Marc Romboy Interview

Soulful electronic music is the sound of Marc Romboy. This world-renowned DJ has had a natural obsession with music since he could sit upright, from listening to his parents’ play the music of The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd when he was five, to DJing at friends’ parties and school classes when he was 10. He has since formed his own labels, collaborated with the likes of John Dahlback, Abysm, Blake Baxter and Stephan Bodzin, released the critically acclaimed “Gemini” as his debut solo artist album and achieved 20 years of success within the music industry.

Dance music’s explosion into the commercial market has divided opinions, what are your views on this and how has it affected the underground scene?
Well, the huge stir that has been caused by the music of the likes of David Guetta and Swedish House Mafia has not been the first time that electronic dance music has reached the chart list. I experienced this already in Germany and in the UK in the 90s. And of course it divides opinions, but I don’t consider this to be dramatically because electronic music can be seen as a parallel universe of music anyway. I personally don’t like music when it’s too obvious and the dance music of the chart lists is, of course, very direct and easy to consume, but I personally prefer music with depth or sounds and atmospheres which are rather dark and mysterious. And this is why I produce the so-called underground dance music.

You recently released the awesome ‘Taiyo’ album with Ken Isshi…from what I’ve read this album was made while both of you were based on different continents! How difficult was that to complete (being in different countries) and what was the process involved in completing an album in this way?
First of all, thanks a lot for your positive comment and yes, I’m very proud of this album, especially due to the fact that it’s something completely new in my discography. I have to add that I hate to repeat myself when it comes to making music and this album, with the influence of an awesome artist like Ken, has lead me to new directions and feelings. Due to the fact that Germany and Japan are pretty far away from each other, we did not have an alternative. The only option was to exchange the files through the World Wide Web. And as unbelievable as it sounds, this way of collaborating worked out very, very well and showed me that making music together is not necessarily a question of being together in one room. If you have the same feelings, vibes and understanding regarding music, this way of exchanging files via a ftp server is a way to do an album. Incredible, isn’t it?

Is it true that ‘Tayio’ is a concept album? If so, what is the idea behind the concept?
Yes, it is indeed a concept album, based on the concepts of the 70s long players from Pink Floyd and Kraftwerk, to name two important ones. ‘Taiyo’ means simply sun and Ken and I want to take the listener to a journey of our sounds and feelings. I can recommend listening to it in one go on the plane or in the car when driving from Melbourne to Sydney [smirks]. We never had the intention to produce any big hit recordings; just the atmosphere was the essential focus we had.

Are you working on any collaborations or creative DJ set plans at the moment?
I’m currently working on my live show, which I finally want to have set up by end of this year. So many people have asked me to perform my own music only in the form of a live show, so I started to work on it last year and now I’m happy about it. Besides this, I’m busy with my solo album, which is hopefully out in like a year or so. And I just finished two exciting remixes for Sono’s ‘Keep Control’ and a classic Mike Dunn track called ‘Nothing stays the same’.

As an international DJ you get to play music in different corners of the globe. What is the strangest experience you have had on your travels?
[Laughs] Yes, this question is a classic, isn’t it? Well, the strangest and at the same time most fascinating experience is the matter of fact that I meet people all over the globe who understand electronic music and house music. When I started to do all this 20 years ago I never expected something incredible like this. I love this music, I love the vibe, I love the peace around this music and I’m again and again totally overwhelmed when I play, like in Luanda in Angola, and hundreds of people stand in front of my DJ booth and understand. Wow!!!

What are your plans for the European festival season? Is there anything you’re particularly looking forward to?
Yes, one festival I’m particularly watching out for is the Kazantip festival in Ukraine, at the black sea. Some of you might have heard about it and the Internet is full of movies and reports. It’s totally crazy, mind blowing, an anarchy scenario, outstanding. We’ll have a Systematic floor there this time and my friends Robert Babicz, KiNK and Namito are joining me this time.

What beat or track do you wish you could have made and why? Any genre.
There is no track to be honest and the reason is pretty simple: I am what I am – full stop! Of course there are many songs I would love to hear when I’m about to die, but I probably would choose Phuture’s ‘Acid Tracks.’

What is the biggest track you are playing right now?
Romanthony´s “Let Me Show You Love.”

Check out our Music News