Last month's party with Robag Wruhme was so much fun that we decided to book another of our current German favourites. For the last 14 years, though, Patrice Bäumel has been living in Amsterdam and gained a reputation through his productions for labels such as Get Physical, Trapez and Studio !K7. Patrice describes his last year's debut album Vapour as "headphone techno", but the guy is equally known for rocking the house, be it Paris or Melbourne. Check out the interview and get ready for Saturday.

 

What are you favourite spots in Amsterdam? Do you play in the city on a regular basis at the moment?

    

– I have a monthly residency at Trouw, my favourite club in Amsterdam. Trouw is an old newspaper printing factory transformed into a beautiful industrial venue with a capacity of up to 1100 people. It also includes a restaurant and an exhibition space. Other spots I really enjoy are Melkweg, Studio 80 and of course lots of semi-legal after hour locations.

 

Have you had any memorable gigs lately in other cities?

 

– I had a few super gigs this year, especially Fabric in London, Sonar in Tokyo and Panorama Bar in Berlin. A lot of good memories come from the things I get to see outside the clubs. I try to make time to see a few museums, try the local food, hang out with local musicians, just play tourist and soak in the atmosphere of places I have never been to before. Istanbul was a standout in that respect.

 

360 May 2011 Podcast for Trouw by Patrice Bäumel

Are there certain qualities that you look for in a track when you are searching for new music to play in your sets?

– Modern yet timeless, sonically interesting, music with an ounce of pain and tension in it. Stuff that is adventurous and not just paying homage to the past.

 

How about when you are producing – are there recurring details that you want to include or a particular mood you often aspire to create?

– An interesting contrast of warm and abstract sounds is something I am always looking for, but also stuff that is very dynamic and extreme. I want to make music that has not been made before by other people. I introduce a lot of randomness into my creative process to find that unique sound that I could otherwise never come up with.

Who or what influences you when making new music?

    

– Books, dreams, the current zeitgeist, things I soak up subconsciously in my everyday life, not so much other musicians. Like with every other human being, everything that happens to me influences everything I do. 

 

 

Are you comfortable with the traditional club music context or do you have plans to contribute with film makers, visual artists, et cetera?

 

– I am much too curious to remain in one place. I am really interested in design, film, the human mind – any kind of creative area. For instance, I want to turn my live set into a synchronized audiovisual show and create a lot of the visual content myself. Strictly remaining a club DJ would not satisfy me in that area. The DJ format often feels too established and restrictive, almost archaic – I would love to be part of something new that goes beyond blending tracks into each other. In my opinion, the most interesting contributions in electronic music at the moment come from live artists and bands, not DJ's.

 

Are you familiar with any Finnish artists, perhaps even played some their music?

    

– Artists like Jimi Tenor or Pan Sonic have been household names pretty much since I started DJing, Sähkö Recordings was one of the most influential minimal/noise labels in the 90's – very conceptual and out there. Lil Tony is always a welcome guest at our club Trouw, I like his stuff, too. Then there is Luomo aka Vladislav Delay. An amazing artist, Tessio is one of my all-time favourites. And I love Artificial Latvamäki, his songs are special.

 

And lastly, could you give us your "top three" tracks you like to play in clubs at the moment.

    

Guy J – Motivate

Kenton Slash Demon – Daemon

Dave Vega & Seth Troxler – The Woes Of Me (Exercise One Mix)