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Eye Weekly Interview
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The environmentalist
Daniel Steinberg’s rich and diverse brand of tech-house could only have been nurtured in one place: Berlin
BY Denise Benson August 05, 2009 21:08
DANIEL STEINBERG a.k.a. HARRY AXT
with Alicia Hush, Talal & Zoi, YM, Orejuana. Sat, Aug 8. Footwork, 425 Adelaide W. $20.
“I love clubbing and the situations that are created when people lose it in a positive way on the dancefloor.”
In order to express himself in English, German DJ/producer Daniel Steinberg decided to respond to my interview questions by email, but his love of house, techno and clubbing comes through loud and clear.
The native Berliner knows he’s lucky to have grown up in a city where electronic music has long been a staple sound on radio, television and, of course, dancefloors. It gave him the chance to absorb and appreciate everything from the Italo-disco of Hypnosis and Koto to techno pioneers including Joey Beltram and Marshall Jefferson as well as pop hybrid acts like Bizarre Inc and Technotronic.
Steinberg began experimenting with sound in 1996, focusing more on production after meeting Robin Piniek in ’97. The two pooled equipment and ideas, releasing a slew of singles together under a variety of project names — including Harris and Brooks, The Brattice and Stepfatherz — until Steinberg chose a solo path in 2004. He maintained his preference for recording under pseudonyms, recording an array of house and techno under his birth name as well as Harry Axt and other, less frequently used tags.
“It’s very important for my work as an artist to have different aliases,” Steinberg explains. “I can live out my musicality much more; and then the audience, promoters and fans don’t get too confused, stylistically.
“It’s natural that people think in categories when picturing some artists’ work — maybe there is a certain sound they like and expect from new releases. I am more than happy to give them that, but sometimes there is much more variety I like to bring in. So, another alias just makes it easy to still be able to put out all of my music without any restrictive borders.”
He’s not kidding. While there is an undeniable consistency and quality to Steinberg’s music, his take on dancefloor-oriented music can range from minimal to densely layered, playful to sober and instrumental to vocal. He’s a man of many moods.
“Constant creative and musical development is very important to me and the good thing is that I can sort of remain true to my own style, but still indulge every new inspiration that crosses my mind,” he enthuses. “I quite like to surprise myself and see where a production takes me. With Harry Axt, it can be a little more dark and scary. Alternately, the Daniel Steinberg tracks are of a more cheerful nature.”
Steinberg’s dozens of EPs and remixes for labels including Front Room, Micro.fon, Style Rockets, Supdub and Rompecabeza bear out this theory, but there is a great deal of beauty and cheekiness to be found in Planet Axt, the debut artist album Steinberg released as Harry Axt earlier this year. Running the techno gamut while referencing everything from ragtime jazz and early calypso to Patsy Cline’s “Crazy” — and then bumping that all up alongside crisp beats, creepy chords and original vocals — Steinberg demonstrates an imagination and promise that make him an undeniable player in the future of tech-house.
Similarly, Steinberg’s mix-CDs and online DJ mixes show him to be technically tight, deep but accessible and far more diverse than the “minimal” label frequently applied to his style as well as that of a questionably high percentage of Berlin-based producers. Still, the city is at the core of his being.
“You can be an artist in so many ways here, and it works. In Berlin, the people are very tolerant and open to new things,” Steinberg says. “The club- and nightlife, of course, makes Berlin unique. Theoretically, you can go out seven nights a week and the parties go very late. There are no time restrictions, like in many other places in the world.”
With his reputation and name-recognition on the rise, Steinberg now finds himself playing to crowds in many countries. He’s excited about this first visit to T.O. (“I’ve heard plenty of great tracks from the Toronto house scene. I’m a big Stickman fan!”) and is curious to see how people will react to his blend of original releases and club tunes from past and present. Still, Steinberg knows what he’s looking for regardless of what city and club in which he finds himself.
“A good party is when the place is so hot the sweat drips from the ceilings and the people nearly pass out from dancing themselves into the ground.”
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http://www.beatport.com/jonathan-rosa/
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