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Every Electronic Music Fan definitly knows Oliver Huntemann. Also because he has been in the business for a long time which has made his biography really varied.
1990 he organised his first Techno parties, today he released his third studio album „H-3“. An album full of high-carat tracks, nearly uncompromising Techno – unmistakeably Oliver Huntemann. In the following interview he tells us about the origin about „H-3“, about challenges and what actually makes him really sad.
Right at the outset: What does music mean to you? Since I am able to think music plays the main part in my life. I started off with taping radio shows and collecting Vinyl Maxis and developed into professional DJing and producing at the studio. It was always about music and this is the way it should stay.
H-3 is your newest album; did you consciously want to do something different on that one? Well actually H-3 is more of a consequently development of the two other albums. The concept to put pure club music into a Long player- outfit was pursued but of course, sound technically speaking a lot of things have progressed. The new task was to work in a more reduced way but still not to become minimal. I think the result is great, so I am really happy with it. Also because it was really easy- going to work together with my producer André Winter. Before that I was a bit afraid of putting too much pressure on myself but that just went away when finishing the first track „Rikarda“.
The critics for H-3 are all positive. How important is feedback for your development as an artist? Well, positive feedback of course is something that I don’t mind to get. Well, also negative critics can be very useful, if it is constructive criticism and goes a little bit deeper. For that I think it is important not be distracted by your own taste of music, but try to be as objective as possible. Of course that doesn’t always work 100 percent as music in the first place has to transmit feelings and your personal feelings play a big and important part. I chose the critical feedbacks that I think are reasonable and take them to my heart- the rest I am not interested in. It’s the same thing for positive and negative response for me.
You have worked with a lot of different artists already. Who stayed in your mind and why? All of whom I worked with have given me a lot of experience and have a firm place in my life. But because I am still a lot in touch with Stephan Bodzin and still play a lot together with him, I can say that he is one of the ones very fresh in my mind- as he is still a part of things. Furthermore there is Gerret Frerichs with whom I created Humate at the beginning of the Nineties. In the meantime Gerret does a lot of things in advertising but we still cross each other’s path and then we have a great time. Just yesterday we met at a barbecue at a common friend. With people you do some remixes usually you don’t have a lot to do with. The request usually comes through the label or the management & with those you work together then for the project.
You own a label, you are a producer, DJ, Remixer, organizer, is there still a challenge left for you? Those are enough challenges, aren’t they? There is enough to do and it never gets boring. We always set new aims and with Ideal a big task has been added.
Do you ever have the desire to do something else than music? No! Fortunately I was able to convert my hobby into my profession and I never had to ask myself that question.
How important are good contacts in order to proceed and succeed in the music business? As in every business also in the music business things work with networking. Good and productive contacts come into being over the years. It is not like you get famous because of your contacts, just that the network grows over the years. That is a normal process. Of course someone who is in this business for twenty years will have more experiences and business partners than someone who just started. The contacts alone are useless though, if you don’t have a good product.
Did you enjoy the collaboration with Dubfire for Dios/Diabolo? That was a fantastic and easy going collaboration. We have only met twice in real so far. Once in Düsseldorf for dinner and the second time in Miami for the WMC. Our collaboration is done completely via the internet. We work with the same Computer software (Logic) and we send each other the data per Server back and forward. One starts and the other adds something to it, and so on, until the track is finished.
What is the best thing about your job? The combination of everything: to produce music, to play it in a club and to see a lot from the world.
Can you still play the flute? Haha, I couldn’t do that before either and I haven’t learned it until today. I don’t really miss it either…
What makes you sad? The news: war, poverty, terror, nature disasters, hunger, sickness, destruction, injustice, pollution, greenhouse effect, polar-ice melting, extinction of rare animals and plants….
Last question: A sort of brainstorming: (What comes into your mind when hearing the following terms?)
Religion: Power, Intolerance
Love: Happiness
Financial crisis: scaremongering
Ibiza: Balafia (my favorite restaurant in the mountains)
Friends: Joy
Thanks for your time !
Interview by Christine Guggenberger
(ISSUE 15)
