Part of the Desolat family, Robert Dietz has managed to put his distinctive mark on the house & techno underground, through his own record label Truth Be Told, through his numerous releases on Desolat, Cadenza, Saved or Running Back but mostly through his epic DJ sets all around the world, from Australia to South America via Europe’s famous festivals and Ibiza’s infamous nights.
A real electronic globetrotter as well as a fine conaisseur music wise, Robert Dietz turned out to be the perfect guest to talk about the current state of the electronic music scene. An exclusive and very objective interview to start a new glorious year ;)
What was irreversibly changed and you miss a lot back from the years you’ve started your DJing career?
It is definitely the ridiculous and significant weight of social media and marketing these days. Everyone is fishing for attention. It’s almost inevitable to not be part of all this.
As house & techno became hugely popular these years, how do you feel about the crowds? Do they become music savvy or do we witness a dillution towards entertainment only?
Well, I still think that this big entertainment side of electronic music nowadays reaches a larger young and new crowd. Which is a positive thing, because a small percentage of really interested young people might dig deeper and end up on our more intimate dance floors.
Vinyl puritans versus the digital expansion in DJ performances: does it really matter?
At the end of the day NOT AT ALL! But I still think a DJ who knows his craft, and the skills of mixing with his hands and ears and not with a software is only more dedicated to what he’s doing and bringing a human touch to this art.
Talking about the digital revolution: as now everyone with a decent computer and an internet connection can start producing music and even promote / sell his work, do you feel that quality of the releases is going downwards?
That’s a tough one. Of course it’s a very positive thing that people all over the world have access to the possibilities of making music and expressing themselves through art. But indeed a filter is needed. Pressing music on vinyl is still an ok filter, as it takes a bit of money and more steps to get your product out there. So it depends on which platforms you search for music. Going through the news list of decent record shops will leave you with more music in your shopping bag and less grey hair than going through the tech house news section of Beatport for example!
Is there anything good in attending a 4 days festival with 5 stages where music plays non-stop? Isn’t it already too much?
Of course! It’s great to have such a huge festival with all these different areas, stages, artists and styles. It’s a perfect opportunity to discover different things in the same surrounding.
Name one party in Ibiza where you would go only for the music and not for the party brand, the club or the naked dancers.
Actually all parties happening at Underground, including tINI and the gang and Julian Perez’s label parties.
The hottest spot / city in Europe for the house & techno underground
I’d say it is still Berlin for me. You’ve got so many small parties and events happening all over the city every weekend, plus all the international guests coming making it so diverse and special. But Tbilisi is stepping up it’s game too!
3 record labels we can always find in your DJ bag.
Running Back | Sushitech | Truth Be Told
The record store you always spent a little fortune every time you visited it
Frankfurt’s newly opened store Gosu. The best selection of new and old.
The producer that keeps impressing you nowadays as he did, let’s say, 10 – 15 years ago
When it comes to electronic dance music its undeniably Ricardo Villalobos.
