THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2011
HOUSE//ELECTRO//TECHNO 27
DARKO ESSER
When did you start produc- ing music and what were your influences? I started producing in 1998 with a crappy computer, an EMU6400, a Nord2 and a mixing desk. It took me a while to get into it, because there was no online help at the time. My influences are very broad. At that time, I was really into Drum & Bass, Detroit Techno and Breaks but also guitar/punkbands like Sonic Youth, Unwound, The Notwist etc.
How did your connection with Techno Therapy Records come about? Well, they asked me to do a remix for Justin Robertson. I liked the track and so I did, very straight forward. (laughs)
You mentioned Justin Robert- son as being a legend. How did he effect your musical upbringing? I always considered him one of the key figures in the London scene
with club nights like Bugged Out. I really like the fact that he has never limited himself down to just one style or genre and keeps reinvent- ing what he does.
What do you parents think about your music and career? They always been very supportive of my musical endeavours & I consider myself very lucky with that, because it doesn’t seem to be ‘normal’ that parents approve.
What other artists in the scene do you respect? I basically respect everyone who is putting his heart and soul in true & honest music. I don’t necessarily have to be really into it myself, but you can always tell when someone has the right attitude or not in their music.
You have played in England but never London... Seriously? Strange huh? I have had quite some possibilities in the past, but for some reason they all fell
Joe Le Groove
TGN caught up with Dutch DJ Darko Esser to delve into the big remixes of this year, the Holland clubbing scene and finally playing the UK this February!
through at some point. So I am excited about finally playing one of the finest cities in the world, with such a big musical tradition and history.
What’s your connection with Cocoon Recordings? I played at several of their events in Holland and we organise a couple of showcases every year in Doornroosje (the club where I do the Dance Music bookings).
Balans was a great album, what influenced you to put it together the way you did? Thank you! To keep things fresh in the studio, I have made a lot of non-dancefloor tunes over the years. I really wanted to do something with them and my friends also pushed me to put at least some of it out. That’s how the idea for an album came about. Since I had no deadlines, it was finished when it was finished. The most important things for me were that the whole thing should
be enjoyable in a home listening environment and that it should be a diverse and coherent package. I am currently working on the sec- ond and by the looks of it, it will be almost completely removed from the dancefloor.
You’re known as the man that brought the House back to Techno... Would you describe your sound as House or Techno or both? My sound always has been a mixture of a lot of different things. I don’t want to limit myself down too much, good music is good music. I always played a mixture of House and Techno, since they fit so well together. Especially nowadays, because the tempo-differences are non-existent. I was also always drawn towards Breakbeats, the UK Bass Music scene in particular (Drum & Bass, Nu School Breaks and now Dubstep and related genres). I always try to squeeze in some of those tunes in a regular set as well.
I guess you’re looking forward to playing at the Techno Therapy Records showcase on Saturday 5th February, it’s your first time DJing in London! Yes I am, another milestone.
Songs For A Real Winter on Perc Tracks, how did this EP come about? I was in touch with Perc and we’ve both appreciated each other’s mu- sic for quite some time now. I sent him some tunes of mine that were more dark and twisted and he liked them so much that he wanted to put them out.
What have you got in the pipe- line for 2011? There’s a release on my favourite Belgian label, Curle, planned for the end of February with remixes from 2 artists that really blew me away last year; DVS1 and Lucy. There’s a couple of remixes scheduled for Manual Music, Doppelschall and True Type Tracks and a couple of new singles on my
own Wolfskuil Records. Also 2011 will see the launch of my alter-ego Onionboy. Onionboy is everything I am not and will be my platform for broken beats, Dubstep and all out experimental stuff. It’s very exciting to see this project develop, because even I have no idea where it is going at the moment. (laughs)
What is clubbing like at the moment in Holland? The scene has been really good here the last few years. Lots of great clubs and festivals to play and by the looks of it that won’t change anytime soon. The Dutch like to party. (laughs)
DARKO ESSER’S LATEST ALBUM ‘BALAnS’ IS OuT nOw!
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