Interview: Markus Schulz

As a child, Markus Schulz left behind his German heritage for the greener pastures across the sea. Now more than two decades later, Markus Schulz is the name that resonates with America’s EDM scene because in his set progressive, trance, and house are bound in one spell-binding ceremony.

Dubbed ‘America’s No 1 DJ’, it’s not hard to see why the man behind Coldharbour Recordings and acclaimed albums ‘Do You Dream?’ and ‘Scream’, is praised on dancefloors the world over. And with his ear to the ground, Markus Schulz continues to travel the globe, moving to the sound of his own beat.

You’re originally from Germany but uprooted to the USA when you were 13, does your homeland have much, if any, influence on your music?
Well Germany is the birthplace of trance, so I should have to say so, yes.

Growing up, who did you listen to?
Earlier years, a bit of everything. Manfred Mann to Larry Levan, and a thousand points in between! I was into rock, hip-hop - all kinds of different styles. That’s the healthy way to approach music I think. Don’t be closed off to anything.

Who or what is your biggest musical influencer now?
Now, stylistically, I don’t think I have one. There are any amount of singers, artists and groups that I love listening too when I have the time. I wouldn’t say they influenced the direction of my music though. What they make certainly helps to keep my passion for music in general extremely high though, so in that way they certainly inspire me.

In terms of music as a business: Has the Internet and in turn the decrease in actual sales made commercial ventures and collaborations with big businesses more valid for musicians and DJs? Would you snap up an opportunity if it came along?
Depends entirely on what the nature of the opportunity was. If say, for example, it offered a route for my music to be heard by and great number or people, without me having to compromise myself artistically, I say it was likely.

In three words describe your music?
‘In 3 words’ is tough as I do one distinct type or music under my own name and another under my Dakota moniker. It’s complex so I think it’d be a 30 word minimum for that answer!

As the founder of EDM label Coldharbour Recordings what are three things you look for when signing an artist?
Producers stylistically aligned to the label, quality and originality of production and people mentally on the same wavelength.

What is the ethos of the label?
Give a label base to as much top tier music as possible! I’m gonna give a little plug here to KhoMha’s ‘Dust Riddles’ and Fisherman & Hawkins’ ‘Apache’ on Coldharbour Records, which are currently at #10 and #5 on the Beatport chart. Check them out and you’ll see what I mean!

Do you think being a producer and DJ in your own right has enabled you to more effectively run a business, which manages artists like yourself?
I do, yes. You learn as you go along. That’s life.

In September 2012, DJ Times dubbed you America’s Number 1 DJ. How has such a titular affected the Markus Schulz brand?
It’s too early to tell, I think. Ask me again in 10 years time!

Have you seen an increase in fanbase because of it?
The fanbase expands all the time, so it’s sometimes hard to precisely tell which element of what I do (DJing/producing/the Global DJ Broadcast show/ Coldharbour Recordings, etc) drives it by what degree. The America’s Best DJ award fell close to the release of my last artist album ‘Scream’, which (by one measure) coincided with a considerable growth spike on our social networks. Which one of those factors in particular drove that though, there’s no exact way of knowing.

If asked, what would you mum say you do?
She was with me at the America’s Best DJ award ceremony in Vegas and the gig at the Marquee afterwards, so she’s got a pretty good idea!

You also run A&R company Schulz Music Group, have a compilation series and run under a number of pseudo names. Are you a businessman before musician or are the two roles on par?
I don’t know any musician who’s a businessman first, or even on par. SMG’s more about finding myself in a position to lend a hand. In the music business people who like your sound, or what you’re about tend to do that. It can be with infrastructure, advice, expertise – whatever. People did it for me when I was starting out. Now, a bit further down the road, I’m able to do it for others. So with producers like KhoMha, Grube & Hovsepian and Mr. Pit, and vocalists like Adina Butar, SMG had become this kind of development house, whereby myself (and the team behind me) can start helping move genuinely talented people further up the ladder.

You’re playing at the O2 Academy in Leeds on 8 February, how important is the visual aspect to your live shows?
Very important. Third only to the music and the mixing, I think.

Will you be using hardware or software?
I’ll be using CDs and USBs.

Last song you listened to?
Some new Mr. Pit demos.

First album you bought?
‘Dark Side of the Moon’. Immortal.

What next?
With me, always something. I’m playing several of the ASOT 600 events, including Madison Square Garden in NYC, Sao Paulo, Brazil and Mexico. There’s Ultra Music Festival Miami coming up in March. I’m spinning both weekends of that. We are launching something very new and very special in April. I can’t say too much about it right now, as its not been officially announced. But it’s a coast-to-coast project in the States, so I’m sure you’ll be hearing a lot more about it!

Interview: Jasmine Phull

Photo: Ash Youd

Markus Schulz headlines Digital Society's 6th birthday party at O2 Academy Leeds on February 8th. Tickets are available below.

Tickets are no longer available for this event