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A candid interview with the one of the US’s rising techno stars.
Dustin Zahn :: MPLS :: Enemy Records, Drumcode, Rekids
There are few interviews with Dustin Zahn online; which is surprising because Zahn is currently a rising star in the post-minimal techno underground. Besides the releases on his own Enemy and Abiotic imprints, he has had a flurry of recent releases on European labels such as CLR, Rekids / Rek’d, Drumcode and Truesoul. His music is a natural extension of the earlier Swedish and Detroit techno sounds but with an updated, more complex, intricate sound design. His own imprint, Enemy, established in 2004, showcases this more diverse techno sound encompassing elements of minimal, house and experimental.
His past performances in Spain, Berlin, Colombia, Venezuela, Ireland, and at the Awakenings Festival in Amsterdam were only the start as Zahn is currently finishing his US Spring Tour, only to be followed shortly by another European adventure. Zahn’s solo live pa and 3-turntable DJ sets are renown for their quick pacing and aggressive style. From his home base in Minneapolis, one of the US’s few techno bastions, he continues to co-promote both underground and club events, helping put the twin cities on the map and inspiring others in the Midwest scene.
While interviews may be scarce, I did manage to find a brief Q&A conducted at the start of 2008. With the last question, “What can we expect in the near future?,” Dustin responded with a series of new releases and then replied, “And if all that fails, then you can expect me to get a job.”
Well Dustin, flash forward to 2010. How are things going with your burgeoning techno career / lifestyle? Did you end up getting a job or are you still living the dream? From the looks of your touring and release schedule, it doesn’t seem possible you can still be holding down a day job…
Actually, I just left working in an office. I left a well-paying career so it was a hard decision to make. I’m pretty good at what I do, so if music doesn’t pan out, I can always jump back into corporate misery with ease. Juggling both really took its toll. For a while, every Friday I would go straight from the office to the airport, leave the country, play 3 gigs and fly back in at 1:00am on Monday morning and go back to work 6 hours later. I did that for about a year. It’s not a sob story, but the lack of sleep was rough. Somehow I pulled it off, but it was getting much harder over time. Eventually, I started dropping the ball a bit too much. The reality is, the music business requires me to work much harder than I ever had to in an office. I live in the States and I don’t ride coat-tails, so things aren’t handed to me. It is hard work and less pay but I don’t regret it at all.
You started producing in 1998, how has your production style and working methods evolved over the years?
Well, I guess the only thing that people really know me for is techno. In the past, my sound was harder, faster, and weird. These days, it’s the same thing…just a bit slower. A lot of people think that for the most part, I went minimal but they have no clue what the hell they are talking about. The music is the same thing I was doing 7 years ago but it’s just slower and less cluttered. I’d like to say that I have evolved as a musician, but that’s not really true. It would be more realistic to say that I have refined my techniques. Now that I have more time on my hands, I am going to put more emphasis on experimental music, which was always my first true love.
What were some of your early influences? What was your original inspiration to start producing electronic music?
My earliest influences were mostly anything electronic. All the obvious big names and heavily marketed artists…Aphex Twin, Autechre, Prodigy, Plastikman, and also DNB. It all ended up in my CD players and cassette decks when I was 14 or 15. With time I weeded out the b.s. by digging in the crates and following the heritage back to things like Kraftwerk, Derrick May, etc. My biggest inspiration for electronic music was definitely experimental music, mainly because it was so damn weird. I also listened to a lot of other rock and hip hop as well, but I don’t really think it has much of a connection to the music I make now.
My original inspiration for producing was mainly boredom. I lived in a town of 6,000 people. The only things to do there were snowboarding, shooting guns, and getting into trouble. Those are all great things, but I needed something to do at home too. So, my computer turned into an instrument. I wanted to mess around with music and was sick of hearing crap on the radio like Mellencamp or U2. I need to hear another Mellencamp song like I need another hole in my head. Don’t even get me started. So anyway…I started making electronic stuff because it sounded cool and it was unlike anything on the radio at the time.
Your production style seems to have a strong techno focus, while your DJ sets will crossover into house. The general climate in the club world these days is for a stronger emphasis on the house sound. When you play out to different audiences expecting different things, how do you find the right balance between the two sounds?
