It’s Thursday May 21, 2015 – this is the 17th TEA at the ZOO and we´re visiting another important Techno City w/ Eve Schwarz from Monophonia | Frankfurt. She established herself as a known figure in the Frankfurt Scene and from there the sky opened up for her to conquer the rest of the World. So open your ears and hark to what she plays and has to say:
Hey Eve, we´re very happy to have you here, could you tell us a little about your background, where you’re from and where are you living most of time? Hey Larry, thanks for having me. I am originally from Hesse, Germany and I was moving around quite a lot, but since 2013 Frankfurt am Main has been my home base.
When and why did you start DJing? I started around 2009. I loved techno and was somehow impressed by that kind of music on a vinyl disc, which I know from my parents and their “Oldies”. To touch the music I play was an attraction, as I’ve always played instruments. I guess the final push was given to me by a DJane who played as a resident in a Munich club, she showed me that women can dj.
Which equipment/set up is your favorite and why? Meanwhile I play with CDJ. I don’t need to explain advantages, but I still preserve my distance from DJing with software. This is a personal thing; it’s the feeling and the fact that I don’t feel the need to stare at a computer in a club (you can call me old school). I also don’t use too many effects or effect equipment, I rather choose effective tracks that tell their own story or fuse them to create a tension – keep it simple.
How would you describe your music? Techno. Synthesic, pure, raw. It needs to be strong and energetic but also emotional, deep or hypnotic. I like defined beats, a clear line. And it is definitely not only a fun dance music; much more it reflects the way I feel as I don’t live on the surface, so the music I play can’t be.
Who are your idols? It is hard to say a name of a DJ that I want to be like. In the end I need to go my own way and I’m not trying to copy somebody. Many artists inspire me but I think idols for me are people I am much closer to, people I know and people who influence my way and actions on a personal level, or assist me in difficult times. I think my friends are kind of my idols.
Where do you get your inspiration from? I am sucking the world in – very much visually and emotionally …the craziness, the beauty of life and nature. Moments that touch me deeply, I think, I convert into sound. A direct musical inspiration I get a lot from the southern European techno these days. Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy have some great artists. Sometimes combined with the English rawness I find is quite explosive.
What was the first vinyl you bought? I don’t exactly remember but “Radio Slave – Grindhouse” was amongst the first I bought. However, I also own many records that are much older than my own DJ existence like Tresor, Kanzleramt or Hardhouse releases that I bought used– also many classics.
What was the last vinyl you bought? “Eminor #20”
Do you have any residencies? At a club right now, no. I shortly got out of the MTW / Offenbach to check out new perspectives. But I am a part of Anthony Rother’s event “Monophonia” which was born in 2014.
Where was your first gig? In my living room.
Where did you like it the most to DJ and why? One highlight was definitely the Monophonia Opening in Frankfurt, as I happened to be part of this concept quite from the first ideas. I grew with it and the opening night under the bridge was a blast. Location, atmosphere, sound – unique.
What was the funniest/craziest thing that happened on a gig? Most gigs have special moments, but definitely funny was when during a sound check the bass of my music opened the fridge behind the bar and the complete content of beer bottles slipped out. Only few bottles broke though, thank god for good German glass [laughter].
Upcoming gigs? Check gigs.gigatools.com/user/Eve
Are there any upcoming releases or recently released stuff? I am still exploring music production and definitely needed a while to find the right methods and equipment to create the sound I really like. At the moment I am happy to have some time for the studio and the machines are running. This summer will bring a couple of new releases, 2 tracks are already signed.
What are your plans for the future? Techno Techno Techno 🙂
What is your favorite animal? Owls are really cool, funny and weird! And they represent the night activity. This is why I chose the owl for this podcast.
Try to catch Eve Schwarz playing one of his emotional, deep and hypnotic sets; it was a pleasure doing the interview with her and a pleaser listening to her set. So don’t forget to say hello from us!
– Larry
www.facebook.com/eveschwarzmusic www.soundcloud.com/eve-schwarz gigs.gigatools.com/user/Eve