After 9 hours of techno, we meet Berghain’s Ben Klock

After 9 hours of techno, we meet Berghain’s Ben Klock

17 February, 2009 | 4.44PM

• Written by: pollylavine
• Filed under: Music News: ben klock, berghain, ostgut ton

Without question, the biggest story in techno over the past 12 months has centered around Berlin’s Berghain club and its all-powerful cast of resident DJs. 

Ben Klock and his sometime partner in crime Marcel Dettmann have found themselves cast as messiah figures in some circles, liberating techno from the bleep-ridden stranglehold that came to be known (accurately or not) as ‘minimal’.

On the verge of dropping his debut solo album ‘One’ that promises much, much more than a stumble across the dancefloor, we felt it was high time to try and gain an insight into one of the new heroes of the scene. 

Beatportal’s Polly Lavin sat down with Ben Klock on a Sunday afternoon in a still-buzzing Berghain, to talk nine-hour sets, debut albums and the curious tale of the Berghain ballet.

How long did you play for tonight?

I started at maybe 8AM this morning - that was a nine-hour set.

How do you sustain yourself through that, physically and mentally?

Well, I have to prepare the night before and set my records up for the opening. Once I get the opening tracks right I’m happy. To think of ideas about how I’ll start the set and to pack my box for a long night like this can take a few hours. I don’t plan the whole set - I like to story-tell but I also like to see where it takes me.

How do you tell a different story every time? I mean, you obviously go through a lot of music in a nine-hour set.

That’s the big challenge. Because I play once a month people really know me. The challenge is to show something different every time. Personally, I think it’s good to have a residency like this as it keeps me awake. I always keep looking for new tracks, but “new” doesn’t always have to mean “really new”, it could just be something that I have never played before like an obscure classic.

Then I usually have some new tracks of my own or some new edits that I prepare and try out. Sometimes I create a track just for one certain night.

It can be perfect to play an intense two-hour set, which is more or less the international standard, but I really need the long sets from time to time as that’s when I experiment more and play deeper music that I can’t play in a two-hour set.

Would you say that you cover a lot of genres and styles in nine hours?

You get deeper into a certain vibe playing that long. Basically I always call the vibe techno, though it varies between genres of techno and a bit of house. I play Chicago tracks which aren’t really deep but are very physical and sexy. I’m definitely someone who looks for some deepness and some darkness in the music; that deep bass and a dark groove is sexy and it takes you to another place.

I mean as a DJ, I feel the music the exact way the listeners and dancers do and I want that - I want to be connected. It’s like having a dialogue between me and the ‘floor, but it’s important that I play what I want to play. I would never play tunes just because I think the crowd wants something. I think a good DJ set only works when you can feel that the DJ loves what he is playing.

What DJ set-up are you running right now?

Generally, I use two Technics turntables, two Pioneer CD players and a Redsound Pro loop machine.

What do you think the Berghain space is most suited to musically?

I’m not a technician but the soundsystem is EQ’d for techno. But the venue is also used for live bands, theater, exhibitions and ballet performances, which I think is great.

So are techno DJs also cultured, artistic souls who appreciate other art forms?

I hope so! I think most of the DJs appreciate other art forms - and why not? You can get a lot of inspiration from other art forms.

Are you straight down the line in your musical style? What’s in your record box that we wouldn’t immediately identify you with?

Well I’m not a nerd or a purist! I would listen to Radiohead or Johnny Cash at home. Growing up I listened to all kinds of music from classic to rock, jazz and hip hop. I had lots of stages but as a DJ - I love to play techno.

Tell me about your new album. I hear there is a dubstep track on it?

Well it’s meant to be more than just a collection of club tracks. I only play two or three tracks off the album in my set. You could also listen to it in your car or at home and it would still have that club vibe.

Yes, there is one track called ‘Gold Rush’ that has some dubstep influences. It’s a broken beat which is not 4/4. Dubstep has a certain atmosphere which is what attracted me to the sound initially. I’ve also been to all the dubstep nights [Substance] that Berghain has run so far, and I’m buying a bit of music from artists like Martyn, Scuba, Untold and Ramadanman. Martyn sent me over his forthcoming album. That’s what I’m listening to at the moment.

How was your link with Marc Brandenburg, who provided artwork for the album, established?

He is connected to the Berghain owners and I really love his work. I think the art is equally related to the musical content of the album. The relationship made sense to me: The cover is a black and white waterfall that has been drawn in pencil and the original is something like 2.5 meters high. There is something really pure and calm about it but at the same time very explosive.

Did you feel more wary or protective over the resulting art you created by yourself, as opposed to working alongside Marcel Dettmann?

In a team there is always the other one who gives you feedback. You decide which sound you use and how to make the arrangement and stuff. I think in a duo it’s sometimes easier or faster. When you work alone in the studio you are inside your own bubble. You constantly have to make decisions by yourself. You go through a different process but this also makes it something very personal and precious.

With all the traveling you undertake, what do you gain or lose in a personal or professional capacity?

You have to love traveling if you really want to do this job in a professional way, and I do. I love that global feeling but actually it’s only week-end traveling. You always come back to your home so it’s a perfect mix for me.

This is an amended version of an interview originally published 2/18/09.

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