DJ Westbam - A Wizard of the Sonic

Do you know who Max Lenz is? No, neither did I. But if I asked you who Westbam was, you would have a different answer. For nearly twelve years he’s been making the kind of ground-breaking music that seemingly never dates. From the very first days of the acid scene to modern phenomenon that is DJ culture, Westbam has been there, pushing the boundaries ever further.

You really couldn’t talk to a nicer bloke. His English is near perfect, testament to the time spent at his longest worldwide residency at the Orbit in Leeds, where every three months, for the past eight years, the world’s foremost “technolectro” DJ has delighted the knowledgeable and appreciative crowd, talking the language they most want to hear. Music. Not just any old stuff, only the rather challenging and futuristic flavours will do. So if you want a man to fill the job, just call Westbam.

To say Max is busy is like saying Bill Gates earns a few quid. Having settled into working and recording with a new company in Germany over the last couple of years, he now feels able to spread his wings once more and reach out to his second musical home, the UK. As with a lot of European based producers, it’s an extremely lucrative market, one which most will keep a very keen eye on.

“I’ve been very busy back in Germany for a while now, spending most of the time in the studio, but still DJing as often as possible. The clubs are still strong at home, but I’ve had to work very hard at keeping the music as fresh and interesting as possible. I’ve been playing in Germany for so long now that I feel like a really important part of the whole scene. So it’s important I do as much as possible for it.

“Here in the UK, club culture seems to be very strong, although I get a feeling when I play that the people who are in the clubs like to hear a certain musical style all the time. They have a very strong sense of format. If you challenge them with a different type of track, I think it makes it more difficult. Playing a whole house set is not a statement about a DJ, it’s more of a statement about the particular choice of music. For music to move on to newer things, it’s important we keep evolving and doing things which people would not expect. That way you get a little bit more from the actual DJ behind the decks, it becomes more personal”. What is this radical new idea, can our DJ’s really have a say on what musical evolvement people aspire to? Of course we can, but only if we allow ourselves the freedom to express our own visceral musical tastes without fear of ridicule or unemployment.

House Building

“House music in general was developed from diversity. If you trace the roots of it all the way back to its beginnings, you will find that someone, somewhere, dared to be different and played a type of music which was not the norm at the time. It could even have been mix done for a laugh, or by accident, which created a vision of inspiration to explore a new sound or style. Without the twisting of music, no other reincarnations will occur and it will remain stale and lifeless for a very long time. DJ culture will die and we’ll be right back to the beginning again”, says Max. A good point, well made. “For me, the best thing about DJing is the opportunity it gives me to explore new formats of music. I’m lucky because people now expect it from me. If I go to a club in Germany and play a really obvious and thoughtless set, I would be letting the people down, as they would require much more diversity. Even down to the structure of the records. If you play tunes which contain the same drum rolls and the same fill-ins, then nobody is being challenged, nobody gains a new perspective”.

Technolectro

With music constantly evolving across many dance areas, the uniform change of Westbam’s style makes it difficult for us to keep up. No bad thing, but where exactly is he now? At which stop of the musical journey does he appear to have got off at. Having made and played everything from uplifting house to hard techno, the possibilities are endless.

“I’ve made a new phrase for what I produce at the moment. I call it ‘technolectro’. Basically, it’s a cross between techno and electro”.

No surprises there, then!

“I started to mix the two when I was playing in clubs and now it’s as close a term as I can think of fro what I make and play. The new track with Africa Bambattaa is total technoolectro, but it also uses his very distinguished and recognisable voice. For a number of years there has been very little new electro music, so hopefully I can make some tracks which will leave a stamp on this genre, taking it in slightly different direction”.

Something which history tells us is no problem for Westbam. Tracks like ‘Monkey Say Monkey Do’ and ‘Alarm Clock’ were born out of inspiration and a need to keep the music evolving at a time when house in general was just making its mainstream debut. But it doesn’t stop there. ‘Hold Me Back’ was another massive record, ahead of its time. And ‘Wizards of the Sonic’ defined trance music before it was even invented. Surely there’s a secret to Westbam’s ability to feel what’s going to be happening just round the musical corner. Every dog will have its day, but not as often as this particular breed.

