Right before his massive upcoming album
Scream drops and in the midst of a storm of press releases, shows, festivals, and social media meandering, we caught up with dance music icon Markus Schulz to have a chat about his sound, his upcoming album, collaborators, and his most memorable performances. Check out the conversation below.
GDE: Can you describe the story behind your most recent album, Scream? What was your inspiration?
I wanted to make an album of tracks that I could play during my live sets. I worked with many different vocalists on this album as well to get that point across. It was a lot more challenging then I expected, but at the same time very rewarding because I was able to work with a lot of unique singers, songwriters, and other producers as well.
GDE: Now, on your album Scream -- do you believe that it is an evolution or departure from old school trance music?
Well, I think it is an evolution, I believe the whole theme of Trance has evolved. There is a new generation of clubbers and producers that are in the scene right now, it’s very exciting. I think that this album is definitely an evolution into a new era of dance music.
GDE: With so many different artists featured on almost every track of the new album, who were your favorite artists to work with and which ones stuck out the most to you?
I think that working with Ferry Corsten in the studio was an amazing experience. Ferry and I are at the same point of our career, where we are tired of all the politics, drama, and bullshit that has happened in the scene. Whenever we were in the studio, we would try and close that door behind us, free from distractions, and just do what it is we love to do. At certain points, we would dance around the studio jamming, and just having a great time and have fun. I believe the most important part about this album is the fact that I just wanted to have fun making it. I think that sometimes music demands can get so heavy and elitist, to the point where you’re always questioning yourself and not actually having fun producing in the studio. I had a lot of fun making this album and I hope that comes through when people listen this and I hope they have fun listening to it as well.
GDE: Have you dropped any of your new tracks off the album during your live sets?
Yes, I’ve been road testing most of these tracks along the way and like I said, I wanted to make some songs for all my live gigs. There was nothing more exciting than finishing a track in the studio and listening their soundchecks on a huge sound system, while standing in the middle of the arena.
GDE: Interesting, have any of the tracks received a more positive response from the crowds?
Oh yeah, I mean all the tracks have gone over really well with my audience. If they didn’t, I would go back to the studio and work on them for a little bit. Tracks like “Nothing Without Me” featuring Ana Diaz has been a real crowd favorite, as well as “Finish Line” and the collaboration I did with Ferry Corsten, “Loops and Tings” have been club favorites.
GDE: Those tracks do sound amazing. Now, the rest of the questions regard your perspective on the dance music of 2012 and couple questions from your fans. So, you have performed in some of the largest festivals and biggest nightclubs around the world this year. What has been your most memorable performance so far and why?
I would say that Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas this year stands out head and shoulder above everything because of the circumstances that went down. About an hour into my set they had to shut down all the stages and I wound up playing two more sets later on, one on the Sirius XM Electric Area Radio Show back-to-back with Armin van Buuren and another set out in the middle of the grand stands on a truck with sound systems on it. Those experiences were really cool. Also, Nature One Festival in Germany was absolutely massive.Nature One was one of my favorite festivals last yea and I think this year’s Nature One was even better.
GDE: So when it comes to your live performances, how do you treat small, more intimate shows compared to your larger festival sets. Which do you enjoy playing more?
Well when I perform at smaller shows, I usually experiment more and as I’m experimenting I usually find something and get really excited about playing the track at a massive. At the same while I’m playing at a giant festival, I get ideas that I can not wait to do at a smaller event. Maybe mix this track with that and trying different things. I definitely believe one cedes the other, however, it can be difficult to do one thing and not the other.
GDE: What are your thoughts on Trance music today in 2012? Do you feel the sound is constantly evolving for the better or worse?
Yes, I believe that Trance music is making a huge comeback and evolving with the new generation. Of course we are hearing less of the old big brother trance, but it is very exciting to see the new generation of clubbers and producer take on different styles of Trance music.
GDE: How do you feel about the constant labeling of dance music right now and do you feel as though categorizing everything into a genre can somehow stifle creativity?
Absolutely, there is a lot of drama amongst the more snobby and elitist music lovers in the scene today that make things difficult. There is nothing more frustrating then the negativity that arises from the constant labeling of everything, like when emotional fans rant over a new track and complaining that it doesn’t sound like trance. Music becomes very limited under these circumstances. I find it very important to grow as an artist because your fans ‘age out.’ Styles die, people get tired, and tastes always change. You need to evolve in order to gain new fans or else it becomes a dying art. If Van Gogh hadn’t evolved from the Blue Period, we would not have other masterpieces like, Sunflower. It is very important to grow as an artist.
GDE: Well said. The last two questions come from fans in California. First question comes from Andy Sandoval from Rosemead, California, who asked, “Who and what motivated you to DJ as a career?”
Oh well, I guess it all started when I was still a break dancer. The elements of Hip-Hop, scratching, and break dancing were very important to me. My dance crew and I would go practice at our local YMCA or gym and I would organize all our mixtapes for our routines. It was at one of our parties, where I DJed for the first time and instantly fell in love. The first time I touched a pair of decks, I knew instantly this was what I wanted to do.
GDE: Wow, that sounds very inspirational and I did not know you used to break dance. Our next question comes from Kappy Hitchcock from San Diego, California who asked, “How long does a typical track take to produce? What is your motivation behind them?"
Producing varies from song to song. Some tracks such as, “I Like It” featuring Khaz and E.L.I. took more than a year to produce, while others like “Don’t Leave Before the Sunrises” took only a night to produce. It’s funny when fans form assumptions after they’ve listened to a track and believe that the songs that were the easiest to make were the hardest and it turns out to be the exact opposite. I’m always constantly tinkering with tracks whenever I’m waiting or at the airport. Occasionally, I have an engineer with me to help master the elements because things may sound a bit off after all the loud noises I get from touring over 150 gigs a year. But, it is very important that you still have control of the boat and even though there is an engineer there, you gotta have the final say.
GDE: Well, that’s all the questions we have for you. It has been a pleasure interviewing you. Did you have any final thoughts before we conclude the interview?
Thanks, and yes we have a lot of upcoming events in North America.We are having the
Scream Album Launch party at the Mansion in Miami, Florida on August 31st and in New York City at the Best Buy Theater on September 1st. I’ll be having various performances in North America until the end of the year and starting in the first quarter of 2013, we will be having a massive US
Scream Tour.
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Interview Conducted by Johnny of Global Dance Electronic (JohnnyGDE@gmail.com)
