INTERVIEW: DRUMCOMPLEX

Drumcomplex, also known as Arnd Reichow, is a techno DJ, producer and label head of Drumcomplex Records. Active since the late '90s, he is one of techno's most dedicated purveyors with work that reaches crowds in his home country as well as beyond.

We have had the pleasure of interviewing him and this has been the result.

Where are you from/how did you get into music?

I was born in Emmerich and have remained loyal to my hometown ever since. I developed an interest in music at a very young age. In the 80s I was very attracted to punk and metal and at the beginning of the 90s the first techno wave hit me straight away. I started buying vinyl in 1993 and a little later I was already playing in the first clubs

How is your sound evolving?

In the beginning it was a colorful mixture of house, dance, techno and hardcore. Then came the big trance movement for me. Since the 2000s I've been playing driving techno sound with all its facets. My sets are usually highly energetic

What artists and genres do you like to mix at the moment?

As I just said, I play techno in the 130-140bpm range. At the moment I'm a big fan of artists like Kashpitzky, DJ Dextro or Shlomi Aber. There are so many great artists coming onto the market right now who are producing wonderful music

How do you feel your music influences or impacts your listeners?

I can now look back on about 20 years of producing music myself. For me it is always important to create what I feel myself and what feels right for me in terms of quality. I'm grateful that my fans love what I do and support it

What can you tell us about your latest remix?

my good friends from die Rakete in Nürnberg called me a few months ago that they want to make a new label. I was able to give them a lot of tips on label work and it was clear to me that I wanted to be a part of it. When my friend Milan Milano came around the corner with his We Burn together rack, I knew I wanted to remix it. His track has been circulating in my sets for a few months now, so it was even nicer to do my own version of it

What is your musical criteria?

that's actually quite simple music has to please me and have a certain quality it doesn't matter what genre it is

Do you feel confident now to play a more experimental sound?

I've never been afraid of experimental sound and I always like to incorporate the odd track that's a bit shifted and sounds different

We all know that the digital revolution has affected sales, but has it affected creativity?

the digital influence has brought about changes at various levels. However, it has done absolutely nothing to diminish my creativity, in fact it has enhanced it

Can you tell us what your future projects are?

I'm back in the studio a lot at the moment, working on new material. Right now my new single together with Frank Sonic - The Lost Juno is on my label DCMX. Now the remix for Milan Milano and at the end of the summer a remix for Tomcraft. Furthermore my single Wanna Be will be released on my home base label OFF Recordings. There will also be a follow up with Frank Sonic on DCMX.

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