Paul Kalkbrenner Interview

Paul Kalkbrenner doesn’t just make music, he lives it. From touring the world on a daily basis to filming the life of a mentally-ill, drug-addicted DJ in ‘Berlin Calling’, he parties just as much as his audience. We spoke to Kalkbrenner about his life in the fast lane and his highly-anticipated return to Australia for Future Music Festival.

Hi Paul, how are you?
I’m ok! It’s grey and cloudy, so winter is coming up here.

Where have you visited recently?
I spent the weekend in Spain! And before that I took some time in the studio and I will be heading on my tour in December.

We last saw you in Australia in December 2012, what have you been up to in the past year?
I went on a big concert tour and played the biggest venues in central Europe with 12,000 people. I also had very big festivals and then some time off in autumn (in Germany), but I haven’t had time to release much music so it’s been a touring year.

How are you anticipating your show at Future Music Festival in March?
I hear it’s like the biggest thing in Australia, I’ve been used to smaller venues like Chinese Laundry so this is my first time for a really, really big one in Australia. And it will be sunny down there, so it will be nice.

Have you been able to see or hear much of the Techno scene in Australia lately?
Unfortunately not, so it will be interesting to see what’s happening there!

With the rise in online music, is it hard to tell where good music is coming from or do you think it has been an important platform for new Techno and House artists?
That’s interesting. I have to say that due to the fact that I play live music, and also listen to others, when I make an album, I try to stay influence-less. I try to make it from my home, without TV and radio, because somehow when I listen to other music it becomes like a little layer of dust on top of what I actually make as music. The best way for me to make music is to not hear any other music. It may sound strange, but it took me about a year to figure out that that’s probably the best way.

Techno is so symbolic of amazing venues and live shows; from what you’ve seen in the past 20 years, how has the Techno scene changed?
It has become a globalised thing! When I was young and bought my first record, it was very small. My Techno friends, we were the only guys in school that liked it, but now you can hear it in a clothing store! To me, it’s bigger than Rock ‘n’ Roll now, with people from Europe and Australia and even Japan. Now, it’s becoming really global with a strong movement, power and following.

Is there any difference in the crowds you play to around the world?
What’s interesting is that you think people from Brazil to people in Japan should be receiving it differently because of their social influence, but somehow Electro music, especially when it’s made instrumental, they seem to receive it the same. It’s a connecting movement and mirrors in every continent. Wherever I go, people adapt to it the same and I suppose that’s helped by the less vocal content so people can just dance and have a great time.

What’s your personal drive when creating music?
I think it’s still the same things that made me want to get into music at 15 – even though my parents didn’t find it a very good plan! I knew quite early what I wanted to do, but I was told to not concentrate on the Techno scene until after I had a regular job. Like a regular child my parents were worried about me. But I knew what I wanted to do and what drove me then, drives me now.

How much of an impact do you think growing up in Berlin has had on your creativity?
I grew up in East Germany, behind the Berlin Wall, and I was 12 when it came down and in Berlin it was hard to know who the era belonged to, because it didn’t, to anyone. At parties during that time there were skinheads and hooligans, but at Techno parties I saw white, black, brown and yellow from all religions and regions together and I thought, “I’m going to stay here, this is where I want to be.”

While playing DJ Ickarus in 2008’s ‘Berlin Calling’, how much of your own experiences and character did you put into the role?
All the scenes you see Ickarus playing live, that was me, because they were real shows. As the years have passed, the movie has fallen away from me, so I watched it recently and I can see how the guy is much younger than I am right now and the more years that pass I actually have not so much in common with Ickarus… Maybe the will to make music, but that’s it – I have not been so crazy that I have had to go to the loony bin!

What do you have planned for New Year’s Eve?
I will be playing three shows in a row; we’ll be going to Rome in Italy, and La Coruna and Madrid in Spain and we’ll be going by jet in a travel group trying to make those three parties in one night, so I’m going to be busy!

As well as bringing your music to Australia, what do you have planned for 2014?
I’m sitting on my new album at the moment and I hope to release it at the end of 2014.

We can’t wait to hear it and look forward to seeing you at Future Music Festival!