Originally from East Germany, Sasha Ring has come a
long way since his upbringing. Known to the masses as a master manipulator
with his laptop, his combination of Techno, Electro and IDM has made
him a mainstay in clubs as well as the studio.
He started Shitkatapult with cohort t.raumschmiere back in 1999 and hasn’t looked back. He has worked with and remixed many artists including BPitch Control boss lady Ellen Allien, Swedish dance music mogul Hakan Lidbo and UK’s rising star Nathan Fake to name a few.
HigherFrequency was able to catch Apparat in one of his free moments to speak his mind about the past, present and future.
>Interview : Solstice Music _ Introduction : Len Iima (HigherFrequency)
Q : What are the main aims and ideas behind the Shitkatapult label?
Apparat : When we started it was about releasing any kind of music we wanted to release. It was about being not tied to genres. Like most of other electronic labels that turned out being quite a hard job. People are used to concept labels with a certain sound... anyway - these days I do not work for Shitkatapult anymore. It’s the home of my friends and records but office work is just not my thing anymore.
Q : How did you meet Traumschmiere and why did you decide to work with him?
Apparat : Long time ago my flatmate went to school with Marco. It was also my flatmate who gave him my first album and Marco really liked it. It just took him a year to release it because he just moved to Berlin and couldn’t really continue working with his old labelpartners so I became his new partner...
Q : How did you feel when recording your "Silizium EP" memorial tribute to John Peel? Do you have any special memories relating to him?
Apparat : I never met him but obviously he has been a very important person in the music world. It’s crazy that he had the right feeling for the right music for so many years. I was honored to do a session for him!
Q : Your album "Orchestra of Bubbles", released last year in Japan, created a lot interest in the news and media. What were your thought processes while recording the album, and what influenced how the album sounds?
Apparat : The sound of this record wasn’t really planned. It just happened. There was Ellen and me and we knew that we don’t just wanna mix our "styles". Both of us like a lot of different music, from the cure to Timbaland to Aphex Twin and back to Pink Floyd. I think these days its important to be open minded.
Q : How and when did you meet ellen allien?
Apparat : The sound of this record wasn’t really planned. It just happened. There was Ellen and me and we knew that we don’t just wanna mix our "styles". Both of us like a lot of different music, from the cure to Timbaland to Aphex Twin and back to Pink Floyd. I think these days its important to be open minded.
Q : What do you think of today's techno music scene in Germany is?
Apparat : Very big. Unfortunately mostly boring.
Q : You are going to do a gig on March 30th which clubbers in Tokyo are looking forward to seeing. Could you tell us a little about the live show you are planning in Tokyo?
Apparat : My liveshow is kinda clubby but still abstract. It’s as far as I can go "dance". People party to it. And I play a few Apparat and Ellen Allien songs as well. I like dancing and sweating myself.
Q : Do you have any upcoming releases?
Apparat : My new album "Walls" will be out in mid may on Shitkatapult. It is mixed and waiting to be mastered.
Q : Do you have a message for your Japanese fans?
Apparat : I’m happy to come over to play for you crazy people!
End of the interview
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