This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)
In 2017 I had a chat with the German DJ/producer's duo Kaiserdisco. "We just started playing and went with the vibe."
Patrick: “My debut was at a school party. I was like sixteen or seventeen.
Frederic: “Mine was at a friend’s house. He was celebrating his birthday and asked me to play at his basement party. I guess I also was sixteen or seventeen.”
Nerves?
Patrick: “You’re asking if I was nervous? Ehh, no, I think I was alright. I played that whole evening together with a friend. We started the first track when the first visitor arrived, so there really was no time to be nervous. The audience existed mostly of people from my own school and perhaps a few from one or two schools in the neighborhood.”
Frederic: “Contrary to Patrick I was incredibly anxious. I didn’t own any DJ gear at that time, so I had to settle for two simple CD-players and a basic mixer. Same as with Patrick, the visitors were mostly people from my school, plus other friends and neighbors.”
Impress classmates
Patrick: “Did I prepare my set? No. Because we were going to play all night and had to play different genres, we didn’t prepare a thing. We just started playing and went with the vibe. And no, impressing a girl was never a reason for me. I just wanted everybody to have a great party.”
Frederic: “I had just started playing. It never even came to my mind to prepare a set, because in those days the audience always asked for specific tracks. At that point, girls weren’t really of interest to me either. I was more concerned with impressing my classmates, so I brought a lot of mixtapes along. On top of that, I went to a record store and purchased some bootleg-CDs. These were illegal in those days. You specifically had to ask for them. Kinda like buying drugs these days.”
Father’s support
Patrick: “I’ve always had the support of my family. Particularly my father. He plays guitar and is mad about music. He’s also the one who gave me my first keyboard and supported me financially when I had to buy my first studio gear.
Frederic: “My friends and classmates supported me.”
Retirement home
Patrick: “I never had a mentor. Of course, I never imagined that this small school party would be the beginning of a DJ and producer’s career. I was just a guy who had a lot of CDs and vinyl, so it was clear that I would be responsible for the music. This went on and on until I played my first professional parties. Just a bit later, I had my first residency in Hamburg, where I played every second weekend.”
Frederic: “At that time, I didn’t have a mentor either. A few years after I finished school, I had to do a social year in a retirement home instead of going into the army. This is where I met a guy who taught me how to mix.“
Healthy to make mistakes
Patrick: “In the end it was a great night and everyone had lots of fun. To achieve that, wasn’t very difficult though, to be honest. It was a school party end everybody was drunk, so it was quite easy. I’m sure I made some major mistakes, but I can’t remember. What I do remember and learned, is that technology and drinks should not be placed very close to each other.” (laughs)
Frederic: “As most of the audience where friends from school, it was not a big deal. A few years later, when I had my first professional gig, I was a lot more nervous and couldn’t sleep for days. I’m sure I made some mistakes, but it’s so long ago now that I can hardly remember them, to be honest. What I learned over the years, is that making mistakes can be very healthy. You learn from them and the next time ‘round, you’ll do a better job. As a DJ you always think about which tracks fit together perfectly. Sometimes you’re wrong and it sounds bad. Or the needle drops, something vinyl DJs will most definitely recognize. This only shows that we are humans.”
This interview with Kaiserdisco is originally published on DJMag.nl in October 2017.
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