I have been DJing regularly for 11 years and much of the time, I wasn’t completely wasted out of my mind either, so it was pretty easy to pick up on the small details that set apart a bad DJ from a good DJ. I also had the opportunity to play a lot of extended sets usually 3-4 hours minimum in length. DJs learn a lot in those marathon sets. I learned how to read a crowd and build things up and tear it down. I think I do a pretty decent job, but it doesn’t always work out. I played in Austria recently. Nic Fanciuli was playing his techhouse ‘Saved’ type sound, so I followed suit with some Ibiza girly stuff. It was a party but after an hour or two, this guy came up to me on stage and said, “I like your records, so I came here to hear you play some real techno.” I nodded and immediately after, killed all the lights and blacked out the room, and beat the place senseless for the last 45 minutes.
The thing for me is, I play a wide variety of gigs. I play open-air music festivals, afterhours terrace parties, shitty warehouses, and sleazy/swanky clubs. I can’t play just one kind of music, and even if I did, I would burn myself out on it immediately. So, if I play at Panorama Bar, I’m going to play a bit housier with some techno influence. The next night at some other German club might be only techno. For example, in the next 3 weeks I play 3 different kinds of gigs. This week will be a bit more for the girls…a little funkier. The next week I’m playing for a crowd who doesn’t really know jack about techno, so it’s going to be more peak time hands-in-the-air stuff. The week after that is all techno purists, so it’s going be the most banging, mental, psychedelic stuff I have in my collection and the plan is to melt some faces off. You just have to know your crowd. That’s all.
You release singles quite regularly. What new releases can we look forward to in the near future? Any new remix work? Is there an album concept in the works?
Actually, I don’t think I release singles all that often. Maybe 2-3 a year. However, I do a lot of remixes. A lot of things came out recently because everything was bottlenecked. Most of my most recent tracks were written over 2 years ago! My plan is not so much to slow down, but to increase the quality of each track. None of this half-baked remixes for unknown net-labels stuff. Everything has to be top quality. That’s my ideal plan anyway. We’ll see how laziness and time factors in. In regards to albums, I have been approached by 3 different labels to do an album. I haven’t committed to anything for a few different reasons: It’s a big commitment. It would take me the better part of a year to finish. I want the album to be more than just another release for a week, so it has to have some serious substance to it. I’m not sure if it would be all A-side techno tracks or a downtempo album, but either way it would have to be high-caliber.
Most techno artists tend to think they should do an album and showcase their musical range. In actuality, most techno producers can’t make anything other than techno. So, they make an album with a handful of mediocre club tracks and a couple of shitty ambient intros and outros. By traditional standards, these people are not ‘real’ musicians or producers. But then again, neither am I. If I were to put any IDM/ambient/electronic tracks on my LP, they would have to be as equally notable as my techno output, if not better. So, if I can’t nail down some great listening tracks for home, I’d rather just do a double-pack where every single track is worth playing…like a lot of my favorite releases in the ‘90s. It’s almost “album time” though.
Your track and EP names are usually pretty intense, ‘Moving the Chains’, ‘Life in the Machine’, ‘War Cries’, ‘Stranger (To Stability)’, ‘Walk Alone’. Where do these concepts and track titles come from? Are these themes and concepts part of your internal artistic struggle to make sense of the world and your art within it or are you just taking the piss out of serious techno track naming?
The tracks usually have meanings behind them. ‘Stranger (to Stability)’ for example, was written in 2007 when I had no job, no money, bad family connections, and more. It was basically on the brink of losing everything and having no stability on any angle. ‘Walk Alone’ is my most recent EP and reflects how I feel about my current position in the industry. Even though I have released on bigger labels like CLR, Drumcode, Rekids, and more, I don’t really feel like I truly belong to any of those families. Like the black sheep cousin that comes home for the occasional holiday with a few good stories. Maybe I feel disconnection because I’m living in the U.S., but who knows. ‘War Cries’ and all the older titles was just that militant mindset that’s prevalent in hard techno. Globally, there is this whole mentality where hard techno is up against in the wall in a constant struggle for recognition. I’m over that now. The struggle for those guys is within. They will never learn. And finally, sometimes the track titles are just meant to sound cool.
Your more recent releases for Rekids, Mindshake, CLR, Drumcode and Truesoul have really taken you to the next level. What is it like working with some of the top tier techno labels? Has there been an influence on your sound working with them?