“When I make music, I try to take a particular idea and head off in another direction with it, without losing its general dance floor appeal. In 1988, when I made ‘Monkey Say Monkey Do’, it was a radically different type of sound, far away from what was being played at the time in Germany. But within a few weeks of the track being for sale, it fitted into what people were seeing as the path for dance music to take. After all, the house scene was evolving at such a fast pace, if you were introducing new elements to this new format, there was a good chance new styles would be embraced pretty quickly”.

He continues: “’Wizards of the Sonic’ contained a lot of feeling which worked well in Germany at the time. It’s a very melodious track with a lot of parts you can listen to and enjoy. You might say its success is almost a symptom of its commercial appeal. But when I made it, I was just doing what I felt was right at the time”.

You see, there he goes again, making sweeping statements about music which has had a lasting effect on a whole generation of UK clubbers. To this day, I still get asked to play ‘Wizards’. And it never fails to get anything but a huge response in any club situation. Not bad for a six year old dance record.

The secret to Westbam’s longevity in a scene notorious for burn out in not only it’s clientele, but its DJ’s too, can be traced to his all encompassing determination to keep mutating musically into areas where he and others have previously feared to tread, bringing a sense of development and achievement to his work. Without it he would have laid down his headphones a long time ago.

“I have not preconceptions about music. It never fails to amaze me what people dislike or enjoy. When I play in clubs, I get the chance to break people’s preconceptions about music, changing and challenging them to accept new ideas all the time. If over my career I had stuck to one type of music, then by now I would be fed up and probably have disappeared, but my enthusiasm is still there. When you play clubs in Japan, Germany, Russia and the UK, you also realise how much you want to be part of this whole lifestyle, as you know it, it beats working”.

Mutation

Westbam’s need to keep evolving is definitely our gain. With a new album due for release and a single about to break, harnessing the large and inimitable talents of Africa Bambattaa, he is once again about to re-emerge onto the UK’s finer dance floors, a trick he’s pulled off more times than most. Musically, this time round, the genuine feel and approach of his work leans heavily on electro sounds and rhythms. Kraftwerk for the new millennium, maybe, but probably just Westbam making what he thinks is his future in music. The force of technology is also tangible in its influence on the style and content, but will it overtake him when it comes to DJ’ing. Surely the day will come when computers can mix a pre-selected choice of music just as well as any human could?

“People are now using ISDN lines to take live feeds from club to club, but I could never see technology replacing human involvement when it comes to DJ’ing”, replies Westbam. “Firstly, DJ’s are here to stay. If you went to a party 25 years ago, then you would have seen a band playing live, not a DJ. Now though, you are more likely to have a DJ playing all of these different records by different people, giving such a varied and up to date mix of music. We are now so used to this type of delivery, I don’t think it will ever change. Also, technology can never take the place of the human hand on vinyl. Personality is such an important part of being a DJ. I don’t mean he or she has to jump around like a demented lunatic, but they must give some indication through their choice of music about the person that they are. Everybody is different, creating an endless list of interpretations which music makes possible. Computers are all the same. They are just machines, without their own thoughts, so I think we’re safe for a long time yet”. Now I know I can sleep tonight, like his music, Westbam is very rarely wrong about the future.

Westbam Discography

12”

1985 – ‘17’, Cowboy Temple
1986 – ‘Der Bundesprasidenttenmix’
1987 – ‘Do It In The Mix’
1988 – ‘Disco Deutschland’. Monkey Say Monkey Do/The Wip’
1989 – ‘Monkey Say Monkey Do/The Wip’ Remix. ‘Cold Stomper/Back To Future’. ‘And Party’. ‘And Party’ Remix. ‘Cold Train/Railway Dub’ Low Spirit.
1990 – ‘Saxophone Alarm Clock’, Low Spirit. ‘No More Fucking Rock And Roll’, Low Spirit. ‘Hold Me Back/The Wall’, Low Spirit. ‘The Roof Is On Fire/The Wall’, Ultimate Mixes, Low Spirit.
1991 – ‘I Can’t Stop’, Low Spirit. ‘I Can’t Stop’ Original Mixes, Low Spirit. ‘Confused/The Cold Stomper’, Remix. ‘Rock The House’ Electric Latino Mix, Low Spirit.
1992 – ‘Forward Ever Backward Never’, Low Spirit. ‘Let Yourself Go’, Low Spirit. ‘Let Yourself Go’ Remix, Low Spirit. ‘Mayday Anthem’, Low Spirit. ‘Mayday Anthem’ Remix, Low Spirit.
1993 – ‘Celebration Generation’, Low Spirit. ‘Religion EP’ Members of Mayday, Low Spirit.
1994 – ‘Celebration Generation’ Remix, Low Spirit. ‘Bam Bam Bam’, Low Spirit. ‘Bam Bam Bam’ Remix, Low Spirit. ‘Wizards Of The Sonic’, Low Spirit. ‘Wizards Of The Sonic’ Remix, Low Spirit. ‘Wizards Of The Sonic’, UK Remix.
1995 – ‘Always Music’, Low Spirit. ‘Always Music’ Remix, Low Spirit. ‘Hands On Yello – Bostich’, Low Spirit.
1996 – ‘Terminator’, Low Spirit. ‘Born To Bang’, Low Spirit.
1997 – ‘And More’ – Westbam meets CAN, Loud and Slow, VO. ‘Sunshine’ – Dr. Motte & Westbam present. ‘Sunshine Remixes’ – Dr. Motte & Westbam present.

