Boogie Wonderland

Pick up any recent DJ mix CD – from Eric Morillo to Damien Lazarus to Adam Beyer – and the trainspotters amongst you will notice one thing: the vast majority of DJs are playing records that all sound roughly the same. The sound is a combination of electro and house – let’s call it electro-house – and it’s bloody everywhere.
This is a good thing (there are some great records out there) and a bad thing (if everybody looks the same, we get tired of looking at each other). One of the labels that is firmly in the ‘good thing’ camp is Berlin’s Get Physical, run by former journalist, Thomas Koch, aka DJ T. Since we first came across Get Physical in 2003, the label has consistently impressed with releases from a variety of artists that follow the electro-house blueprint, but skilfully reference techno, house, electro and breakbeat. In the past year, the label’s popularity has exploded, resulting in a roadblocked label showcase from T and Booka Shade at the recent Sonar festival in Barcelona. Hot Press caught up with him shortly afterwards.

Are you surprised at the amount of praise being heaped on the label?
“We never, never expected that everything would develop so fast. From time to time we stop and ask ourselves whether all this is real! We've all been in this line of business for a long time – I’ve been a DJ for 17 years now – but we still get excited about things like children! To be invited to play this year’s Sonar twice was a real honour for me and the label. It’s my sixth year visiting the festival and it’s the most important event of the year.”
After being a journalist (Koch founded German dance mag Groove in 1989 – he sold it in December 2004 to concentrate on producing), how does it feel to be on the other side of the fence?
“It is a very special situation, because it is very rare that one change sides with success. I feel very privileged to get to know both sides. I know that some people in Germany have a problem with the fact that I had success so quickly, but I don’t care about them. In a way, everything I did over the last 15 years was geared toward getting here – and shit, it was really hard work!”
Apart from DJing and negotiating a rather tricky move from Frankfurt to Berlin, Koch has spent the last year working on his debut LP, Boogie Playground. It’s a delight – an accurate snapshot of what’s hot on today’s dancefloors, crossed with numerous references to musical styles that have influenced Koch: funk, disco, Detroit, Italo.
“I started work on the album last summer, but in total it took an average of 12-15 hours per track. This was due to the situation in the studio – I’m working with my production partner Walter Merziger from Booka Shade and the fact that I always had to travel from Frankfurt to Berlin to be able to work in the studio.”
How do you feel about the fact that so many DJs are playing a similar style of music – the Get Physical style?
“I’m observing the development in this so-called electro-house movement with mixed emotions. On the one hand, the bringing together of ‘80s sounds with modern house is something I was and still am working on. On the other hand, there is a very simple pattern to it and 75% of the producers are following it. This all sounds very sterile now to me, it is already stagnating.”
And what about the inevitable backlash?
“I don’t care about the future. I will make the music I want to do. Through the last 15 years I always re-invented myself from time to time as a DJ. I can’t stick to the same thing forever, even if I have respect for DJs who do it.
Is Berlin the centre of the universe?!
“If you count the influential DJs, labels and producers there, it definitely has a key position at the moment. Also the energy in its nightlife and the innovative design of the clubs. For me it is the place to be at the moment, that’s the reason why I’m moving from Frankfurt to Berlin.”