Well, working with well-renowned labels is always exciting. When I bought my first DC [Drumcode] record in ’99, I never imagined I would have released on the label. Back then it was very influential for me. These days, I don’t really play the DC stuff as much as I used to, but when I do my tracks for Adam [Beyer], I think of the golden era for DC, and how the release schedule was sparse but each release held a lot of weight. With projects for labels like Rekids or Truesoul, I think it’s pretty obvious that people like Radio Slave or C2 [Carl Craig] have been a big influence on me. A handful of long nights at Berghain certainly did the trick, too. Outside of the music realm and in the personal realm, I’d say CLR has been a big influence. I’d have to say Chris Liebing to me at least, has been one of the nicest guys in the industry. He is extremely positive and driven. The same goes for his team, too. I think that’s key if you want to make music your career.
Your Discogs biography indicates that you were producing electronic music before experiencing the actual rave/club scene. Can you describe what your first rave was like?
It was pretty shitty with lots of fake people and lame DJs, but apparently exciting enough for me to dedicate my life to music. It didn’t matter if the party was good because the people were so much fun. All I can say is that it’s pretty amazing to be a part of the most-recent and possibly-last major counterculture revolution in the last 50 years. I could ramble on so much about it that I could write a book.
The Midwest electronic scene is no longer what it used to be, however, it seems now that there is a much stronger, tight knit techno community of djs / producers / promoters in Minneapolis, your current home base. What has your experience been like in this environment?
When I first moved here, Minneapolis was very influential for me and in a lot of ways, it was ahead of the industry. For example, there were 2-3 weekly minimal nights here two years before the genre ever blew up. These days, it’s not really influential for me at all. I enjoy the people and love the city, but my whole perception of music isn’t changing on a weekly basis anymore. That’s not to say it’s a bust here. The parties can be very good and the DJs are talented…it’s just that every weekend when I travel I am subjected to the newest, hottest, and freshest music available. When I come home to a party, the DJs are often a year behind. They’ll play tracks they think they have really searched for, when the reality is the track was #1 on Beatport about 6 months ago. I guess that is kind of bound to happen, but when the DJs used to be ahead of the trends, it was much more exciting to go out in Minneapolis. Plus, Minneapolis has a lot of adequate 1-hour DJs, but only a few can truly hold it down with marathon sets, which is where the real magic happens. It’s not the people’s fault…there’s a 2am bar close law so we’re a bit limited with opportunities.
There is a lot to be said about the strength of the MPLS community, as I know of a few good friends who moved there based solely on how strong the techno scene is. From an outsider’s perspective, this seems like an ideal place to be as a techno producer, but are there any drawbacks?
There will be drawbacks everywhere you go. Minneapolis has a lot more to it than techno. One of the suburbs, Plymouth, was voted as the number one city in the U.S. to live in. I don’t agree with that, but as far as raising a family goes, or living in a clean, moderately safe metro area, you can’t go wrong. Unless you really like meth…then your days are numbered. Anyway, I’d say it’s easier to “break in” to things here in Minneapolis than other bigger cities. If you make good tracks or lend a helping hand at events, you will be rewarded. Locals are highly praised here and the emphasis isn’t always on headliners like Dubfire, Damian Lazarus, or whoever people like AM Only are pushing this week. I personally like out-of-town headliners because they introduce fresh ideas but here, locals are usually the headliners.
With all that said about MPLS, do you have any plans or aspirations to move overseas? (*cough*Berlin*cough*) As an American techno artist, it seems like it is the obvious next step if you really want to make a career out of electronic music.
I’m not opposed to moving overseas, but I don’t want to dedicate my whole life to techno. Also with my current living situation, it’s not easy to just pick up and go. I actually have good things going for me. I’m going to get a place in Berlin this summer, but it’s mainly just a place to crash when I go on tour, which is one week a month. I’m exhausting my couch surfing privileges so it’s time to get my own. Sure, I could do so much better overseas if I lived there, but it’s not THAT important to me. The older I get, and the more I travel, I develop more appreciation for the U.S. Of course, there are a lot of bad things about it, but there truly is real opportunity here. People risk their lives and jump the border for a reason. Also, the food is great on average, and the sheer number of options for anything in life is so plentiful and amazing.
DVS1, a fellow MPLS techno producer, finally received some notoriety in the international scene with a release on Ben Klock’s Klockworks label and an upcoming release on Derrick May’s Transmat label. Are there any other MPLS producers you see breaking through in the near future?
