Markus Schulz Interview: the dance scene has grown into this phenomenon

Image: Markus Schulz

Markus Schulz is trance royalty. The DJ and producer has behind some of the most mesmerising progressive rhythms the genre has mustered in recent times, including his recent smash 'Remember This' which has slayed dancefloors across the globe.

Friday 20th December sees him headlining a trance heavy line up as Gatecrasher return to their musical roots on the last Friday before Christmas in Nottingham, Markus joined by Solarstone and Scott Bond. We caught up with the German DJ ahead of the show to talk Pink Floyd, unlikely alliances with Richie Hawtin and the love has has for the legions of fans known as the Schulz Army.

We hear you are a secret hard rock fan? Is this true? 

It is indeed true! I am massively inspired by classic rock. Bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, ELO and Manfred Mann. Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon album is one of the single most influential pieces of music in my life. In terms of modern day bands then Coldplay would be highly up there too, because of how magical their melodies sound.

How does the hard rock sentiment translate to electronic music culture?

I think as the dance scene has grown into this phenomenon, the parallels are becoming more and more prevalent. Nowadays your productions act almost exclusively as your calling card, and when you are booked to play in cities and countries where there isn't as much history or culture of electronica, the demand is that you go heavier on your own tracks than you would normally.

There probably is an element of truth to the notion that “DJs are the new rock stars”, if you believe some of the rider demands that go around. I try to avoid most of it though.

Your new track 'Remember This' is a pure trance classic… The sound harks back to the early days of Gatecrasher in the late 90s… Tell us about the track?

Thanks, that's very kind to say. The original thoughts behind it came off the back of my Scream Bus Tour in the spring. It was the first time I'd ever done a stretch of gigs which involved me bringing the entire production on board - own stage, own visuals. The experience was very gratifying so it inspired me to make something with an uplifting vibe which could emotionally resonate with fans. 

So I worked on it for a couple of weeks in the studio and tested it out for the first time during my solo set from Ministry of Sound in London back in June. Then tweaked it some more and got the vibe right during the solo sets in Buenos Aires a week later. The big unveiling came at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas and it has probably been the most requested track in my livesets since. It's one of those signature tunes people will remember Buenos Aires '13 for.

Trance seems to be making a massive resurgence, would you agree?

For me, it's a little early to judge but I hope that it is on the right path. Music goes in cycles as we know, but the really striking point over the past few years is that the big house anthems all have trance-inspired melodies. Those melodies didn't exist in house music five years ago. When people think of melodic electronic music, trance is the natural attachment. It is still the genre that unites and connects fans the most I feel.

Would you recommend any new trance DJs or Tracks?

Probably biased but the guys that come to mind are the ones who are connected to Coldharbour and Schulz Music Group. KhoMha has been the guy who has fed my live sets the most over the past few years. His tracks have the most incredible melodies, yet have a ballsy swagger that he demonstrates when he's DJing.

Beat Service is really starting to become recognised internationally, and he's delivered some of the biggest anthems on Coldharbour. I have really enjoyed the work of Wellenrausch and Protoculture this year too. They both have new albums coming out so I'm looking forward to supporting what they make.

In terms of actual tracks, right now I'm digging Mark Sixma's Character, Basil O'Glue's Step Two, Grube & Hovsepian's Palermo and Harry Square's Perseverance.

Tell us about Scream II? What can we expect and when is it out?

The album is scheduled for release in February, and I'm hoping to have everything wrapped up before Christmas. It's largely a continuation of the first Scream album - nice melodic vocal tracks (which will include a bunch of new and unheard talent) and big instrumentals.

Some of them people will be familiar with already, due to the Buenos Aires compilation - Remember This, Mardi Gras and Towards the Sun (my collab with Rex Mundi). There is a fair chance that I'll be roadtesting it quite a bit in Nottingham! 

And the Buenos Aires Compilation… Is Buenos Aires one of the most inspiring places for dance music?

Yeah, for sure. The people there are so welcoming and passionate, and it was one of the first cities in the world that really embraced what I was about as I was beginning to become recognised on an international scale. For people who like to explore and travel to gigs overseas, then it's definitely somewhere you should add to your bucket list.

We heard you were recently on the Groove Cruise… What was that like? Is it inspiring working alongside lots of other DJs in a setting like this?

It was a great experience. The gig came at the perfect time for me, because it was immediately off the crescendo of the Ibiza season. The summer schedule can be brutal, and once you strike off that final Ibiza date then you feel like you have run into a brick wall. So I treated the weekend almost as a mini-vacation (haven't had one this year!).

The really cool aspect of the event was that you were always in the company of the fans. We were having breakfast and dinner together, hanging out and visiting the sites when we reached dry land in Mexico. I actually wound up playing an extra unscheduled set - at sunset on the Sunday.

If you could DJ alongside any other artist who would it be and why?

A marathon set with Danny Tenaglia would be amazing. He's probably the biggest influence towards me playing marathon sets, and how he had the ability to keep a crowd entertained for a long period of time. I've always admired Eric Prydz's work too, and have a lot of respect for the sets and production he puts together.

And of course I have to mention good friend Ferry Corsten, otherwise the New World Punx project would have never happened! We have so much fun when we play as a group.

You have an unlikely friendship with Richie Hawtin, tell us about that? Ever thought about working together on a track? 

Because of Ibiza season and the European festivals in full swing during the summer, I spend most of my time in between gigs at my apartment in Berlin. It's funny, because when I was flying to and from Ibiza, I'd be on the plane with practically the entire Berlin techno mafia. So I got to bond with Richie through those experiences. He's a great guy and achieved a lot in the industry, and we've had many conversations about production and techniques.

Tell us about the Schulz Army?

Best fans in the world. It was started by a group of fans who took their own initiative and wanted to meet fellow MS followers. Much like the whole unicorn slayer thing, it has just grown organically. Now these guys are producing Schulz Army t-shirts, flags and wristbands - that is so incredibly humbling to have people out there who believe in me and go to measures like that. It's very heartwarming when I'm out on tour, get on stage and spot somebody waving a Schulz Army flag - something that is happening more and more nowadays. 

Global DJ Broadcast Dec 05 2013 - World Tour: Transmission 10th Anniversary by Markus Schulz on Mixcloud

But it goes back to what I have always said from day one - anyone who goes out of their way to support me through gigs, Global DJ Broadcast (listen to the latest above), Coldharbour or anything else, gets my ultimate respect. We are nothing without our fans.

And finally, what can we expect from your Gatecrasher set?

I'm really looking forward to it. I think it's the first time I will have played a Gatecrasher show in almost six years. The UK fans have always been big backers of me, so there is that element of trust that I can debut things in the country before anywhere else.

Plus with the gig happening the week before Christmas, everyone should be in really good spirits. Should make for a fantastic night.

Markus headlines Crasher presents Markus Schulz Friday 20th December @ Gatecrasher Nottingham.

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