past few years and a lot of people are probably becoming bored by much of the stuff they get served on the big main stages.


You've played pretty much all of the world's major cities in the past year, and you're playing Berlin just a few hours before it ends. You've been a big support of UK music over the past five years. What do you think's in the water in London that makes it such a great place to play?

London is actually my favorite place to play indeed and it has mostly to do with the fact that the crowds seem to be particularly music savvy and they are open to a wide range of styles as well. Furthermore London is the musical capital for almost every kind of music I would say and there is a great energy in this place. It always seems things are happening in London!

You’re quite closely associated with Trouw and the 5.5 hour set available on Soundcloud (above) is about as good of an opportunity as any to hear you at your most eclectic. What do you think the impact will be of that club closing up?

I suppose they'll come up with something new just like it was the case after 11 closed!

You’re very well respected for your general versatility, playing at the commercial end of things for institutions such as Defected, but also pushing the more underground side of things and allowing yourself to be eclectic. How much thought do you put into curating what you play, and do you think that’s a fair representation of you?

It's more a question of taste or instinct than thought as I try not to plan my sets too much in advance. I spend a lot of time finding new and rediscovering old music in my collection but I then just put the selected tunes in the real or virtual record box and just see how things work out throughout the set.

Like many DJs it seems, you got into dance music via hip hop. But you’re from Switzerland, not exactly known for that genre. How did it arrive to you as a teenager, where did you dance to it, and how does it sound?

Actually there was a huge Hip-Hop scene in Switzerland when I was young and particularly the DJ element was quite popular among the youngsters but also Graffiti, Breakdance and MCing obviously. I just came across it at the local youth club, where I would eventually get my first DJ gigs as well. 

I read an interview with you earlier this year, in which you stated that you weren’t necessarily certain that there wasn’t anything radical in music at the moment, but you still like lots of stuff. What qualities do you seek in a record in view of it being an established sound?

Yeah, and I think it's still the case, apart from Andy Stott, that is. I mean techno is not exactly a new thing, is it? There are lots of exciting techno records around, don't get me wrong, but in terms of innovation I wouldn't call it radical. I think it's not a bad thing if a record is using or is built upon an established sound as long as there is a certain content in it.

You know, ! Let's take 'Nuits Sonores' by Floating Points (below), which is probably my favorite track of 2014. It uses well known elements such as the rhodes chords/bassline and the synth arpeggio but Floating Points manages to make the track sound incredibly current and refreshingly different. I guess that's the sort of thing I'm looking for in new music.

Do you think there’s still room for innovation in electronic music at this point, and where do you think it’ll come from? You don’t seem like a retroist, which is good!

There's always room for innovation in electronic music and that's the beauty of it. In that sense, Andy Stott's Faith in Strangers has left me in awe.  

The A Side on the new ‘Theory of Light’  has one of the best piano lines on a dance record I have ever heard! Do you have a particular favourite dance music piano line from any other record that you wish you’d produced? (For reference, I think my all time favourite is Tony Lionni’s ‘Found A Place’)

Thank you. The one in Strings of Life maybe?

And finally you’re joined on New Year’s Day with a back to back between Heidi, Kim Ann Foxman and Maja Jane Coles, which is a real occasion.

Obviously you’re playing solo, but these multi DJ sessions seem more popular than ever with both promoters and the public. What are your feelings on them? Have you played any good ones of late, and what raises them above being merely a gimmick?

I haven't really played any of these sets in a long time to be honest with you as I'd only do it with people I know very well musically. I did one with Ripperton early this year and it went really well!

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