Kate: Your exclusive mix for Livesets.com is titled “Still Here”, what prompted you to name it that?
Dustin: I named it that because I’m still here and I haven’t turned my back on something so influential for me. I don’t mind techno guys softening up a bit, but I think some of them convinced themselves to shun the music that made them. Some of my friends and critics thought I also hopped the mnml bandwagon because of the “Enemy Mixes” but those are just concept mixes for home listening. I do play that stuff in clubs sometimes, but I still enjoy playing harder and this mix reflects the kind of hard techno vibe I still go for when I play. I play a variety of events from small chilled out clubs to 2,000+ people parties so it’s impossible for me to stick to just one sound.
Kate: Many North American artists have moved to Europe to help further their careers, do you see yourself doing this at some point down the road or do you think you will stay in the U.S.?
Dustin: Yes, I am to announce that I am officially moving to Berlin…I already own the pants and shades. I’ll be making the move this year with the rest of New York and Chicago. I guess L.A. can come too if they want. We’ll be renaming Mitte in the process, but nobody can agree on a cool enough name.
But seriously…moving to Europe would definitely be beneficial, but I’m kind of over that idea. I’m a good relationship in a good city. We have great restaurants, fun parties, plenty of outdoor activities, and family is close by so I have what I need. If I was making enough to support a dual-residency in different countries I’d be all over it. But if I am going to make the move, it’s going to have to be by the beach.
Kate: Do you have anything planned for the WMC or DEMF this year?
Dustin: Nothing for WMC…I’m still paying off the Miami trip from last year. I’ll definitely be in Detroit, it’s a tradition! I’ll also be playing at least one after party. I don’t think I’ll do an Abiotic/Intellephunk label party this year though.
Kate: Are there any upcoming releases on your labels? Do you have releases/remixes lined up on any others?
Dustin: I have just completed some stuff for Paco Osuna’s Mindshake label and that will be out some time soon. I did a couple remixes lately too. One for the Wreckless label which will be out in early February, as well as a remix for Tim Xavier on some Spectral offshoot called Moodgadget. All I know about it is that the album is apparently a digital-only release. I’m really pleased with how my new stuff turned out. I’m also working on music for my Enemy label as well as some other bigger labels that I can’t talk about until its ready to go. I’m also working on new hard stuff for Abiotic and some friends’ labels.
Abiotic will make a comeback this year. Right now I’m trying to work out some EPs with the new Dutch act “Radial” as well as Bas Mooy. Hopefully we’ll release some new Attack People stuff too since it’s been too long. At some point, the final volume of Tsunami Aid series will be released featuring Heiko Laux, Tony Rohr, Echoplex, and Carlos Rios. That will happen whenever my distributor gets around to it. It should have been out 18 months ago.
Lastly, the next couple releases from my Enemy label will come from a new Greek talent, Mihalis Safras. So to answer in short, this will be a very busy year for me and my labels! The main focus this year is to boost the profile of my labels and performances.
Kate: Not only are you a talented Dj and producer, but you are also promoting techno events in Minneapolis, with recent bookings including artists such as Patrik Skoog, Alexi Delano, Mark Broom and Joel Mull. Minneapolis is not what most people would consider a hotbed for techno but there seems to be a steady following there, what are your thoughts on this? How has Minneapolis succeeded where many other (larger) cities have failed?
Dustin: I think I’m maybe the wrong person to ask. Minneapolis was a house and techno town long before I moved here 3 1/2 years ago. The city used to be very influential. It was home to ESP Woody McBride, DJ Slip, Freddie Fresh, Paul Birken, Tim Taylor, and even more for a while. They cranked out influential labels like Communiqué and Missile. Along with the help of many other promoters and persistence, Minneapolis has always been a busy city.
These days, I think Minneapolis has succeeded mainly because of the people. There are a lot of us who strive to make these shows happen but that wouldn’t have mattered without the party people having an open mind. They appreciate so many styles of music and it’s great. They’re also mature it’s no longer a “cuddle-puddle” drug fest like raves in the 90s. That helps a lot! The new Minneapolis crowd is also really young, crazy, and unique with vibrant personalities. I’ve heard recent stories of preppy small town or suburban girls attending these events and they were shocked/scared to be mixed in with “that crowd…” you have no idea how much that satisfies me. The city has its hipsters too, but aside from being fake the people usually mean well so what the fuck, you know?
These days, all of the promoters work together to bring in talent and pass off shows to each other. If one guy looks bad, we all look bad…so everyone tries to look out for each other. And now, we have as far as I know…the first and only DJ-owned club in the country called “Foundation.” That alone is a pretty amazing feat. That’s not to say Minneapolis has no downfalls though, I assure you there is plenty of drama.
On a personal level, I think we’re successful because we have a very loose “fuck it” attitude when it comes to our parties. It’s definitely a more liberating feel than being in a club or a bar, which many top U.S. gigs are. Some acts come through town and have commented on how it was one of the best U.S. gigs they’ve ever had. Sometimes it’s the complete opposite; I guess you can’t win ‘em all. Overall, we have a high success rate, but it takes a lot of work so I’ve taken a break with promotion to focus on my own touring.
Kate: What set-up are you typically using these days for your performances - solo or as the Attack People?
