Dettman goes Off The Record

Marcel Dettmann was born in the Berlin satellite town of Fürstenwaldem, not the most stellar of origins by any means. But the recent release of his debut mix CD, Berghain 2 (which offered a musical snapshot of his residency at the famous German club), confirmed the rising stock of the DJ/producer.

“I was fourteen when the brother of a friend gave me a techno CD” he says, describing his first exposure to the sound. “Prior to that I’d been listening to a lot of synth pop like The Cure, Depeche Mode, Kate Bush and also bands like Front 242 and Nitzer EBB”.

That same year, a trip to legendary techno palace Tresor gave him his first introduction to clubbing, inspiring him to buy a set of turntables soon after. It wasn’t long before he was promoting and playing parties in the cities of Dresden and Frankfurt.

The success of these nights helped establish Dettman as a respected DJ on Germany’s techno scene and earned him a residency at Berlin’s Ostgut (Berghain’s predecessor) in 1999, aged only 21. Over the past nine years, Dettman has developed a strong affinity for firstly Ostgut and subsequently Berghain, not to mention a pride for what is arguably the best club in the world at present.

“Berghain is all that techno means to me… futuristic, anarchic and uncompromising. It’s inimitably authentic… there’s no borders and each night is like a trip… every time it’s different”

Since 2003 he’s also worked in Berlin’s Hardwax record store, which over time has developed into an influential hub for the city’s electronic music scene, highlighted by the fact that it gave birth to one of techno’s most revered acts, Basic Channel; Moritz Von Oswald and Mark Ernestus forming a production partnership while working behind its counter.

“For me it was always a dream to work there. As with Berghain, Hardwax shares my philosophy on electronic music. Working there, you get to know a lot of interesting artists and the music is allowed to speak for itself… there’s no marketing gimmicks involved”.

In 2005, Marcel began working on his own productions, resulting in ‘Dawning/Deadmann’, which was actually a collaborative effort with fellow Berghain resident, Ben Klock. Released on the OstGut Ton label to critical acclaim, it scored a number two placing in Groove Magazine’s Top 50.

Since then he’s established his own MDR imprint, releasing work on it and also OstGut Ton as well as remixes for Ellen Alien, Mr G and Par Grindvik, amongst others.

“Inspiration is everything”, says Dettman, describing his musical approach without giving too much away. “There are a lot of producers who’ve influenced me over time, each in their own their special way. My sound combines these inspirations but also incorporates my own style”.

Though not featuring any of his own productions, there’s no doubt that his well-received Berghain 02 mix will improve his position among the global techno fraternity and indeed, he describes it as his “business card”.

Featuring output from some of today’s most respected producers such as Redshape, Deetron and Radio Slave, it also contains Marcel’s Chicago and Detroit favourites from yesteryear, resulting in a mix showing respect for both the classic techno template and its more contemporary counterpart.

“My intention for the Berghain 02 CD was to choose tracks which are current but have a timeless appeal, integrating them with others that have accompanied me through years”, he explains. “I also asked artists that are good friends of mine for their unreleased tracks; people I work with every day and who also give me inspiration”.

So, what of the future? Well, Dettman has no plans to rest on his laurels.

“I’ve remixes for Deetron, Modeselektor and Scuba to come and right now I´m working on a new MDR Track, another for OstGut Ton and a shared effort with Norman Nodge”

To feel a bit of Berlin magic on your Saturday night, there's only one place to be this month. Happy days for the Soundhaus.