Interview: Patrice Baumel

Interview: Patrice Baumel

28 July, 2008 | 7.57AM

• Written by: Mike Blogstein
• Filed under: Music News: dj tools, get physical, patrice baumel, roar

Producing a six minute track without a kick drum is quite a courageous move, yet it was that exact move that quickly launched Patrice Baumel into the spotlight.

Now, riding on the success of ‘Roar’ and his new release for Trapez, Patrice Baumel is quickly climbing up the ranks of the new wave of producers, and making dance floors drip with sweat.

We forced Patrice to spend some time outside of his studio and have a nice chat with us about the inspiration behind his kick drum-missing tune, his residency at the infamous Club 11, and his passion for surfing in Amsterdam.

Where are you right now, and where would you rather be?

Right now, I’’m at my studio in Amsterdam.

After being to a few festivals last weekend, this is also the place I really want to be at, my head is full of inspiration and I’m hungry to make music.

Tell us something interesting from this past weekend.

I went to Melt Festival with a large group of friends.

I got to see Bjork live for the first time and was blown away.

It was amazing to see an artist with so much disregard for musical rules, she took everybody on a ride through her own musical universe.

It was bizarre. Best gig I have seen in years.

Now tell us something very un-interesting about your past weekend.

Spent 1350 kilometers in the car, slept three hours, ate one sandwich and ruined one pair of shoes.

Speaking of dull moments, what is the absolute least interesting thing about you?

My fashion sense.

You were born in Germany, but you now call Amsterdam your home. When did you make the move and for what reasons?

I moved to Amsterdam in 1996.

Initially I just wanted to spend some time in Holland to learn a new language but I fell in love with the place.

Due to the low unemployment rate it was easy for me to make a living - something that wasn’t the case in Germany at the time.

12 years later and I still feel right at home.

What do you love about life in Amsterdam, and are you planning to move back to Germany anytime in the future?

Life is easy, people worry a lot less about things and the city feels cosmopolitan but compact.

There’s a thriving electronic music scene and culture-wise it’s as diverse as it gets.

With a great airport only 15 minutes outside the city it’s a place that is well-connected to the rest of the world.

One big advantage of Amsterdam is its proximity to the beach - I’m really into surfing and there’s a good beach nearby.

In 12 years of living here I’ve made some amazing friends, met my girlfriend and even got a dog - many reasons to keep me here.

Never say never, but moving back to Germany is highly unlikely for me at the moment.

Tell us about your start as a DJ. What were some of the prime moments that kicked off your career?

I started DJing in 1994 but spent many years doing it as a hobby, not giving it 100%, being content with smaller residencies, playing bars, organizing my own parties.

In 2002 I got accepted to participate in the Red Bull Music Academy in Sao Paulo.

That totally changed my attitude and focus.

I started producing music, spending long hours in the studio, and learned everything from scratch.

Two years later I got some serious help from Riley Reinhold, the owner of the Cologne-based Traum / Trapez / MBF label group.

He saw something in one of my demos and took the time to coach me towards what became my first record, ’Mutant Pop‘ on Trapez.

Releasing records is what basically got me going after that.

So, your debut release on Trapez was entitled ‘Mutant Pop’, which is also the name you’ve created to describe your sound. Can you explain what classifies you as a ‘Mutant Pop’ star?

I hope I’m not seen as a pop-star, not even a mutated one.

The thought of that makes me cringe.

‘Mutant Pop’ basically is the combination of warm, human, harmonic elements with the weirdest, most alien-sounding machine noises, creating interesting contrasts.

If Booka Shade and Audion had a love child, the result would be mutant pop.

You held a residency at the infamous ‘Club 11’ in Amsterdam, hosting a monthly party called ‘360.’ Now that Club 11 has unfortunately shut their doors, what were some of your favorite memories from the club?

We had many unforgettable nights there that blew the roof off.

But the most amazing thing for me was seeing the club transform from a workplace into something that felt like your own living room.

Personnel was like tightly knit family.

Watching the sun come up from the the rooftop terrace after a heavy night was special.

We also made it a tradition to have dinner with all our guest acts in the club restaurant.

Nearly all of them were wonderful, interesting people and at the same time normal guys like you and me.

The closing party was an emotional roller-coaster, lots of tears, DC10-style sit downs and the comforting realization that we really ended on a high note.

Your recent release on Get Physical Music, ‘Roar’ has been causing quite a lot of damage in the clubs, and is being hammered by virtually everyone in club land…yet there is absolutely no kick drum. It’s essentially the biggest selling DJ tool in recent memory. Can you tell me what was going through your mind when creating this track?

I was at a point were I was getting bored with the dynamics of dance music, the constant beat, the addiction for climax and loudness.

I made ’Roar‘ as a tool to break up my DJ sets, give people a bit of a breather and provide some contrast to their ears.

I have a few of these tools and they are really effective to take down the intensity for a while...kind of like a sax solo in jazz music.

I didn’t want a beat in it because then I could create a bigger impact with the next record, when all the tension is released and the next beat kicks in.

It worked really well, reactions were ecstatic and I decided to fine-tune it a bit and make a track out of it.

How long did it take you to produce?

I recorded the basic track in less than an hour and spent less than a day with adding effects, reverbs and EQs. It just happened.

OK, so we all know ‘Roar’ is a huge track, but the other two tracks on that release are amazing as well. Also, your new EP on Trapez entitled ‘Flow’ is getting massive support. You’re definitely putting out some quality music. What should we expect from you around the corner?

There are a few remixes in the pipeline - one for a really promising Portuguese label called ‘Bloop’ and another one for MBF.

There will also be a brand new track on the forthcoming ‘Full Body Workout’ compilation on Get Physical, which will be mixed by Heidi.

In autumn, there’s also a new EP scheduled on Trapez.

Now, completely unrelated to anything to do with music, what should we expect from you in the near future?

With the summer hopefully kicking in, my neighbors can expect to be tortured frequently with the smell of steak off of my BBQ.

For the rest, nearly everything I do is related to music in some way.

Finally, in eight words or less, what are your thoughts on the following important topics:

Digital vs. Analog?

Outcome is more important than method.

Aril Brikha vs. Shlomi Aber?

Shlomi’s response was pitiful. Probably coincidence, though.

Magic mushrooms?

Half as fun as LSD. Horrible taste.

Batman – The Dark Knight?

Haven’t seen it yet.

Electro house?

Who needs categories?

• (0) Comments
• (1945) Views
• Check Out Patrice Baumel on Beatport