Teenage Mutants interviewed by Sean is Electric
Teenage Mutants interviewed by Sean is Electric at Unity, to find out more about the men himself and his music.
Q.: First Question, and it’s a burning one, but one I’m sure you’ve been asked before – “Teenage Mutants” – where are the origins of the name?
A.: A childhood favourite, that should be all too obvious or something else entirely?!
Quick fire round, get to know you a bit better, go!
Favourite colour? Black
Favourite food? Pasta
Favourite movie? Indiana Jones 3
Favourite place? Paris
All time favourite, goto track? Hall & Oates – “Man-eater”
Q.: You’re a seriously busy man, what do you like to do when you’ve got a bit of time of?
A.: Most of that days start with a relaxed walk with my dog around 09.00 – 10.00. Then buy some fresh food and prepare it for dinner and for sure relaxing the whole afternoon: have some tea with my friends or watch some tv.
Ok good stuff, now onto the music!
Q.: Lets start right at the beginning, what were you listening to growing up and when did you really start getting into the music?
A.: Actually my first contact to music was in the early 90’s with House and Techno. Before that, music was just a thing in the background of my life. No real contact with it. When I listened to House Music in school on my Walkman other kids made jokes of that kind of “music”. They all listened to, hmm, I don’t know -> radio shit, maybe Spice Girls…haha
Q.: Who introduced you to music, from the perspective of a listener, or was it something you found yourself?
A.: My brother opened that door for me. He was a good DJ, and still is a great DJ. He recorded his tapes at home every afternoon if he bought some new vinyl. I was sitting on his couch and enjoyed those sessions a lot.
Q.: And at what age did you start to realize that this was something you wanted to be a part of?
A.: I think around 15 (I am know 27). But to be honest I am not really sure at what age…so long ago.
Q.: When did you actually start to make music and when did you start releasing stuff to the public?
A.: I started earlier at about 17/18 years old. Not really good stuff…my first releases were in 2011, but really strong Electro House – but I still stand for my old productions.
Q.: How were those early tracks received, were there any notable noise makers or was it a gradual permeation?
A.: Nope. I made electro house at a moment when it was only famous in France and Italy. Nobody cared about it in Germany. So, it was not easy to get constant input. I changed my whole style and I was really happy with it.
Q.: And when did you start to get behind the decks – what came first, DJ-ing or production?
A.: First DJ-ing, but producing came over 3 years later. Then it was more producing then DJ-ing, cause nobody booked me! Haha.
Q.: You keep a pretty hectic schedule, in fact for the next few months your doing multiple gigs, in multiple countries on a 5-6 day rotation. That’s a lot of traveling, especially when you’ve got the likes of Mexico and Argentina in there with European dates in between. How do you manage to fit in anytime for production?!
A.: I work Monday to Friday in my Studio and also in transit with my MacBook. Actually, it is not that hard for me to manage it. You only have to make some priorities. Which tracks / remixes comes first etc.
Q.: We mentioned Mexico and Argentina and you’ve already DJ’d all over Europe and in South Africa and the States, all over the world. What was your favourite gig and why?
A.: In Berlin. At Katerblau this Year. My best friends joined me. There was a group of us! Around 7-8 people. Good atmosphere. Great Club. Great Gin.
Q.: Where are you looking forward to playing and where do you dream to play?
A.: I would really love to play at TIME WARP. This year I am playing at the LOVE FAMILY PARK – one of my dreams, for sure.
Q.: Production wise, you’ve also had some serious credits there as well. What personally, is your most notable achievement to date – the thing you are most proud of? I think I know the answer but I’d love to be proven wrong! Let’s see…
A.: haha something that will be out in May ? I don’t think you expect that answer. But for sure my first number one release “HANGIN ON” and my 2nd “THE PATH” will be always really important for me. I am not like other artists in that point: they had big hits, changed there style to dark techno and don’t want to be linked with those tracks anymore.
Q.: The Beatport Number 1, debut track, and in a year when Deep House when was reigning strong, how did that feel? Were you prepared or shocked?
A.: To hit a number 1 at anytime in someone’s career is a serious feat, and you did it straight out of the starting gate. Nice feeling. A dream.
Q.: And since then you’ve worked with a slew of labels with more loved releases, garnering you some notable support and really cementing yourself as someone to keep a close eye on. How are you dealing with the lifestyle, the work rate, the giging etc?
A.:I am down to earth. nothing changed. Some friends and some haters…haha. The DJ-ing became more so work than a hobby and I am more of a business guy now.
Q.: You’ve got a lot more still to come, what can we expect from you going forward – can you tell us about your album and when its due?
A.: I’ve been working on it the last year, but we decided to push it until 2017. I am not happy with the results at the moment. So you can expect also some nice EPs around March & May.
Q.: Of all the guys and girls you’ve worked with in the industry so far, who’s your favourite and why?
A.:My friends from MOONBOOTICA. So relaxed but also focused on the product. We have an EP together on INCORRECT MUSIC this march. Our two styles fitted perfect together and I’m really happy with it.
Q.: And to finish up, what your is your ultimate dream, your final goal along this lifelong journey?
A.:To open my own restaurant. Soon ?
To find out more about Teenage Mutants, check them out at @TeenageMutantsx or facebook.com/teenagemutants.
