Special Download

Tell us about the mix, how it was recorded and what you contributed. Was there a theme?

Silent Servant: No theme, I mixed it live in one take and just tried to do what I do when I DJ live. Both Zak (DVS1) and I still play mainly vinyl, so the mix is very accurate to what you get from us live, in my opinion.

DVS1: Unfortunately due to both of our busy schedules recently we decided to try something different than actually get together and mix this in the same location. Silent Servant starts off the mix until minute 42 and then I jump in and finish it off. He basically sent me his mix, I rolled around with it in my head for a few days and then pulled some tracks to add my half. In terms of a theme, I would say no. What works for us is that we appreciate much of the same music when it comes to techno. I tried as best I could to play tracks that I don’t normally play out, or at least haven’t in a long time. I also added a few unreleased tracks that I haven’t tried anywhere. The issue for me is that I don’t do studio mixes. All of my podcasts and mixes on my site are all recordings from live sets. I really need the crowd’s energy and the feeling of the sound to get into my mixes.

What are you planning for your performances at the Oktave party?

DVS1: No planning… I don’t plan. I just bring a couple bags of records and see what happens. I can say that John and I are excited to play together and especially in Chicago at Smart Bar. I have a feeling it’s gonna be a good night!

SS: We’ll see the night of the party.

LWE’s questions for Silent Servant:

What inspires your personal aesthetic and what inspires your work with Sandwell District?

The Velvet Underground, Gregory Kepes, Marshall McLuhan, Daniel Miller, Karl O’Connor (aka Regis), Claude Eden, Camella Lobo, David Sumner, Richard H. Kirk, Luke Slater, Yves Klein, Marcel Duchamp, the Bauhaus school, “The Leather Boys”, Joe Meek and Hammer Horror films.

Sandwell District seem to be increasingly defining themselves as a collective rather than a label. Is this a fair assessment?

Yes. We have to work together to be productive and balance each other’s insanity. So a collective yes, but by necessity.

What was behind the decision to put out a collective album?

The first Where Next? zine was being done and Karl (Regis) thought it would be a good idea to make a record to accompany it.

You’ve recently put together a mix of 80s post-punk as well as a mix celebrating Tresor in the 90s. Clearly you enjoy revisiting the past; do you feel like looking at the past is an important way to progress?

The past informs the future and some of the music was better.

Function mentioned recently that Sandwell District are “situationists.” Can you explain a little more about the situationist bent of the label/collective?

Situationists or circus clowns. We go with what happens. Nothing is planned, we just do what we want.

Despite cultivating an aura of anonymity around Sandwell District, the collective and its releases have a solid sonic and visual identity. As the person behind most of those visuals, what role do they play in getting across the SD message?

The visuals are there to guide the identity and we hope the message is honesty in art and music.We never try to hide what we do. It is in circulation and liked and disliked equally.

What’s up next for you, Historia y Violencia, and Sandwell District?

For me, a new Tropic of Cancer 10″ with a Richard H. Kirk remix on Downwards and a full length For Sandwell District at some point next year. H&V has two new split 12″s, one by Roque Hernandez and Raíz and one by David Alvarado and Santiago Salazar. Sandwell has a few 12″s planned after the album but nothing we can really discuss yet.

LWE’s questions for DVS1:

Most people who think of the American Midwest tend to focus on Detroit and Chicago. What are the positives and negatives of being part of the more isolated Minneapolis scene?

I wouldn’t say we’re that isolated. We get plenty of great talent that come through here and we definitely take pride in our sound systems being better than most other major cities in the US. Minneapolis has always been one of the Midwest’s best kept secrets. The good is that Minneapolis doesn’t have to live up to any reputation or history of influence. We take the best of everywhere and mix it up into our own little Midwest niche. We’ve always been influenced by everyone from Chicago, Detroit, New York and abroad, but we never just stick to one of those sounds. We find the best tracks from everywhere and beat them all together. The bad is that all though we have strong support for good music here, it’s a bit small in terms of multiple events on the same night. Luckily most of the promoters, DJs, et al. stay in contact behind the scenes and communicate so we don’t overwhelm our audience with too many places to be on one night. It really helps make all of our events successful. Although it would be nice to have our community double in size so that we could do multiple events without anyone losing.

Many producers in America end up leaving for places that are more accepting of techno, like Berlin. Does that hold any allure for you?

Of course it’s alluring, but for now I’m happy to be here and traveling when possible. Too many people have made that jump prematurely and not been ready or had to really struggle to make it work. If things continue at the rate they have been, who knows. Check in with me next year!

Your first two releases have arrived on hugely noteworthy labels, Transmat and Klockworks. What have those signings done for your confidence? How do you feel now that you’ve set the bar so high for yourself?

I couldn’t have asked for two better labels to do my first releases on. I still feel extremely humbled and excited by the reaction those records got from my peers as well as my audience. I’m still just as excited to make music now as I was when I made those tracks. As far as confidence, I’ve always been confident in my approach and honesty in what I do. If anything this puts the pressure on me to stay honest and keep going the way I have been for all these years. I do well under pressure, it’s when I get comfortable that I get lazy, so setting the bar high was exactly what I needed to keep things moving.

Who are some contemporary producers who you see as leading the way in dance music?

Honestly, too many to name. In the history of house/techno you read about the different “waves” of producers that hit during different periods of time. I really feel that a new but well established wave of artists who have been working hard for the last 10-15 years are now getting their time in the sun. A lot of my peers have a very similar story to mine. They’ve been a part of the dance music culture for years and they stuck with it out of true passion and perseverance. They are now out front leading the way and telling stories about their personal experience and history through the music they make and play!

What’s next for DVS1?

