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In our sympathetic conversation, Berlin-based Ash Roy talks about his MOST MEMORABLE GIG. Not his biggest but an intimate set in Sisyphos comes to mind, . “I’m always dancing hard myself while I’m playing. I love it!”
“Of course, I’ve had several memorable gigs, but this one tops the list. It wasn’t my biggest performance – not at all. In fact, it was an intimate set at Berlin club Sisyphos in July 2018.”
Hammer Halle
“At Sisyphos there’s a big room called Hammer Halle. I’d actually always dreamed of playing there. But I was booked for a smaller area, the Dampfer. In hindsight I’m super happy about that. Hammer Halle is usually all about bangin’ techno. It’s a dark space and from the DJ booth you can only see the crowd when a light beam occasionally sweeps through the room.”
Dampfer
“The Dampfer is totally different. From that DJ booth you’re close to the crowd. It’s lighter, more intimate, and has a warmer vibe. You really interact with people. You see their faces and feel their energy directly. Luckily, more DJs find that important. Plus, the acoustics in the Dampfer are fantastic!”
A musical journey
“I got to play a four-hour set. That fits perfectly with my style. I want to tell a story and embark on a journey together with the crowd. It’s great when people understand where you’re going with your set and jump onto that musical adventure. And that worked out well: the room was packed to the rafters. Keep in mind that Sisyphos is a club with multiple areas, each with its own style. So it was special that around five hundred people chose to follow my story!”
Psychedelic techno
“That was probably due to my style. I don’t like boring, cookie-cutter techno. I play a kind of psychedelic techno. My average BPM is 127/128. We release more music in this genre on my label Soupherb, but for a long time it was quite a niche. That was also the case in Berlin.”
What a compliment!
“The Sisyphos crowd had never heard this genre before – certainly not in 2018. Nowadays more people are into it, but at that time it was super fresh. Two years later that was confirmed again. I met a young woman who apparently had been dancing behind me on stage during my Dampfer gig. By the way, I’m always dancing hard during my sets too – I’m crazy about it! When I spoke to her two years later and learned that she was producing as well, she literally said: ‘Because of you, I started producing this kind of music!’ What a compliment!”
Live percussion
“The positive feedback after the set just didn’t stop. It was a very humbling experience. People were amazed by my set. I’ll admit, I added an extra element: I played along on my electronic drum kit during the set. I often integrate my own percussion into the music. The crowd loved it! They literally came up to thank me for the experience. I was lucky that two friends from India – Ashvin Mani Sharma (Calm Chor) and Abhishek – were also there. They were super excited to come along to the gig. Afterwards Abhishek told me he’d never heard me play so wickedly. That means a lot to me. So on the night itself, I was proud and ecstatic.”
My story
“I’ll admit: millions of people play techno. I’ve been active since 1996, so I have more than twenty years of experience. Without all those years, I couldn’t have done this gig the way I did. Thanks to that background I can truly tell a musical story, take the audience on a journey, and I have the confidence to really create my story. I think it’s important to make sure you stand out from others. What makes you different?”
No filming allowed
“I always try to remember to record my sets, but in the heat of the moment I often forget to hit record,” (laughs). “Luckily, I did think of it that night. There are no videos because recording is forbidden in this club. They tape your camera at the entrance. In any case, many people later listened to my recording from that night and were incredibly enthusiastic.”
Not work, but joy
“I’ve often played at big festivals, including in India. Usually at festivals you only get one or one and a half hours. In that time, I can’t tell a story. Plus, you can hardly see the crowd, let alone connect with them. That one-hour slot feels like work, whereas a night like in Dampfer was pure joy. That wasn’t work!”
“I just got back to Berlin. For a long time it was impossible to leave India. I had to cancel four or five flights before it finally worked out with testing and everything. I’m waiting to see how the future unfolds. I take each day as it comes. I do have a few gigs on the calendar again. On July 3rd I’m playing in Hamburg, and in August at a festival in Germany. I’m sure more will follow. I’ve also made a lot of music. Next month one of my remixes will be released on my label Soupherb Records. Another release will follow soon after on a super cool label. And there’s more in the pipeline. So yes, I remain positive.”
This interview with Ash Roy is originally published in June 2021 on This Is Our House.
Who is Ash Roy?
Ash Roy’s illustrious career has seen him perform around the world, including Germany, USA, India, Sweden, Netherlands, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, Denmark, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bahrain and more!
In 2004 Ash Roy and his friends founded the fantastic electronica band Jalebee Cartel, which gained massive popularity globally. Jalebee Cartel was India’s answer to raw, real underground dance music. Since its inception, Ash Roy provided all vocal and percussive elements for their memorable live performances.
2013 saw Ash Roy launch his own dance music record label: Soupherb Records. Soupherb Records is an imprint of him and Ashvin Mani Sharma (Calm Cor), co-founders of Jalebee Cartel. The aim of the label is to provide a platform for forward thinking and experimental music producers in the genres of techno, minimal, house and all the sub genres that go with it.
As an individual producer and a DJ, Ash Roy’s style moves through genres that range from minimal to tech-house to techno. Other than homegrown label Soupherb, Ash Roy’s music has been released on various other prestigious labels such as Trapez Ltd., Monique Musique, Frequenza, Tulipa Recordings, Patent Skillz, Creepy Finger, amongst others.
In the year 2014, Ash Roy also won two prestigious awards: MyFav India’s ‘Best Techno DJ’ for the year 2014, as well as VH1 Sound Nation’s ‘Best Electronic DJ’. 2014 also saw him visit the USA, where he got an opportunity to perform at the magnificent Burning Man festival. The start of 2015 was just cracker for Ash Roy since he won the Myfav India’s ‘Best Producer of the Year’ 2015. Beginning 2016 Ash roy won the Myfav India’s ‘Best Producer of the Year’ 2016
Ash Roy moves base to Europe every summer to have a foot on both sides of the globe with his gigs. An annual appearance at the Fusion Festival in Germany, for instance. Ash has shared headliner space with the likes of The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Modeselektor and Carl Cox, played with the likes of Richie Hawtin, Sasha, Cari Lekebusch, Fergie, Nic Fanciulli, Ambivalent and Kasey Taylor individually and appeared on publications such as Rolling Stone en Euphoric Mag.