15. April 2016 | Artists | Carl

Talk-Zone #33 Interview with Björn Torwellen

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Welcome Björn! You’re a well-known Techno artist, but maybe not everyone knows about you. Tell our readers something about your producer and DJing career, how it all began and how did you come to your first DJ bookings?

I’ve started organizing techno partys in dirty clubs with my crew in 2001 in my hometown Iserlohn. That was cool and has met with a positive reception, cause there was nothing comparable with that before. I’ve stucked to it and little by little I got my first bookings. I think it was important to have a functioning network at that time already. If you get a little attention with such an amazing project, the rest will take care of itself.I’ve always decided to make music, so I started to study audio engineering. Those have been the first steps towards professional music production. In theyear 2014 Sven Schaller has asked me,if I want to be a part of abstract. You know the rest of the story.

You’ve actually released your second album „Who I am“. What was your idea and intention to produce it? Do you see it as a consequent continuation to your first album „Metacollapse“ or would you say it’s a new complete new chapter and can’t be compared with „Metacollapse“

My new album is no sequel of „Metacollapse“, quite the contrary! I’ve worked in socio-critical themes for „Metacollapse“, but „Who I am“ is reflecting my personal preferences and it’s expressing my own career in a musical form, so the production techniques and the ideas of the tracks have been completely different.

When did you start with the recording process for that album and how long did you work on it?

I’ve started with the production in spring 2015. It all begins with the right choice of plugins, creating templates and worktitels and collecting of new ideas to sketch it. In summer I let the whole thing simmer for a while, before I came back to the mixdown process with fresh ears. That was very good, cause I’ve created two songs, which originally shouldn’t be released on that album.

Which releases could the Björn Torwellen fans expect next? Maybe a follow-up single to „Menschentrümmer“?

I’m very busy at the moment, so there will be some remix releases in the next time. But my album has been also remixed by Hans Bouffmyhre, Emerson, Tony Rohr und Ricardo Garduno und Cortechs, which will be released soon on vinyl. I also will try to re-develope my way of creating music, but actually I can’t say something about a new EP or album release.

level="h6" looks_like="h6" accent="false"]The single „Menschentrümmer“ has got also a dark and destroying video. Tell us something about the shooting and the locations of the video. What’s the message of the video?[/x_custom_headline]

„Menschentrümmer“ has been a very special project. I always had the idea to create a track together with a video, so I’ve produced from the outset a kind of soundtrack. The video has been done from my friends of Captn Clown, which are real freaks. They also take care of the walking acts at my partys. The video examines hypocrisy, prejudices, contempts, and it’s about people and ruins.

Which kind of equipment do you use in your studio? Do you work with hardware or also with software-plugins or do you use a mixture of both and what’s your favourite studio-tool?

Mostly I use Ableton Live. I’ve also worked with the Elektron Analog Rythm for that album and with some plugins, especially with the tools of Native Instruments, D16 and Softube, but I’ve got no favourite tools. Each tool will be used for its special purposes.

Your favourite style is strictly direct and efficient Techno. Do you always listen to Techno or do you also like other styles of electronic music like Trance or EDM?

I like to listen to metal rock, rock, electro pop, classic and ambient. When I’m producing I don’t listen to techno, cause I think it would influence my workflow in the music production too much and this is what I’m trying to avoid. I never listen to EDM, Trance or something like that.

Do you have got a idol, which you’re always dreaming to produce a track together? If you could choose a collaboration, with which artist would you dream to work together? Green Velvet maybe?

It’s funny that you’re asking about Green Velvet. Green Velvet was one of first encounters with Techno. His album „The 90ies“ has been played at us again and again. Surely, it would be nice to work with him, but I don’t know how he feels like. Maybe we don’t understand each other. But I’m very interested in collaborating with a metal band like Machine head. That would be the madness!

You’re also a sounddesigner and author. Are there new interesting projects in that section for the future?

There will be something new in my education activities soon. I will start my first online-workshop in music production. It’s based on video-on-demand and I’ve spend a lot of time in it. I’ve invested all my experiences as a lecturer in it and I hope that I can give much young talents an initial help.

Now you’ve got the chance to tell our readers that you always wanted to say.

Don’t be assholes. Treat each other with respect and pay attention to your environment. Do everything with passion. So everyone can make the world to a better place.

Thanks for taking time to this interview.
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