New terms
Born
in Altenmarkt an der Alz, Bavaria, Helmut
Josef Geier, better known as DJ Hell, dj and producer, started his career as a
dj in the late seventies. By then, German electronic music was beginning to achieve world commercial
success mainly thanks to the band Kraftwerk which in 1976 toured supporting David
Bowie on his Station to Station tour
and whose single Das Model
peaked number one in UK single charts in
1982.
By the mid 80ies, DJ Hell had conquered the German dance floors. He released the single My definition of house music in 1992 which became a club hit and after moving to Berlin he released his debut album Geteert & gefedert in 1994 under Peter Wachas label Disko B. Two years after, DJ Hell founded his own recording label International Deejay Gigolos and he has released albums by Jeff Mills, Dave Clarke, Tiga, Fischerspooner, Miss Kittin, Anthony Rother, Laurent Garnier, and others. Cooperations with fellow musicians P. Diddy, Brian Ferry, Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Gary Newman and Justice! as well as joint projects with fashion and art icons like Amanda Lepore, Karl Lagerfeld, Versace, Michalsky, Raf Simons were to follow.
DJ Hell works with no time boundary, from the past to the future, always looking for new spaces but with a huge respect for past creations. A very good example of that is his remake of Klaus Nomi’s Cold song. In fact it’s a song written by 17th century Baroque composer Henry Purcell and poet John Dryden for their opera King Arthur which was recorded by Klaus Nomi in 1981 engineered by electro pioneer Man Parrish. DJ Hell released two very different remakes in 2013 taking the song to the house field.
After his last album “Teufelswerk” (2009), DJ Hell is now working in a new album to be released in 2016. In addition, “International Deejay Gigolo Records” will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with summer, with a Europe-wide tour planned. But first he will perform next February 19 at the Rioma Club in Mexico City and after that he'll play in Barcelona next March 11 at the Under Club.
By the mid 80ies, DJ Hell had conquered the German dance floors. He released the single My definition of house music in 1992 which became a club hit and after moving to Berlin he released his debut album Geteert & gefedert in 1994 under Peter Wachas label Disko B. Two years after, DJ Hell founded his own recording label International Deejay Gigolos and he has released albums by Jeff Mills, Dave Clarke, Tiga, Fischerspooner, Miss Kittin, Anthony Rother, Laurent Garnier, and others. Cooperations with fellow musicians P. Diddy, Brian Ferry, Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones, Gary Newman and Justice! as well as joint projects with fashion and art icons like Amanda Lepore, Karl Lagerfeld, Versace, Michalsky, Raf Simons were to follow.
DJ Hell works with no time boundary, from the past to the future, always looking for new spaces but with a huge respect for past creations. A very good example of that is his remake of Klaus Nomi’s Cold song. In fact it’s a song written by 17th century Baroque composer Henry Purcell and poet John Dryden for their opera King Arthur which was recorded by Klaus Nomi in 1981 engineered by electro pioneer Man Parrish. DJ Hell released two very different remakes in 2013 taking the song to the house field.
After his last album “Teufelswerk” (2009), DJ Hell is now working in a new album to be released in 2016. In addition, “International Deejay Gigolo Records” will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with summer, with a Europe-wide tour planned. But first he will perform next February 19 at the Rioma Club in Mexico City and after that he'll play in Barcelona next March 11 at the Under Club.
How
did you get into music?
Music was getting
into me; it was the other way around.
Music Festivals use to separate concerts and dj sets.
Why do you think djs are still not considered as truly musicians?
I see the dj concept very
artistically and I never felt out of the music or musician world. These days’
djs are producers and run their own record labels. The question would be what’s
a musician today? What’s a music instrument or why a laptop producer is not a
musician? We need new terms for the new musicians -so I would call it digital
artists. Some djs even try to sing and that’s another question or topic that
needs to be discussed.
One of your first releases was titled “My definition
of house music”. Which one would be that definition in words?
Music starts where there is no
words necessary. Music says what can’t be written down and where silence is not
possible.
Why did you decide to create the label “International
DeeJay Gigolo Records” and how complicated it was?
If you don't agree with the music
world and music business -you need to start doing your own business and create
your own rules and go your own way like Frank Sinatra. To start a record label
now is not a big deal and everybody how things is ready for it could do it
tomorrow.
And how do you confront the streaming revolution?
It’s not a
revolution at all. I would like to follow David Bowie here. He said already
many years ago that music will be like water, available in the western world
for free and everybody. You need to deal with it as a dj and musician that
means you will go on a never ending world tour to get some money in for what you
doing.
In
Barcelona there’s the Sónar, one of the most important music festivals in the
world, but the electronic music scene is not so important in Spain than in
Germany. Why has the German electronic music scene always been so rich and
innovator?
German electronic pioneers were experimenting
with electronic gear and music to create an own musical identity. We were
always fascinated and thrilled by electronic music and its power and it’s magic.
In the late 60s German bands and new musicians turned into the electronic music
world and we called it “kosmische musik“. To me it was a natural feel and
logical process to fell in love with Kraftwerk, Can or Daf or Klaus Nomi.
Barcelona was one
of the leading city of electronic music in the late 90s, lots of clubs and
festivals where inviting international djs and bands. Also I think Ibiza rules
the world of dance.
Music now in a way
you could like it or not. Ibiza is the main focus during the summer, so even
most of the famous djs decide to life there and spent the whole summer season
on the Balearic Island.
In which direction do you think it is evolving the
current electronic scene?
All directions. With electronic
music there were no limits and it was open for new flavours and new ideas.
After the big- electroclash - hype around 2000 it great to see that this
feeling and type of music is coming back this year.
Why do you think the most innovator creations in
electronic music are still so minority?
I don’t agree.
Which of your projects are you most proud of and in
what are you working now?
I am proud of my
new album; it’s nearly finished and will be out after the summer 2016. I am
also very proud of my cooperation with john peel in 1995 for his peel sessions.
And I am proud of gigolo records that released great timeless music and become
20 years now.
Could you explain a memory of your childhood?
That memory is lost in time like teardrops in the rain.
An interview by Juan Carlos Romero
Photo by musicbymarina
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