Moguai Interview 5 December 08

You’re playing Sensation Germany on 31st December – as a German yourself, are you happy to be playing in front of a home crowd on NYE?

I am very happy – to be walking into a venue like the LTU to play to a crowd like that is a great feeling. I played my first ever Sensation in 2006 in Germany and it blew me away. At first I was uncertain about whether Sensation would work on a New Year’s Eve – but then I was there with Mousse T, and we both agreed that it worked so well. It is great to be back in my home area – I normally spend this season in Australia, but this year I decided to stay home so I could play at Sensation.

Dusseldorf played a part in inspiring you early in your musical career – is it important to you to be going back there?

There are a lot of great musical acts from Dusseldorf such as Kraftwerk, who people cite as great inspirations but for me it was the scene in Dusseldorf that really inspired me. In the early 80s and 90s I went out in Dusseldorf every Wednesday and Sunday night with all my friends, it was when the techno scene and electronic music were becoming popular and it was so exciting, the atmosphere was so great, and this really inspired me to get into music myself.

What do you think makes Sensation such a great event?

I think that New Years Eve is a time that everyone wants to celebrate in the best way – everyone wants to have the best time wherever they are – either a private event or in a club, and this is what Sensation can provide for people. It has the glamour, the attraction, the theatre – it combines everything and provides everything people want for a special night – it’s a great idea to have a Sensation on NYE. The fact that everyone dresses in one colour makes everyone feel like they are there together. I am going with my friends to Sensation this year, about 10 or 15 of us are going for dinner then to Sensation, where I will play the closing set – it will be a great night!

How did you get started in the music industry?

I started off doing my own parties in the NRU area of Germany – an area of Germany with a really high population, over 11 million people within an hour of each other. I was studying law and started to do my own parties to help pay for my course. I started to DJ more and more and started to earn more money, then Raveline magazine, which was new on the scene at that point, decided they wanted to do their own parties, and asked me to be the official Raveline DJ. This was all so exciting, things started to really take off and I started to produce music too – and eventually I gave up my law course!

You also work as a producer, making your own music – what do you like best – DJing or Producing?

It depends really – without DJing, I would not be producing. I love it all, but I have to say I think I prefer DJing. I had a great success when I produced the Sugababes track ‘In the Middle’ which was based on my track U know Y, which worked really well. I could see it was doing well in so many territories based on the chart success, but the thing about DJing is that you get direct feedback from the crowd – it is like instant gratification.

Do you have any tips for budding DJs on DSI about how to get into the industry?

The most important thing is to never stop living the life, never give up on your wish to come into this music scene – never lose the dream. And after this it is a question of time until you have success – you must persevere. The thing is, some of my colleagues go out DJing at a party or an event, and they say to me that they are going to ‘work’ – I would never say this – to me DJing is not work, it is my life and something I love.

What has been the highlight of your career?

I think I have had 2 main highlights. The one I always talk about is when I played in front of 750,000 people at the last ever Loveparade in Berlin – this was just the most amazing DJ experience. The other was when I produced U know Y on my Punx label, and then used it to make the Sugababes single – this showed that you can combine underground music with pop music really well and people like it, and this was a great moment for me.

What / where are your favourite places to play?

In terms of countries, I love being in Australia and playing at events there. When it comes to fesivals and events, I love the Nature One event, and also Sensation of course. To walk to a Sensation venue and to play there is such a special feeling for me. When I think about big venues, I always think of Sensation. In terms of small venues, I really like Tribe House in Dusseldorf, this has a great atmosphere, and they are doing a party on the 1st January – so head there after Sensation!

Who have you most enjoyed working with?

There are 2 main people I have enjoyed working with because of how they have inspired me. The first one, on the ‘pop’ side, is Brian Higgins who I worked with when I did the Sugababes track, and he also produces for Franz Ferdinand and Cher. He was great to work with. And then, completely differently, I produced a track recently with a guy from Sydney called Tommy Trash. He came over to Germany to work with me, and showed me a completely new way of producing, he really inspired me. You can’t compare these too people, they are two very different people with different jobs, but both inspired me equally.

You are spending NYE with the Sensation crew – will you be making any resolutions as the clock strikes midnight?

Well, on the work side of things my main resolution is to finally finish my album! I have said this many times and it may have been my resolution before, but I really hope 2009 will be the year that I do! I have stopped releaseing music in recent years, but I am going to start this again in January. I also want to enjoy touring and playing more, and just have a great time! My real aim in 2009 is to start sitting back and enjoying the moments as they happen, instead of just rushing through them – I want to take my time, rush less and spend more time with myself and my family.

Thank you Moguai – see you on New Year’s Eve!