Hamburg-born and bred Trekkie Henrik Twardzik aka Neelix started making music in 1998 and has been refining his sound ever since. His hard work and subsequent success is reflected in his inclusion on the line-ups for some of the world’s biggest festivals and dance events, and his recent entry into the DJmag Top 100 at No. 96 – his ‘Vote for Me’ campaign incidentally getting him a load of hate mail from unimpressed psy trance fans.
The self-confessed geek is currently putting the finishing touches on his seventh album ‘Nerdy by Nature’ and his iPhone app, which will enable fans to make their very own remixes of his tracks. With Neelix coming to London to headline the Elixir of Life Masked Animal Ball at Electric Brixton this Saturday 27 October, we beamed him up to answer a few questions for his fans on HarderFaster…
It’s been a while since you’ve played in the UK. For those new to your music, please tell us a bit about your background and what inspired you to start DJing and producing dance music.
I didn’t listen to electronic music when I was a teenager. I always thought rock music was the best! My friend Alex (NOK) took me along to a psy-trance party when I was about 20 years old. It was so different to anything I was used to and I was totally confused and didn’t like it at all. I told Alex that night that if I could produce music myself it would sound different.
Originally I started producing music only for fun. I used my friend’s computer and played around with the programs. One day I showed Alex one of my tracks and he sent it to a label. The label wanted to put it on their next compilation which was totally unexpected! I really never thought I would to be a music producer, but thankfully it turned out this way!
Who or what have been your most important musical influences over the years? And now?
The first thing that just came into my mind was the Davie Bowie song ‘Let’s Dance’! When I was a kid I thought Tina Turner was so powerful and inspiring. I wasn’t interested in Madonna or Michael Jackson like most of my friends. I have alternative parents so was exposed to lots of different music styles and all kinds of people growing up. My father plays string instruments and my mother played the flute and sang in a choir. My brother Heiko was in a band and my brother Söhnke is great at freestyle hip hop. I was definitely influenced by all of them!
Growing up, were you a clubber or a raver? Or into more serious pursuits?
When I was young I liked skateboarding and video games. I never was interested in parties or anything like that until I was in my 20s.
How has your sound changed and evolved since you first fell in love with electronic music?
My skills and studio have improved so my quality is better than when I first started! I would like to keep improving and try to learn and teach myself new things every day. I have been asked by friends to help run a music production workshop, but I don’t know if I could really teach anything because my way of producing is so unconventional. I’ve always produced alone so I don’t have much outside influence from other people. I don’t think my style has really changed much at all. From the start I had a pretty clear idea of the sound I wanted to make and have stuck with it.
Summer is well and truly over in the Northern Hemisphere. What were the highlights of summer 2012 for you?
I got a last minute booking to play at Emmaboda Festival in Sweden. It was a totally mainstream party and no one knew me at all! I played directly after two guys dressed as aliens playing complextro. Their set was so energetic and the crowd thought it was amazing! I was worried my set would sound like elevator music after them and I was quite nervous. In the end everything was OK and I really enjoyed the experience of playing in such a different scene.
The technology behind playing, producing, promoting and distributing music has changed rapidly over the last few years. How has this affected what you do and how you do it?
These days it is a lot easier for people to produce electronic music, so there is a lot more competition. Clever and interesting promotion is becoming more and more important. Especially using things like FaceBook, where every artist has their own profile, I try to do things a bit differently. Everything is digital now and most people download their music. I like to put up free sets and tracks for download on SoundCloud, which usually gets me in trouble with my label. Too bad!
What’s your favourite piece of kit in the studio?
My Klein und Hummel speakers. These are the things I miss the most when I am traveling and trying to produce with headphones. I can’t listen properly without them.
If you were stuck on a desert island and could only take five albums with you, what would they be?
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly soundtrack – Ennio Morricone
The Colour and the Shape – Foo Fighters
Ten – Pearl Jam
Blood Sugar Sex Magik – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Stevie Wonder’s Definitive Collection
You’re one of the lucky ones who can make a living from music full-time. If you had to get a day job, what would you do?
I would have the same job I had before I started music full-time. I was a digital composer for animated films. It is pretty much the same as producing music, you just have pictures instead!
You’re playing at the Elixir of Life Masked Animal Ball next Saturday 27 October. Do you have a mask lined up yet? What’s your favourite animal and why?
I don’t have a mask organised yet. If I did it would be probably a duck, or maybe a dog because that is my favourite animal. I like dogs because they are completely pure and have a wonderful friendly nature. I think it will be my first mask party so it should be interesting!
Celebrating 10 years of Nano Records, The Masked Animal Ball has one of the best line-ups London has seen all year, including Headroom, The Orb Sound System, Mike Maguire (from Juno Reactor) and of course yourself. Will you be sticking around to party after your set and catch any of the other artists?
I think it will be nice to stay a while a drink a Coca Cola with my friend from Australia who will be there and see some other artists.
What else do you have coming up for the rest of 2012? And do you have any plans for the new year?
In November and December this year I have tours in Australia and Brazil, which I am really looking forward to! I also have a single coming out and will release a Neelix DJ App for the iPhone in a few weeks. I will not play any gigs in January next year, so I am looking forward to relaxing and having lots of time to work in my studio.
Thanks for your time! Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday at the Elixir of Life Masked Animal Ball!
Stay tuned for all things Neelix by joining his FaceBook page.
For news and updates about the Elixir of Life Masked Animal Ball join the FaceBook event page.
▩ Neelix
▩ Headroom
▩ Tristan
▩ Avalon
▩ Regan and Ans - Special 10 Year Nano Set !
▩ The Orb Sound System
▩ Mike Maguire - Juno Reactor Dj (Retro set)
▩ Shane Gobi ▩ Liquid Ross
▩ Disco Stu
▩ Aliji
▩ Slackbaba
▩ Monk3ylogic
▩ Tongue and Groove
▩ Hamish
▩ Nuno
▩ Mebjar
▩ Simon Baring
▩ Renegade DJ
▩ Wiz
▩ Llamaleaf
▩ Ade
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