ITW : JANEIN [SEELEN]

You have a solid experience as a dj and producer. When did you begin to play and produce music? And what was your relationship with music in your teenage years?

I’m djing since 2013, around the same time I also took my first steps as a producer. The first contact with music that I can remember was listening to AC/DC, Pink Floyd and Queen really loudly. Then as a teenager I discovered Punk, Hardcore & Heavy Metal. Then afterwards, Techno came into my life.

How would you describe « your » sound and what are your main influences?

Right now I would call it spacey sound with trippy elements. The outer space influences me a lot.

What kind of music do you enjoy at home? Do you listen to a lot of techno outside of the dj-context?

As a Dj it is your job to listen to the music you play and also to other artists sets or productions, but ofc I don’t only listen to techno. It would be super sad to just listen to techno. I still listen to Punk & Hardcore a lot.

As a Dj it is your job to listen to the music you play and also to other artists sets or productions

You co-founded and run Seelen, your own label, alongside Stigmatique. Can you tell us a little about the label’s history? When and how was it born?

Marcus and me met up for the first time when I was playing at a festival, he was my artist care that day. Afterwards we had a nice talk about music & included Heavy Metal & Punk, so we connected pretty quickly and stayed in contact. In 2017 I was on a New Zealand and Australia tour & my promoter from New Zealand told me that I definitely have to think about starting a Label. Back home I told Marcus (Stigmatique) about the idea and my vision behind it, so we just started it.

Seelen releases a great deal of solid techno tracks. The label has a genuinely unique atmosphere. Did you set a guideline from the beginning?

We dont want to have any guidelines on the label, as for me and marcus it is the most important thing to feel the tracks which we will release on the label.

Somewhen & Peryl bring on two heavy remixes for your new “Kobald M” EP on Seelen Records. How did you start these collaborations?

I’ve known both of them for a couple of years, I booked Somewhen once at the Distillery basement were we met each other the first time. I discovered Peryl by my friend Inhalt Der Nacht and so I get in touch with him. He always sent me unreleased stuff and I played every single one of these tracks. I respect the music of these guys a lot. It makes me super happy that they made two mind blowing remixes.

And what about your creative process? Do you have a different approach to music from behind the decks to within the studio, or is there a constant personal identity that you identify within all music that you play?

Its always about the feelings and emotions of the night which inspires me. The rest is imagination on how things in the space can sound. Haha

Let’s chat a bit about your studio setup. What does it consist of? Do you have a favorite piece of kit that tends to form the basis of your setup?

At the moment I have sold nearly all my gear which I had at my studio. The only thing is still have Is my Roland RE- 201 Space Echo (Roland RE-201). I was a bit tired of them and I also want to get forward in my own sound design, sometimes it helps to get new inspirations on new Gear and new Sounds. I’ve been thinking for years to start to get into a modular system. Maybe thats the next step for me.

And which pieces of gear or software did you use for this new EP?
For this EP I used some own field recordings which I layered and transformed with my RE-201. I also worked with“Predator 2” a lot for this. Everything comes together in Ableton.

You have travelled quite a bit to perform in different cities and clubs including Bassiani, Tresor, Berghain or Faust Club in South Korea. Have certain places marked you more than others?

Bassiani & Faust Club, these nights will stay forever in my heart!

With gigs and touring on hold for now, how are you spending your time at the moment? To what extent has the current situation allowed you more time to focus on projects such as production or your label?

The situation is bad and its pretty hard. Like from today to tomorrow everything has changed and no gigs means no money.

Yes the situation is bad and its pretty hard. Like from today to tomorrow everything has changed and no gigs means no money. So first of all I had to focus on how I survive. Luckily I was in the position to save money so I can easily get through half a year without earning any money. But the problem was that I had no real inspiration cause I was not playing gigs and got no feelings from the nights. So I was a bit frustrated and focussed on other things, on good things, not corona. Now I have produced a lot and got back into it. Sometimes it takes a little break to get know what you really want.

Lastly, what can we expect from you in the future?

My next EP on SEELEN. Is coming on 4th January, limited coloured Vinyl. I also did a Remix for Faust Club Boss “Marcus L” and I will release an EP on Exos’ label Planet X. So a lot of things coming up, for now let’s hope that we can all go back as soon as possible into our nightlife.

‘Koblad M’ is coming out January 4th, 2021 on a special, green colored vinyl and moves between acidic textures, metallic chords and an insanely chaotic energy. Berghain’s resident Somewhen shares his slamming, fast interpretation of Kobald M while live act Peryl gives to the original Gaja an intense, rough and noisy break-beat form.

Label head and part-time intergalactic traveller Janein’s second full EP on Seelen is simply huge. Click here to pre-order.