Though the term Techno is credited to Detroit, the genre was heavily influenced from the very beginning by electronic music being made in Germany. So it seems quite fitting that this new sound took hold of Johannes Heil at an early age, who began playing at 14 in a bar near Frankfurt, Germany. After over twenty years creating music and aiding in the development of the genre, Heil recently released his tenth album, The Black Light. The LP "tackles the concept of light and darkness as opposing sources of energy." Showcasing a thrilling and sophisticated sonic world, this is his first album in five years, and also the first imprint on his new Exile label with Markus Suckut.
Is there anything you want to say?
Hello, my name is Johannes, I am a soul living in a body and I am on a journey finding out how to totally give unconditional love in order to fully unite with all that is life!
You started playing and producing at a very early age. How did you discover Techno?
In the early 90's at the age of twelve I went to a local techno party with my best friends and we had a great time there, it was peaceful, it had a vibe that connected all the people so I got interested in the music, then i started to listen to a radio show named HR3 clubnight where Sven Väth was the DJ mixing the music and I got hooked to the sounds being played. I remember hearing Fix "flash" by Orlando Voorn for the first time or some early Underground Resistance tracks. Man that was something else, there was the spirit of pioneering in the air.
At that time a small bar named Kanzleramt opened its doors in the neighborhood. There I met all the people with whom this journey started. That is where it all began for me. I also remember being shown a studio for the first time back then and I knew in that moment that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life: being in the studio, experimenting and creating music.
What was your first production set up like?
Compared to my setup today it was very poor, minimalistic and focused! I had a Ensoniq ASR 10 sampler, a Roland TR909 drum machine, a Novation Bass Station, a roland JP 8000 and a small Samson mixer. I produced like this for some years. Sometimes friends would lend me a Behringer MX 8000 mixer or a Roland JD 800 synthesizer. I also wrote my first album with this setup. The limitation was perfect to be flowing in the now without thinking too much while creating.
What was your introduction to the sound that was coming out of Detroit? Did it influence your productions?
As i said, i went to local parties and listened to my favorite radio show, connected with the people in my surroundings. The Detroit sound was everywhere and it was my favorite branch from day one. It was an influence on my musical vocabulary, as was also the sound of Britain, but there are many more musical influences which expanded my vocabulary like movie scores, rock n roll, dub and much more.
Do you think that the divide between East and West had anything to do with why the sound really took hold in Germany (in its early phase)? Was the genre a way of expression in a time of oppression?
Well, I was not oppressed, not by a wall of concrete at least, so my answer is no, but if you ask someone from the other side of the wall, the answer might be very different, all perspectives create reality.
How I felt is that there was something unfolding which gave me the opportunity for a higher resolution in life. My wall was the common world which had nothing to offer that I could possibly do for a living without having the feeling of being enslaved to a corrupt system, being trapped, under the pressure of the dictatorship. Music was my way out of this misery and my way into having the freedom to work on something that I love.
How do you find ways to personalize Techno (not just sounds, but emotions)?
I express my emotions, thoughts and visions through the music we call techno. That is how. I do not copy anything, which does not mean that I am not inspired by other music at all. I do not listen to other music too much, because being polluted by the ideas of others is dangerous. I listen to the music of others like I would look at the wife of a friend.
I recognize the beauty, I am happy for my friend, I love both of them, but i would never try to steal from him by trying to get only the smallest sign of her affection for me. So I prefer to listen to what I play and decide based on if how I feel merges with it. If it joins, we have a match and I light it up, let it burn from head to toe and record the process.
You have played so many clubs and parties over the years. Is there any event or night that stands out?
There are always moments which stand out. The energy which arises from the present moment is always different, that is what makes a party or event special to me. Of course there are nice locations, nice stage setups, nice dancers, but hey, I am not looking for architecture, tits or colorful light.
What I am seeking is the connection of souls, the energy of a unified human field, the oneness of the many. Unity, that is what I am looking for.
Where did you draw inspiration for The Black Light?
The inspiration comes from a quote by Nikola Tesla taken from a interview he gave in 1899 and a sentence which you will find in the new testament: "Black is the true face of Light, only we do not see this" and "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it."
These two sentences are the initial spark of the concept of creating visibility of that which is hidden without it's counterpart as the title "the black light" implies. This concept formed the idea to create a musical grey area in terms of emotions, the combination of what one would hear as darkness and light.
What is the process like when you collaborate on a track with another producer, for instance when you and Len Faki worked together on The Octopuss?
The process is very different every time and depends on who provides which material, who you work with and if you work in the studio in realtime, face to face or over the internet sending the stuff over and the other takes the ideas and continues them.
In the case of The Octopuss we worked over the internet. I had done the whole composition and arrangement already and my collaboration partner added and changed some of the drum sounds and shortened the arrangement in order to give the track a, enhanced drive than it had in it's previous stage.
What are the biggest challenges facing aspiring DJs/Producers today?
I don't know anything about DJs or producers, but I believe that the most important thing for a human being is to know yourself and to live authentically according to your inner vision in order to realize yourself by connecting the inner and the outer aspect of life. People who live in separation and despair are suffering from not being whole.
If you do not have the intention to give with all of your heart and that all that you want is to take and gain from it, you are not only destroying yourself, you are also polluting the field you fill.
Where do you think the genre is headed?
I am not interested in a perspective like this. I don't want to know where a genre is heading, I don't want to know where I am heading, I don't want to know where the world is heading. I walk, I stumble, I live, I love and I observe. Then I see and correct that which creates suffering in order to get whole. You'd better ask Nostradamus if you want some prophecy. People should observe what they think, feel and believe and how they live accordingly. They should pay more attention to the internal rather the external, this way they gain insight.
Their life would gain sense and meaning, a reason, a core, they could be for themselves what they search outside of themselves: happiness, being fulfilled, satisfied and concentrated on what really matters, that which is not matter or doesn't have a physical form or time, reaching a state where questions like this one wouldn't make sense anymore.
For those who have no idea what Techno sounds like, is there a track (from your collection or someone else's) that could serve as an introduction?
Start somewhere in the early nineties and listen to the techno music coming from all the places of the world. The freedom that I believe techno music is all about is most prominent in that era. To find the gems you have to dig. That is a universal law for whatever field we talk about. Therefore i suggest to dig, dig deep and you will find all the beauty which is buried under the dirt. You can listen to anything that is labeled techno besides the beatport top 100 techno charts of today, because what you mainly find here is the most commercial derivate of techno music!
Johannes Heil plays live Friday Feb 5 2016 at Rex Club in Paris & Saturday Feb 6 2016 at Södra Teatren in Stockholm.
For more information and tour dates visit - http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/johannesheil