We invite you to celebrate Nolla's fourth birthday this Saturday! Our DJ guest for the night comes straight from the core of Berlin's nightlife: Nick Höppner is a resident at the legendary techno sanctuary Berghain and Panorama Bar, as well as the manager of Ostgut Ton, a label owned by the club. The evening starts at 5 PM on 180° Sea Terrace (with a special appearance by one of our all-time favourite disco DJ's!). As always, a free transport from Carusel to Nolla will be available later in the evening. Check out our interview with Nick while getting ready for Saturday.

 

To start with, could you give us a brief introduction to the musical history of Nick Höppner. How and when did you get into DJing and producing?

 

– When I moved to Hamburg after school in 1992, my cousin started to work in a professional studio. Sometimes we would sneak in there at night and have a go at playing with the synths, samplers and effects, but anything substantial never came out of it. Around the same time, we also got a little bit of gear, a really cheap Yamaha CS1-X synth, a Novation Drum station, a guitar FX box and an Atari running Cubase. It was all just for fun, we never thought of a career of producing electronic music.

 

In the mid-90's, I started DJing with friends in a bar in Hamburg where you could sign up yourself in a calendar for a DJ gig. The music policy was completely open – we played a wild mix of indie, drum'n'bass, electronica, IDM, post-rock and early German minimal house. The fee was free booze. That's where I caught the DJing bug and it all evolved from there. I started getting gigs in bars and small clubs. After moving to Berlin it all got more serious. Computer technology improved a lot and eventually led me here.

 

Ostgut Ton's mailbox must be filled with demo tracks. How do you usually find the tracks you end up releasing? 

 

– I hardly listen to any demos, and when I do, I'm very often underwhelmed by the rather undeveloped qualities of the music being offered. Ostgut Ton doesn't do A&R in a conventional sense. We have established the label as a platform for Berghain and Panorama Bar residents and very closely related artists, so there always is a personal connection. Thus the route to good music is a much easier one.

 

The connection between releasing music and getting international DJ gigs is apparent, as well as obviously one of the reasons for the masses of mediocre releases out there. What are your thoughts about this phenomenon? How do you see the situation in Berlin – do you have to be a recording artist to get good bookings?

 

– That's the case, I'm afraid.

 

Are there any up and coming local DJ's you'd recommend to check out when in town?

 

– I'm not so much aware of any real local newcomers, to be honest, as I don't go out a lot in Berlin due to travelling as a DJ myself and other priorities like studio work. But I'm really into Ed Davenport, who's making quite some waves with consistently good productions and DJing at the moment. I also really like RNDM from Dial/Laid, who's been at it for years, but still doesn't get quite the recognition he deserves being the great DJ and producer he is. As I said, no newcomers at all, but...

 

 

Besides your residencies, what kind of clubs you do you enjoy playing at the most? How do you approach DJing at a more intimate venue such as Nolla?

 

– I have recently played Plastic People in London for the first time and really really enjoyed it. It's just a basement with a super decent sound system, no light show. Very basic and honest with a super open-minded crowd. I love these kinds of settings, because they make me feel free in terms of what I think I can do musically. I think, in general, more intimate venues are well suited for deeper, less obvious and more eclectic dj sets, as the music translates a lot easier. You don't need huge kicks and breakdowns in order to make people dance. It's a much more immediate situation.

 

Are there any tracks that have become the summer anthems of 2011 for you?

 

– To be honest, I'm not looking for THE summer anthem. It's just not a category I go by. However, some of my current favourites which in my opinion belong to the "big tune" category include Levon Vincent's "Man or Mistress", Caribou's remix of Virgo Four's "It's A Crime", Recloose's "Tecumseh" or Jacob Korn's "She".

 

What's coming up next from Ostgut Ton and from you personally?

 

– We've got Marcel Fengler's "Berghain 05" mix CD coming up at the end of August, accompanied by a 12" featuring some of the CD's exclusive tracks by Peter van Hoesen, Reagenz and Vril. There will also be a new Marcel Dettmann 12" soon and a new Planetary Assault Systems album in October.

 

I am working on a new 12" for an English label called Brainmath, for which I've already done a remix last year. Hopefully, it will still come out this year.

 

What is your soundtrack of choice for the day after partying?

 

– No music, most of the time. I'd be watching movies or my favourite TV shows or go for walks and dinner with my wife.