Gregor Tresher on The Life Wire 28.08.09
After the success of debut longplayer, 2007's "A Thousand Nights", the name of Gregor Tresher became instantly ubiquitous in techno circles. The aforementioned titlesong was the years best selling techno release on beatport as well as being remixed by Dubfire and Extrawelt and caned by almost every bigname Dj around the globe. So to say it was successful is an understatement. Always straddling the boundaries of techno and electro, there's a melodic quality to Tresher's music which lends it great crossover appeal.
Proving he's no one trick pony, Tresher's next venture "Break New Soil", released on Matthias Tanzmann's "Moon Harbour", won him plaudits from the likes of Monika Kruse (who's album "Changes of Perception", Tresher produced) and Steve Bug with the latter even including it on his Dj mag "Miami" mix CD. With the conception of his own new sublabel (also incidentally, named "Break New Soil"), a new album, "The Life Wire" due for release in September 2009, as well as a just finished North American and forthcoming European tour it looks set to be a damn busy year for Mr. Tresher. So I Voice felt it only right that we pay our dues to the man himself.....
First off Gregor, how did you get in to electronic music?I was born 1976, so I am a kid of the eigthies, listening to all the early synth-pop like Depeche Mode, Heaven 17, The Human League and so on. When techno exploded in the early nineties I was going to Frankfurt Clubs every weekend, like Omen and Dorian Gray. I also went to Berlin from time to time to go to the E-Werk or Tresor.
Who's your biggest inspiration in the scene?My biggest inspiration as a songwriter is Martin Gore. As a DJ I have always been a big fan of Laurent Garnier.
How has it changed since you first became involved?When I started to go to clubs everything was brand new and exciting, or at least we thought it was. You could sense that you were part of something great happening, which was Techno. I think the energy remained the same though, and I must say that from time to time I can sense the same spirit and energy at parties.
You've recently established your own label, "Break New Soil." What is the philosophy behind the imprint?As the name already says, I want to surprise with the music and move forward. I don´t have a certain sound in mind for the label, but I just want to release music I like. You can already tell from the first releases that there isn´t a certain direction soundwise, as the first release by myself was classic techno, the second one by Daniele Papini was peak time tech house and the third one by Karotte goes a bit into the Nu-House direction - especially the great remix by Robert Dietz. In the end, I just want to release music I really like.
How have you found the business end of running the label so far or do "Great Stuff" look after that?Yes, on the business side of things, the people from Great Stuff help me, since I wouldn´t have the time to run it all by myself. I am selecting the music, work with the artists, select the artwork and stuff like that. It is not a sublabel of Great Stuff though, it´s an own independent label that stands for itself.
Since the success of "A Thousand Nights", it seems you've been playing all over the world since. How do you find time to produce music and what equipment do you use?When I was doing the album I took whole weekends off to have more time to work on music. I usually work in the studio during the week, but that´s just enough time to do some remixes or work on single tracks. Usually I take Mondays off and work in the studio from Tuesday to Friday.
The equipment I use constantly changes, especially when I started to work on the new album. I was trying to break out of the routine and changed pretty much all of my equipment. I used to work on analogue synthesizers and drum machines but it all changes now with the rapid development of software. In the last two years the sound quality of plugins improved a lot. Nowadays you can produce on a high quality level with very little equipment. That wouldn´t have been possible five years ago.
Did you anticipate the kind of reaction which "A Thousand Nights" got?Is it difficult to build on the success of that track? Do you worry you'll be remembered for that track? Does that spur you on at all?
I was very happy with the track and of course I hoped that people would like it. But I didn't expect the kind of reaction it got. I think that once you release a track it comes alive and is no longer under your control. "A Thousand Nights" was definitely one of my biggest tracks so far, but I don´t feel any pressure from its success. I try to develop my sound constantly.
Your new album, "The Life Wire" is due out in September. Can you tell us a bit about it?I started to work on the album in late 2008 and it took me about 8 months to finish it. Compared to the last album, which was a hundred percent dancefloor I wanted to integrate some downtempo tracks as well, but in the end only two of them made it on there. The new album goes through a wider spectrum of styles, but still it´s basically a Techno album of course. There will be great remixes from 2000 And One, Martinez, Petar Dundov, Gimikk and Daniel Stefanik.
You've reintroduced vocals to the album. What do you feel they bring to electronic music?I find it very difficult to include vocals in music in general as I think the lyrics should be more than the usual phrases everyone heard a million times. But also vocals make songs very concrete and take away their universality. I think songs can benefit from vocals but it´s also quite easy to destroy a good instrumental with bad lyrics. I still have a lot to learn about writing and using vocals in my music.
Right now, we are reading a lot about the "Mannheim sound" thanks to guys like Nick Curly and Ray Okpara. Did growing up in Frankfurt influence your sound? I ask because tracks like "Awaking Life Inside" are quite trancey in parts and guys like Jam and Spoon were also from Frankfurt...
I started to go to Frankfurt clubs as a teenager and of course I think I am heavily inspired by that, but also from the music I listened to even earlier than that. Trance has quite a big history in the Frankfurt region and I always liked melodies. I think that integrating melodic elements is a quite important part of my music but on the other hand I think that the groove is still the most important thing. It´s the foundation of every good dance track.
I read recently that you rate Santos' "Hold Home" as one of your favourite tracks of this year and found it interesting to note that his first success came through his 2001 track "Camels." In relation to your own album, tracks like "Nothing for Granted" sees you stray down house-ier paths. Is eclecticism something you admire then?Yes, I never tried to concentrate on a single style or on a narrow definition of techno. I think because I´ve been a DJ before I started to produce music, I am influenced by Gregor Tresher - Frankfurtthat. In myopinion a good DJ should always tell a story with his sets, should take you on a journey with the music and also surprise you from time to time. It´s actually the same with producing music. Of course you can stick with working concepts but I think that gets boring quite quickly. My sound has changed over the years and that´s what makes working on music interesting for me, the freedom to not limit yourself with a certain style but just do what you like.
You're known for playing live. How does this work in your favour regarding your Dj sets?I definitely am a DJ in the first place, playing live is something I only started two years ago, and I only do it for special occasions. I would get bored really quickly if I would play live only, as you always play a lot of the same tracks of course. I like to play new music as a DJ, I usually never play classics and tracks don´t stay in my bags for much longer than a few weeks. That´s one aspect of what makes Djing exciting for me - new music.
Producing or playing live.....what do you prefer?Two things you can´t really compare. I guess I would pick producing. I like DJing the best though I think.
You've a busy year coming up.....are you prepared?! Any particular dates you're looking forward to?Every single date in the Netherlands as I love to play there right now. I´m really looking forward to play at the Berghain in Berlin again. There have been a few great gigs on this tour already. Welcome To The Future Festival two weeks ago was amazing. Also Toronto was great as always. I'm also looking forward to being back in Istanbul. I always love to play there, it´s such a great city.
Your final word on dance music in 2009........Let´s break new soil!
