Tweet
The location for this show has been changed. Catch Michael Mayer on Tuesday, March 1, at THE PHOENIX LANDING, 512 Mass Ave., Central Square, Cambridge, 617.576-6260 www.marzentertainment.com
Michael Mayer of Kompakt
Euphonic electronic is straight-up Teutonic
Eric Solomon
By the late ?90s, it seemed that DJ culture was prepared to grab America by the throat and choke full throttle to the point of seizure. Unfamiliar names creeped onto the covers of Spin and Rolling Stone; celebrity DJs from across the pond nestled comfortably into domestic residences; the DJ/mix sections of our music shops edged dangerously close to top 40 country. In a direct reflection of our European pals, names of headlining DJs carried nearly as much superstar currency as names of bands that might take the stage the following night. Finally?so it appeared?electronic music labels were able to promote their most prized commodities on name recognition alone, even if the DJ craze was ephemeral at best. But somehow, Cologne, Germany?s Kompakt label was left lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment under scrutiny but never fully expecting that day would arrive.
?Even a few years back,? explains Michael Mayer, cofounder of the Kompakt stronghold and arguably its finest DJ specimen, ?Kompakt was considered the opposition to all that was popular about dance music. Nobody seemed very interested in what we were doing at all!? The inclusion of ?nobody? seems a bit modest given Kompakt?s longtime feverish cult following?those interested in the Kompakt sound are damn interested. Pinpointing the direct coordinates of their sound, however, is an exercise in oversimplification. Whereas a majority of electronic music labels associate themselves with a particular style, Kompakt has sought to keep all possibilities wide open. ?The original idea was, do everything under one label,? Mayer says of his lofty ambitions. ?We wanted to do ambient as well as more traditional techno and minimal house. At the same time, I needed to make sure that each release would be recognized as another Kompakt staple.?
From an aural perspective, each Kompakt release punctuates the hallmarks of traditional German electronic music?pulsing jets of sound with pops and hisses, strategically placed clanks, off-kilter beats, the occasional acid squelch and plenty of breathy white space. But remarkably, Kompakt releases have a uniformly warm, human quality to them often lacking in electronic circles; there?s a distinct feeling that most tracks were pieced together with ingenuity and instinct, and not across some ProTools grid.
If there?s any one reason why Kompakt is now, suddenly, demanding American attention, it may simply be Mayer himself. Until recently, his production work has been relatively sparse, but his experience as a world-class DJ came to a head at last year?s ?Kompakt vs. Rephlex? event in Brooklyn, which cemented Mayer?s position as one of the most creative and elastic DJs of our time. As with his fabulous recorded mixes (2002?s Immer and 2003?s Fabric 13, in particular), Mayer?s performance in Brooklyn peeled the paint off the walls with a masterfully layered selection of everything from minimalist German schaffel to full-on diva-pitched, floor-packing stompfests. ?It?s obvious that being a DJ is my first love,? says Mayer. ?I?m never content with my performances, so I?m always trying to keep the process dynamic, so it doesn?t get boring. For me, DJing is more fluid than production work.?
The first true test of Mayer?s studio prowess came in the form of his first full-length release on Kompakt earlier this year, Touch. Oddly, the album was greeted with lukewarm response by the very same proponents who had championed Mayer?s outstanding DJ sets. ?Production has always been my bastard stepchild,? Mayer says in his defense. ?Based on my DJ mixes, people had strong expectations about what my album should sound like?some wanted a purely vocal thing, others hoped for something more ambient, and another even suggested I go disco! Ultimately, I went the personal route and chose tracks I liked best. I know that when I play them in a DJ set, I made the right decision.?
So why has it taken so long for Kompakt to surface in the public eye? Why is this the first time Boston has booked Kompakt for a DJ set? If Mayer has anything to say, it?s because other electronic music is getting pretty fucking boring. ?There hasn?t been much progression in classic techno, for example,? says Mayer. ?As listeners of this music are getting older, they?re looking for something richer and more melodic, which is something we?ve always offered. This alternative has gotten more popular, so it?s showing up in the boxes of major, big-time DJs, which is not something I could have predicted even two years ago. This has enabled me to pursue DJing on a much larger scale.?
For his Beantown debut, Mayer insists that he?s brewing up a special brand of town-specific madness. ?Is the band Boston actually from Boston?? he asks. ?Because I?ve got this bootleg of ?More Than a Feeling? ?? Mayer trails off gleefully. If passion is worth anything, Mayer is here to reignite the DJ craze?at least for one sweaty evening.