I don’t know. Not really. Silent Servant, from Sandwell District, has been my neighbor for almost two years. He is originally from L.A. and will eventually move back some day, but for now, he has silently helped to put Minneapolis back on the map. Both DVS1 and SS have purist, no-compromise mindsets when it comes to their music. So it’s completely authentic and sincere, and fortunately for them, the “no compromise theme” happens to be popular with industry right now. It’s about passion for them rather than a paycheck, fame, girls, or Ibiza residencies. People like that are the kinds of people you want to have in your corner. Or at least, that’s who I want in my corner. True artists.
There are other people in town who have a lot of talent and potential. Some may make it, but most won’t make it for various reasons. Some people have the know-how, but they have to make their music their own. It has to have some originality and risk to it. Right now, it doesn’t stand out among the rest of the sheep at Beatport. Some of the other producers have the best intentions, but will never release anything with weight because their drive has been clouded with issues like excuses, drug use and jaded mindsets. There is a newish label here, Timefog, which seems to have the right determination, but the A&R choices in the future will ultimately decide their success. They just released tracks from people like DVS1, myself, and Tim Xavier, so we’ll see what happens.
Beyond producing and DJing, you also run the Enemy Records label. With such great local talent surrounding you, will your label showcase more MPLS artists?
No. Or at least, I won’t showcase them just because they’re from Minneapolis. Everyone is more than welcome to give me tracks, but I’m not going to release something just because they’re a friend. I would hold these people to the same level of expectation just as I would hold other artists on my label like Mark Broom, Decimal, or Joel Mull. I want nothing more than to help my friends out and give them a chance, but the quality must come first. Besides, you can’t fully appreciate what you have accomplished until you have truly worked hard enough for it.
What’s in the pipeline for upcoming releases on Enemy?
2010 will be an emphasis on collaborations. I’m working Decimal, Joel Mull, and Par Grindvik. I just released an EP with Mark Broom. These collabs aren’t meal tickets or ways to boost my name. It’s just that these people are genuinely good friends and the collabs are fairly natural. The results have been promising and hopefully people will hear them in the future. The next release is a collab from myself and Joel Mull, with remixes from Alan Fitzpatrick and Pan-Pot to follow. I’m ridiculously excited.
Pre-dating Enemy, you also co-founded Abiotic Recordings with Ian Lehman in 2001 and it has been dormant since 2006. Abiotic focused on the hard, industrial nature of techno. With labels like Sandwell District, Downwards, Blueprint, Horizontal Ground releasing analog, gritty, and raw techno again but now at slower tempos, is there a chance that Abiotic may come back to life in a new form as well?
No. I was planning to re-launch the label in 2006 after Ian and I had stayed with the Audio Assault guys for a while when we were in Europe. We were inspired by Bas [Mooy] and Jeroen [Liebregt]’s undying dedication to the harder side of techno. The distributors wanted no part in it, so ultimately we threw in the towel. Today, Ostgut Ton can get away with this stuff because they have Berghain, and together with the label roster, it’s an unstoppable combination. Sandwell District is successful partially because it was founded by Regis Christ Superstar, and he is the master of successful projects. Behind the scenes, he is responsible for so many big projects that nobody even knows he was involved with. Along with Dave Sumner (Function), those guys know exactly what they’re doing. I don’t have that kind of experience. In the end, these labels found their niche market and nailed it. I am very happy for them. Through Abiotic and Enemy, I have found that as the A&R guy, what I like and what the industry likes is two different things. It seems like the sound of Enemy is slightly getting a bit harder as well, so the doors are always open to possibilities.
In addition to the Abiotic label, you also forged the well-received “Attack People” live performance with Ian Lehman (who also records as Eidolon on Enemy). The Attack People still perform a blistering live pa. Are there any plans for any releases under this guise or is this strictly a performance entity?
Lately, it has been performance only…but some day I would like to release some new material. We always say we’re going to get around to it, but it never happens. The Attack People was fairly popular in the U.S. techno scene, but not so much in Europe. I would like to do more touring with a partner so maybe someday the EU promoters will take notice.
You have an upcoming European Tour this Spring/Summer. Where are you headed? Are there any gigs you are especially looking forward to?
Any time somebody flips the bill for you to go to another city or country and party with them is a gig to look forward to. Most people are not fortunate enough to play…ever…so I appreciate each and every gig.
//CONNECT
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