Albums

1989 – ‘In Seoul’, Low Spirit. ‘The Cabinet’, Low Spirit.
1991 – ‘A Practising Maniac At Work’, Low Spirit.
1994 – ‘Bam Bam Bam’, Low Spirit.

Compilations

1988 – ‘The Age Of The DJ Mixer’ insg, 9 Titel.
1990 – ‘Callas’ Shake, Jump, Shout! The Low Spirit 12” Compilation. ‘Hold Me Back’ Remix, Shake, Jump, Shout! The Low Spirit 12” Compilation. ‘Heavy Mental’ Shake, Jump Shout! The Low Spirit 12” Compilation. ‘Monkey Say Monkey Do’, DJ’s Best Compilation.
1992 – ‘Mayday Anthem’ Mayday Compilation – A New Chapter Of House And Techno. ‘Forward Ever-Backward Never’, Mayday Compilation.
1993 – ‘The Judgement Day’, Mayday Compilation.
1994 – ‘Enter The Arena’, Mayday Compilation, Rave Olympia. ‘Wessid’ Mayday Compilation, Rave Olympia. ‘The Religion’ Members of Mayday, Mayday Compilation, Rave Olympia. ‘We Are Different’ Members of Mayday, Mayday Compilation, The Raving Society.
1995 – ‘DJ Dispute’ Mayday Compilation, Reformation. ‘The Age Of DJ Mixer’, 10 years of Low Spirit. ‘Members Only’, Members of Mayday, Low Spirit. ‘The Bells Of Reformation’ Members Of Mayday, Mayday Compilation, Reformation. ‘Great Coalition’ Members of Mayday, Mayday Compilation, Great Coalition.
1996 – ‘Mommsenstrasse’, Mayday Compilation, Mayday X. ‘Live From Mars’ Members Of Mars, Mayday Compilation, Life On Mars. ‘Sounds Of Mars & Westbam Mix’ Mayday Compilation, Life On Mars.

Westbam Current Top 10

1. Mr X and Mr Y – ‘New World Order’ (Electric Kingdom)
2. Hardy Hard – ‘Funky Music’ (Loud & Slow)
3. Westbam – ‘Beat Bow Rocker’ (Electric Kingdom)
4. Super Earth Invasion – ‘The City’ (Trust)
5. Motion Unit – ‘My Mind’ (Electric Kingdom)
6. Wild Style Bob Nimble – ‘What Is It?’ (Under 5’s)
7. Members of Mayday – ‘Soundtropolis’ (Low Spirit)
8. Takkyuishino - ‘Sam Jam Seven’ (Loopa)
9. Lupo – ‘People Can Work’ (Dubplate)
10. Zombie Nation – ‘Kernkraft 400’ (Gigolo)

Westbam Questions

1. What is your favourite movie? “The Adventures of Marquise Del Grillo”.
2. What is your favourite drink? “Milk Of Magnesia”.
3. Which is your favourite karaoke song? “I was born under a wondering star”.
4. What’s the first thing you do in the morning? “Switch on that TV”.
5. Do you have any unusual hobbies? “I read books”.
6. What was your worst DJ’ing nightmare? “A trance crowd waiting for nothing but the next drum role”.
7. Have you ever been arrested? “No”.
8. What don’t you like about hotels? “Dutch Rock ‘n’ Roll hotels with a long haired hippie at reception with a strict early checkout policy”.
9. Who’s your favourite group or band? “The TV Personalities”.
10. Have you anything to declare? “Let me depart through the green exit”.