Releases and touring. I’ve got another Klockworks coming in the next few months as well as a record for Luke Slater on Mote Evolver. Also, some remixes for Joris Voorn, Perc Trax, Darko Esser and Sian. I’ve been working on remixes for a while now and I’m almost done with all my obligations. I really need to make time to focus on getting some more original material done. Also, Enemy Records (run by Dustin Zahn) just licensed my digital-only release on Timefog and put it out on vinyl: DVS1, Flight to Nowhere EP.

I gotta say that I have been really lucky and a bit pushy to make sure that my music is released on vinyl labels! I still play all vinyl and to be able to play my tracks on wax makes all the difference.

While in Minneapolis Ben not only was able to see what the Midwest was about, Ben even took home a little piece of Minneapolis by signing our very own DVS1 for KlockWorks005. While here he interviewed for Tanya Norman from IPR and recently with us at Jack The Box for a followup. What Follows is the followup interview and below is the original interview from Tanya and Ben Klock from April.

To top it all off we were also able to get hold of a recording of that night for JackCast002 Ben Klock Live@BLACK…

You recently visited  Minneapolis, What were your impressions of the American Techno scene before coming and what are your impressions now? Specifically  Minneapolis …
Well I have to say before I had the impression that it’s a very small scene there and this was approved. But in the end it’s more about quality than quantity. And there were some people who were really into it – especially in Minneapolis. And it was great fun playing there, because people seemed to really appreciate.

Your latest release on Klockworks (klockworks 005) is from one of our own locals and is very exciting for us.  Is klockworks005 the first release from artists other than you?
Yes it’s the first release from someone else. So it’s something special for me too. I was really impressed by Zak (DVS1). He is minimalistic in it’s original sense. And very energetic. I loved his short but intense performance he did at that party in Minneapolis. And I’m glad I didn’t go straight home after my set and had the chance to meet this guy. I will bring him over to play at Berghain in February.

Do you plan on bringing more artists into the Klockworks roster?
Always depends on the music. If I find something that really fits into the concept that I have in mind for Klockworks then maybe there will be other artists. In fact I’m just planning something with a new artist but it’s to early to tell more.

Do you plan on visiting the  US  in 2010?
I’m not sure about that yet. We’ll see.

You are known for playing a very wide range of records. I remember hearing a number of classics in your set from your visit.  What is your favorite dance floor track, the one you almost never leave home without?
Yes I like mixing old and new stuff. But it always changes. I can’t tell you the one favorite classic. There are too many great records. But if you ask me which one never left the bag since I bought it in 1995 it’s Tyree on Dance Mania: Nuthin Wrong.

Are you currently working on any new music projects that we should keep an eye out for?
I’ve only been doing remixes since my album came out in February this year. Brand new in the stores is a remix for Function on Sandwell District.
And then there will be a record on Deeply Rooted House, distributed by PlanetE with two older tracks of mine coming out before the end of this year.

One of the things we love to talk about on this Blog is gear. Some people are gear enthusiasts and some are minimalists.  What is your current preferred DJ and music production set up?
I’m sorry to disappoint you if you expect a large analog production park. For my productions I’m using Logic Pro on a Mac and lot’s of digital plug Ins. That’s all I need at the moment. For me it’s more about music than loving machines. My DJ set up is two turntables and two Pioneer CDJs 1000 and a Soundbite loop player.

Thank you Ben!  Interview by Aaron Bliss for Jack the Box.

Below is the interview by Tanya Norman the night Ben Klock Played in Minneapolis.

Particle People Bring Ben Klock To First Ave VIP Room by Tanya Norman

On April 4, 2009 local promoters Particle People welcomed Ben Klock to the First Ave VIP Room. Coming to the USA all the way from Berghain Club in Berlin, this respected producer and deejay was here to promote his new album One and EP Before One out now on BeatPort and where vinyl is sold. Ben was kind enough to grant Tanya Norman an interview opportunity, allowing a glimpse inside his world of Berlin techno and sharing insight into why sometimes less is more…

TN: Who inspires you?  Mentors in music?

BK: I don’t know where to begin.  I’ve been making music all my life.  I listened to all kinds of music.  In the 80’s I loved Prince.  In the beginning of the 90’s I was beginning to look for new sounds.  There are some heroes: old US guys, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Robert Hood.  Basically, that’s where it comes from.

TN: What kind of technology and tools do you use?  Describe your studio.

BK:  It’s not that interesting. [laughs] I changed to complete digital. I really like total recall recording.  When I worked on my album I worked on different tracks at the same time.  I don’t want to have to reconnect cables…..with digital you can really do a lot of things.  I use Logic, a little Ableton… usually a Logic user.  And some plug-ins.

TN: Your current record label, Ostgut Ton, how long have you been with them?

BK: Since I’ve been a resident DJ at Berghain, about 3 years. Ostgut Ton is the label of Berghain. The venue they had before the Berghain was called Ostgut, that is why the label is called Ostgut Ton.

TN: You’ve been deejaying for over 10 years now?

BK: For a little over 10 years.  The international bookings started about 4 years ago, coinciding with the beginning of my residency at Berghain.

TN: Did you play any instruments as a child?

BK: When I was a kid I played piano. Before I became a DJ I also played in a band and did some songwriting, playing guitar and singing…

TN:  Did you find those experiences helpful with your current productions?

BK: Yes and no.  Sometimes it is not helpful when you are too educated in music and you want to make a good techno track…you don’t want it cluttered with too many solo parts, well, iIdon’t want it… [laughs]
See the full Interview at…
http://www.ipr.edu/blog/2009/04/particle-people-bring-ben-klock-to-first-ave-vip-room/

Be sure to see Tanya’s post for video and pictures from the night as well as visit Particle People on RA for more pictures here : http://www.residentadvisor.net/photo-gallery.aspx?set=6248 and on http://www.myspace.com/particlepeoplempls