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I remember my first impressions of Matthias Tanzmann. From a distance, he’s always appeared quite shy, keen to not hog the spotlight. He’s been a Circoloco favourite and steady resident for six years. He has two successful record labels. He wears cable knit sweaters and shows a cultural interest in every city he visits (according to his Facebook updates anyway). What’s interesting and truly refreshing, is that with so many achievements (including a slot in this year's RA Top 100 poll) from his residencies to the two record labels he runs he could be easily forgiven for not harbouring such a modest attitude, yet it seems to me he chooses to let his music speak for him.
I chatted to him from his home in the beautiful city of Leipzig. After spending a good chunk of time reminiscing on the Ibiza season that we both still can’t quite let go of (mourning the loss of the hot weather just as much as the clubbing scene), I got down to discussing the Circoloco effect, his opinions on this year as a whole (keep in mind that this interview took place before the RA top 100 was released - Matthias is quite the profit) and ultimately discovering the man behind the hugely influential tech house sound he’s known for.
Let’s talk about your heritage a bit. You’re originally from Leipzig, Germany, a city that has been referred to recently as ‘The New Berlin.’ What’s your opinion on this? Everyone hates the comparison! If you see Leipzig as having its own identity, then it’s beautiful. It has been a heavyweight in classical music, art, culture and history, and is very appealing for young people. If you want to go clubbing, there’s Distillery Club, and there’s a lot of small boutique clubs that are doing great events. But essentially it doesn’t compare to Berlin, which is such a metropolis with such a relevance to worldwide cultural development. You don’t want to compare these cities- you can only lose if you do so.
You’ve been playing since the ‘90s and you started in deep house. Essentially worlds away from the sound you’re now renowned for, especially at your Circoloco residency! How did you end up here? Well I started getting into electronic music when I was 15 when some older friends took me to nightclubs. I saved money, bought turntables, started buying records. In the ‘90s there wasn’t a clear declaration of styles. By the end of the ‘90s, I was actually in to deep house thanks to people like Matthew Herbert. It was a big change in style, but from then on I was DJing a lot and it got more ‘dance floor’ oriented - from deep to tech!
You’ve been a firm Circoloco resident for the last six years. Do you think playing at this notorious Spanish party has influenced your style a lot? It’s been a huge influence. When I started playing for Circoloco I’d never even been there before, so when I got there for my first gig I was like: ‘what is going on here?’ I’d heard about it obviously, but I was shocked. Of course, over the seasons I’ve learnt so much about this special way of clubbing that happens there, especially in 2007 through ‘08 with Luciano. His style was so percussive, which was very typical of Circoloco at the time and it slipped into my music. I’ve always been into that sound, but Circoloco takes it to the next level. You see how far you can go with this music, how you can move a crowd with this certain atmosphere. It’s amazing.
You’re playing New Year’s Eve at Warehouse in London. How does it feel to always be DJing on New Year instead of spending it with friends and family? It’s pretty different from other people who would spend their New Year with all their friends, but this is how I’ve always known it. For New Years Eve I always make sure I take friends with me so we can celebrate together. It’s interesting for my friends too to get a little tour, like this time they’ll see London, Ibiza and Madrid in 2 days. That’s really cool.
There’s always such a family vibe in Ibiza over the summer. Do you feel that there is still this special warm atmosphere in the winter when you play across there? Absolutely, that’s what’s so great about it. Even when you go back in winter, you never feel like a stranger. Also when you play in Ibiza, people come with a different attitude to the club - they’re there to party! They want to listen to music and let go. At Circoloco, for example, you have this amazing flow over the night musically - so many good DJs playing there, a fantastic vibe. It truly is a special place to play.
The latest EP on your Moon Harbour imprint comes from VIVa Warrior’s Detlef, and there’s even a remix from VIVa label head Steve Lawler. Can you tell us a little bit more about how the release came about? I’ve been friends with Steve a while, and he released on Moon Harbour last year. Detlef has been sending me tracks for months, years even, and I always liked to play them. Then I got these new ones and just knew I had to release them. Also Steve, Detlef and a lot of the other VIVa guys are on the same booking agency, so now we can come together and it feels natural.
I hope you’ve acquired a Viva Warriors headband. (Laughs) I have everything, don’t you worry!
You’ve also got Moon Harbour’s cooler, younger brother label Cargo Edition. Any new artists or material we should be looking out for? Right now I’ll say Sable Sheep; he had a big release on Moon Harbour, now he’s having releases on Defected and other cool labels. This is really the guy to watch if you want a tip off from me!
It’s that time of year again where all the various polls come out and people cast their votes for their ‘top everything.’ What would you say has been your standout moment of 2013? Martin Buttrich, Davide Squillace and I had a party at DC-10 in the summer with a project we do called ‘Better Lost than Stupid.’ The vibe was amazing and the crowd fantastic. For me it was definitely a night to remember.
What’s been your top track from the year? For me the most memorable song for this year was Ten Walls’ ‘Gotham’ on Innervisions. I think the whole Innervisions crew had their biggest year this season. It’s the year of Dixon. He’s such a good DJ. I’ve been a fan of him for around fifteen years, as I come from deep house, and he was always an idol to me when I started making music. Now we’re friends and I’m really happy for him; this year they really went to their next level and it’s so well deserved.
What is it that inspires you when you’re creating music? I’m truly influenced by everything that surrounds me. You have to walk through your life with open eyes and open ears - and of course, music itself. You pick up a lot on tour, in clubs, certain moments. DC-10 has really influenced my music, especially in the first years when I was so new to Ibiza. I had so many special nights there when I still had so much to learn about electronic music.
What can we expect from you in 2014? The plan is to get back in the studio. I haven’t really been releasing a lot in recent years. I really want to change that. At the moment I’m just working on tracks and remixes, then there’s this project I’m working on, Better Lost Than Stupid. We’re going to the studio as we’ve been working on an album, met in Barcelona a couple of times, produced music in Ibiza, then well have another session in Germany in February. So yes, expect an album coming soon.
Any New Year’s resolutions? Maybe take a few more days off - I haven’t had a holiday in years! You always have your music with you and then you end up playing somewhere. Like I’ll be at BPM in Mexico for nine days, but it won’t be like a classic holiday. You don’t switch your phone off and stay at the beach. In 2014 I hope to have some quality time without travelling, disconnect from the word a little bit.
And finally, I have to ask - the English translation of your second name is literally ‘Dance Man.’ Is it actually your second name? Because if so, that’s fate right there! (Laughs) Yep it’s my real second name! I could only have become a DJ or a ballet dancer. Clearly I was meant for great things.
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