Dustin: The live performance kit is always changing. It’s usually something like 2 laptops, 2 UC-33s, a Novation Remote 25, Korg EA-1, RM1x, Phatboy midi controller, and some other crap. We basically bring whatever we can fit in our luggage. Sometimes less, sometimes more. For my own productions it’s 99% Ableton with various VSTs these days. For Attack People stuff, Ableton and Fruity. When I DJ I was using Ableton along with turntables for a while but now I think I’m going to switch the focus back to just 2 or 3 turntables. It all depends on the bookings.
Kate: What have been some of the highlights of your career in recent memory?
Dustin: Well, it’s always nice to work with or play alongside DJ-producers that influenced my sound and changed my whole perspective on things. Since teaming up with Intellephunk, we’ve worked together to throw shows we never really thought were possible. I’ve met a lot of great people over the past year or two as well, which improves my outlook a lot because I felt pretty burned by many relationships in the past. Any time I leave a gig or a city with a smile on my face is a highlight in my opinion too.
Kate: You continue to have impressive bookings including in the past year playing the Awakenings festival, as well as a number of other European gigs from Germany to Holland, are there any upcoming shows that you are looking forward to especially?
Dustin: I’m looking forward to some summer-time open air gigs with my friends here at home. I haven’t had the chance to do that for a while due to other touring. I’m also looking forward to various shows in Europe and South America later this year. I’ll be going to Spain for an Attack People live debut so that should be a blast. I haven’t been in South America for about a year and a half so I’m really looking forward to that as well. To be honest, I’m traveling a lot less these days but the gigs I’m taking keep getting better and better. I’m also looking forward to our annual anniversary party in November. It’s going to be completely mad. Livesets members may need to paypal us some money to bail us out of jail.
Kate: What non-electronic music do you listen to these days?
Dustin: Jamie Lidell, The Sex Pistols, Explosions in the Sky, Goldfrapp, Tortoise, Motley Crue, some Speedwagon, Queens of the Stone Age, basically a lot of old school punk and hip hop as well. I was really into down-tempo, experimental, and the likes but I do 4hr sets twice a week at the moment so I can’t really listen to it anymore at home. I went through a phase of stuff like Voltaire, Neubaten, Coil, and the usual but I burned myself out on that as well.
Kate: What was the last concert that you went to?
Dustin: The last concert I attended was a Deftones concert. I got free tickets (thanks Jay) but the kicker was that I had to wait outside two hours before the show. Naturally, I ended up freezing my ass off in the process but it was worth it. I felt like I was back in high school for a couple hours.
Kate: Are you still planning to one day be a history teacher? Which period in history, if you had to narrow it down, interests you the most?
Dustin: I’m changing my major actually. But since you asked, I think at the moment I’m most interested in the period surrounding the industrial revolution and labor strikes. It was a huge deal. The amount of crooked politics, cover ups, horror stories, and struggle blows 9/11 out of the water (“it was like 9/11 times 100”). These days, I’m focusing more on the sciences because with serious problems like depletion of oil and fresh water, along with overpopulation and global warming, the future seems more interesting at the moment. By the way Europe, you’re due for a severe climate cool down because of the shifting of the Gulf Stream. Snowboarding at DC-10 in Ibiza? You can thank the U.S. and China later!
For more information about Dustin Zahn, visit his website:
www.enemyrecords.com
Dustin Zahn - Still Here
Length: 80 minutes
Size: 108MB
Bitrate: 192kbps
Track List:
01. Holy Ghost - Hand of God - Tresor
02. Raudive - Here (Len Faki Podium mix) - Podium
03. John Thomas - Downhill - N/A
04. Silent Breed vs The Gecko - The Fly - N/A
05. Killabite - Vol2 A1 - Killabite
06. Dave Clarke - Red 2 - Bush
07. Cab Drivers - Steam - Cabinet
08. Speedy J - Electric Deluxe - Plus 8
09. Dub Kult - On+On (Guido Schenider Remix) - N/A
10. Robb Little - Pulsate (HMC remix) - N/A
11. Underworld - Born Slippy
12. James Ruskin - Work (Rachmad Remix) - Blueprint
13. Adam Beyer - Compressed A1 - Drumcode
14. Ortin Cam - Need Love - Lupp
15. Reeko Crop - Crop Circles B1 - Evidence
16. Holy Ghost - Gone Fishin' - Tresor
17. Circuit Breaker - Overkill - Plus 8
18. Thomas P. Heckmann - Eight O Eight - N/A
19. Steve Rachmad - Tir Na Nog - Rotation
20. Dustin Zahn - Overdose - Bootleg/Mashup
21. Jamie Bissmire - Number & Measure (Chris McCormack Remix) - N/A
22. Dustin Zahn - We Want Heat (The H Is O mix) - Audio Assault
23. Reeko - Crop Circles (A1) - Evidence
24. Steve Rachmad - Tin Can - Scorp
25. Radial - Dynamo - PVC
26. Dustin Zahn - The Lost Boys (Delicate Skin Mix) - Abiotic
27. Radial - Revolver - Numb
28. Redshape - 2084 - Music Man
29. Reeko - Lexicon - Mental Disorder
30. Cajmere - Day By Day (Green Velvet Mix) - Relief
31. Surgeon - Floorshow Pt.2 B2 – Counterbalance
|
Content
I first heard of Dustin Zahn about three years ago and was definitely impressed with what he had already achieved so far in his budding career. Since then Dustin’s productions have been released on a number of labels including Invasion, Compound and his own imprints Enemy Records and Abiotic with Ian Lehman. His profile continues to rise worldwide and he will have tours later this year in Europe and South America. 