Adam Beyer Interview

Possibly one of the hardest working DJ's in the business, Adam Beyer has continued to tour almost every city in the world while giving the crowd something to move to. Since starting to DJ at 15, he has become famous not only in his hometown of Stockholm but in global Techno scene as well. At the same time, he runs Drumcode, Mad Eye and Truesoul as outlets himself and other likeminded artist.

HigherFrequency was able to catch this globetrotting DJ to ask him about his touring, producing and being a label boss.

> Interview : Ryo Tsutui(HigherFrequemcy)_Introduction : Len Iima(HigherFrequemcy)

HigherFrequency (HRFQ) : Sweden has given the world a number of top DJs/Producers, what do you attribute this to?

Adam Beyer : For me it's great to put a small country like Sweden on the map in music. I think that in Sweden there has always been a lot of music production going on, lots of big commercial acts, lots of studios everywhere, lot of music going on so I think it was natural that dance music was born. The only strange thing with Sweden is that we don’t have a big club scene, it’s pretty small still so I’m traveling a lot and go play in other countries. I only play in Sweden maybe around four times a year the rest is abroad.

HRFQ : Since you have made so many successful tracks, do you feel any pressure when making new material?

Adam : The pressure is always on, when I DJ and when I make music because people expect a lot. When I make music I always try to have fun and do my own thing, and do what I like. For awhile, when I was changing my sound a little bit from the harder style, people were criticizing me and it was a little bit hard but I don’t care because I believe in it and now everyone is listening. Sometimes the pressure is on but I always try to follow what I think and what I believe.

HRFQ : So you went through a difficult time?

Adam : Not difficult, I mean I was DJing a lot but a lot of my old fans were a little disappointed I think because they expect something and then you change and they don’t understand. So it took a little bit of time for people to catch up but I think now a lot of people realize that it was the right thing to do because 90’s Techno came to an end. It’s great but it came to an end. There wasn’t much more you could do with it so I think progression was necessary.

HRFQ : A lot of the tracks you have released on Mad Eye are untitled, is there a reason for this?

Adam : The first five releases we only put names on the E.P. but not the tracks. But actually the latest one, number 6 both tracks are titled. There’s no specific reason for that.

HRFQ : Looking at your tour schedule, you play a show every week in almost a different country, how do you manage such a busy schedule?

Adam : I started to travel in 95 so I’ve been doing it for twelve years and I guess you get used to it, I could have never done it from the beginning but the older you get and the more experience you get the easier it becomes. For me I know everything and all the routines, I read books, I party when I can, I know my body so I know where to put the limits but of course sometimes it’s hard. But I would never change it for anything else, it’s what I do and I love it!!

HRFQ : When do you find time to build tracks?

Adam : That’s a good question, that’s the thing I’d love to produce more because I don’t spend so much time in the studio. The stuff that was released this year, I actually made last year when I was free. So whenever I’m free or I have a holiday I try to have one or two weeks to produce and sometimes during the week I do I little bit but it’s hard to find the time. But I’m focused and disciplined so if I have to do something, then I get it done.

HRFQ : You often build tracks with other people, what’s the process behind building tracks with others?

Adam : I think it’s different every time because it depends on who you work with, where you work, if you’re in your own studio or someone else’s studio. The worst thing you can do when you produce with someone else is to force it, it has to be something that you want to do and you go in and you have fun and you play. That’s what the studios is about, you got to play like a kid. And if something good comes out then we release it but I’ve done many collaboration which didn’t work out and never got released, so it’s not all that you see on records. There’s more that was not so successful. I think you have to find a common ground and then build a track form there, usually when I go into the studio with someone it’s because I really respect them as a artist and I feel like we can bring something to each other.

HRFQ : Which do you prefer DJing or being in the studio?

Adam : For me it’s always gone hand in hand, I started to DJ before I started to produce so I think I’m a DJ by nature more than producer but it’s a symbiosis thing, you create tracks than you play them for people. Although it a totally different process, when you DJ you have to create something on the spot and you can never change it, you can never go back but when you make music in a studio you can always change it and go back. I like the contrast or the difference between the two.

HRFQ : What have been some of the best moments in your career?

Adam : I think when you make music you can stand behind and then playing it in front of people and getting good feedback. Also meeting all these different people and cultures, new friends everywhere, I mean it’s like a family, all the DJ’s since I’ve been playing for such a long time I know basically everyone and there are so many interesting characters. You get to meet people that you would never meet if you just stayed in Sweden. I think this is the best part, and also see crowds all over the world go crazy to the same music, it’s a universal language.

HRFQ : In the future, will you continue to tour as much or will you spend more time in the studio?

Adam : With my tour schedule it’s difficult to find time but right now I’m really putting a lot more energy into my labels, Drumcode, Mad Eye, and Truesoul, also signing a lot of new artists. So my old label Drumcode is going to have a lot of releases again, its been a little bit quiet but now it’s a kind of a new sound, it’s still quite tough but current, bit with the minimal blend. So I’m focusing a lot on getting labels up and running, I will try to produce myself as well but to run all the labels, and do all the DJing and produce it’s a lot of work.

End of the interview