Michael Mayer of Kompakt
Euphonic electronic is straight-up Teutonic
Eric Solomon
By the late ?90s, it seemed that DJ culture was prepared to grab America by the throat and choke full throttle to the point of seizure. Unfamiliar names creeped onto the covers of Spin and Rolling Stone; celebrity DJs from across the pond nestled comfortably into domestic residences; the DJ/mix sections of our music shops edged dangerously close to top 40 country. In a direct reflection of our European pals, names of headlining DJs carried nearly as much superstar currency as names of bands that might take the stage the following night. Finally?so it appeared?electronic music labels were able to promote their most prized commodities on name recognition alone, even if the DJ craze was ephemeral at best. But somehow, Cologne, Germany?s Kompakt label was left lurking in the shadows, waiting for its moment under scrutiny but never fully expecting that day would arrive.
?Even a few years back,? explains Michael Mayer, cofounder of the Kompakt stronghold and arguably its finest DJ specimen, ?Kompakt was considered the opposition to all that was popular about dance music. Nobody seemed very interested in what we were doing at all!? The inclusion of ?nobody? seems a bit modest given Kompakt?s longtime feverish cult following?those interested in the Kompakt sound are damn interested. Pinpointing the direct coordinates of their sound, however, is an exercise in oversimplification. Whereas a majority of electronic music labels associate themselves with a particular style, Kompakt has sought to keep all possibilities wide open. ?The original idea was, do everything under one label,? Mayer says of his lofty ambitions. ?We wanted to do ambient as well as more traditional techno and minimal house. At the same time, I needed to make sure that each release would be recognized as another Kompakt staple.?
From an aural perspective, each Kompakt release punctuates the hallmarks of traditional German electronic music?pulsing jets of sound with pops and hisses, strategically placed clanks, off-kilter beats, the occasional acid squelch and plenty of breathy white space. But remarkably, Kompakt releases have a uniformly warm, human quality to them often lacking in electronic circles; there?s a distinct feeling that most tracks were pieced together with ingenuity and instinct, and not across some ProTools grid.
If there?s any one reason why Kompakt is now, suddenly, demanding American attention, it may simply be Mayer himself. Until recently, his production work has been relatively sparse, but his experience as a world-class DJ came to a head at last year?s ?Kompakt vs. Rephlex? event in Brooklyn, which cemented Mayer?s position as one of the most creative and elastic DJs of our time. As with his fabulous recorded mixes (2002?s Immer and 2003?s Fabric 13, in particular), Mayer?s performance in Brooklyn peeled the paint off the walls with a masterfully layered selection of everything from minimalist German schaffel to full-on diva-pitched, floor-packing stompfests. ?It?s obvious that being a DJ is my first love,? says Mayer. ?I?m never content with my performances, so I?m always trying to keep the process dynamic, so it doesn?t get boring. For me, DJing is more fluid than production work.?
The first true test of Mayer?s studio prowess came in the form of his first full-length release on Kompakt earlier this year, Touch. Oddly, the album was greeted with lukewarm response by the very same proponents who had championed Mayer?s outstanding DJ sets. ?Production has always been my bastard stepchild,? Mayer says in his defense. ?Based on my DJ mixes, people had strong expectations about what my album should sound like?some wanted a purely vocal thing, others hoped for something more ambient, and another even suggested I go disco! Ultimately, I went the personal route and chose tracks I liked best. I know that when I play them in a DJ set, I made the right decision.?
So why has it taken so long for Kompakt to surface in the public eye? Why is this the first time Boston has booked Kompakt for a DJ set? If Mayer has anything to say, it?s because other electronic music is getting pretty fucking boring. ?There hasn?t been much progression in classic techno, for example,? says Mayer. ?As listeners of this music are getting older, they?re looking for something richer and more melodic, which is something we?ve always offered. This alternative has gotten more popular, so it?s showing up in the boxes of major, big-time DJs, which is not something I could have predicted even two years ago. This has enabled me to pursue DJing on a much larger scale.?
For his Beantown debut, Mayer insists that he?s brewing up a special brand of town-specific madness. ?Is the band Boston actually from Boston?? he asks. ?Because I?ve got this bootleg of ?More Than a Feeling? ?? Mayer trails off gleefully. If passion is worth anything, Mayer is here to reignite the DJ craze?at least for one sweaty evening.
