OBJEKT [HESSLE AUDIO, PAN]

His music, in his own words: “adventures in machine music built to make subs rattle and feet wiggle; a convoluted mess of elektrology and teknology, 3-step, bass-core, post windmill, proto-minimal wankstep, gondola, shithouse, acid wonk, no more, no less. constructed by TJ Hertz in Berlin”.

With James Ruskin, Luke Slater and Regis in Room 1, Objekt will be holding down Room 2 for our Blueprint Records event with Helena Hauff, on Saturday, April 16th – we’ll be going in hard from 9pm – 6am.

Book your ticket now!

Thanks to Alastair Schwarz for this interview with Objekt.

What sort of music will you bring to room 2?

I don’t like staying in one place for too long, so it’s usually a case of seeing what people will let me get away with…. techno is obviously the bread and butter of what I play but on a good night I’ll traverse a fairly broad range of styles within that, from house to electro, EBM/industrial stuff, IDM, ambient, whatever, depending how comfortable I’m feeling.

Do you have any white labels or collaborations to share with us in the future?

Unfortunately I don’t – I’m juggling a day job and regular gigs so my studio time is super limited at the moment. That said I’ve been quite enjoying focusing on DJing for a while.

You bring an innovative approach to electronic music. Where does this inspiration come from?

Do I? I just think techno can get boring remarkably easily and I can’t stomach the idea of contributing yet more filler to the pile. Keeping myself interested in what I do is a pretty high priority for me and that means trying out new things on a regular basis.

What is the best way to invigorate the dance music scene?

Don’t get complacent. Listen to new voices. Hold your idols to high standards.

You have a playful approach to music, one of the tracks from Flatland sounds like Midnight Request Line, you mentioned ‘Cactus’ was an ode to Rusko. Do you also make homages to techno producers in a similar fashion? Hah, the Midnite Request Line thing was totally unintentional but you’re quite right. I haven’t really written an all-out pastiche since Cactus but I do still like to maintain a certain irreverence in my music, sure…

Do you like clubs to be dark and grimy or light and ethereal?

I think clubs just need to make the most of their own space; grimy sweatboxes are great but that’s not to say that light and ethereal venues can’t be extremely special too. And of course it depends whether whoever’s playing (and organising the night) can appreciate this and complement the setting in the best possible way.

How do you deal with writer’s block?

if I had the answer to this then I’d have put out a lot more records by now! I try and listen to more music (especially non-electronic or at least not dance music), read some books, focus on DJing for a while, try new equipment or software… I’m not sure there’s a magic solution.

Who would you most like to work with?

I’ve wanted to get an Ondo Fudd vocal on one of my tunes since forever but his manager always tells me he’s got a sore throat. 🙁

What is your favourite object?

Thomas, my fax machine.

What do you do when you are not making music?

I work as a DSP developer during the week at a company making music production software, which along with the weekend gigging doesn’t leave me with much time even to make music. But I cook and read when I can. Once in a while I’ll pop into Berghain and remind myself how #clubbing works. I water the plants and feed my robots, do my taxes, answer some interview questions. The usual.