The current global pandemic sent the world into a spiral in a way that most people would never have predicted, bringing an onset of panic that we have never really seen before.
For German DJ, producer and label boss Drumcomplex, this meant no more gigs, so he decided to spend the following months the best way he knew how, working tirelessly in the studio.
The final result came in the form of his third full length studio album, The Story Of Now, which brings 11 tracks of robust techno that features contributions from Frank Sonic, Ben Champell and Uncertain.
We recently took the time to chat with him about the project, as well as his own Complexed Records imprint, which labels he plans to release on himself, and whether or not we’ll see any remixes of the album.
You’re about to release your new album on November 13th, talk us through the project?
I hadn’t planned to make an album this year, I was still on my way from Asia to Europe and South America in February and then in early March everything was cancelled and we were in lockdown. For me it was the perfect time to go into the studio and use the time. For a long time I had in mind that I wanted to make a new album, but I didn’t have the time to work on it through the many tours. So I got to work and worked intensively on new material for about 2-3 months.
It was important to me to not follow a concept and to do exactly what I wanted to do, free of boundaries and styles. I am very thankful for this process, of course I would like to go on tour with it again, but for me the music is in the foreground and I think my fans will be happy to get new material from me.
And it arrives on your own Complexed Records imprint, why there and not on another label?
Like with my second album, Perfection Is In Imperfection, I decided to do it on my own label. Especially with a project so close to my heart, I wanted to have full control over everything. The whole process makes me very happy, there is so much to do with marketing, communicating with media, interviews, etc. It is a motor that drives me without being able to stand on stage. It’s simply a lot of fun.
It’s your third album to date, what have you learned from producing the previous two that helped you in making this one?
This is a good question. When I think about it, I’m always developing myself further in terms of production technology, the many years I’ve been able to gather experience as a producer definitely has a positive influence on the work.
A big advantage with this album is that I had no pressure with time, I just made music and it’s amazing how fast I could work and be in a good flow. Marketing, I learned a lot from the second album, I made a lot of mistakes which I corrected for the new album.
Speaking of Complexed Records, you have previously released tracks from Linus Quick, Simina Grigoriu and Oliver Deutschmann on the label, who else can we expect to see before the end of the year?
Before and after my album I scheduled in some free space and put the focus only on myself. We start in mid-December with fresh EP’s from great artists like Beck & Rius, Richard Ullrich, Marco Moncada, Shabaam and Richie Corrigan, there will be a new release every two weeks in 2021.
And will you be planning releases on any other labels yourself?
I have some great projects going on including a new collab with my good friend Frank Sonic. Sound-wise it’s a bit deeper and everything is completely analog. There will be several remixes and I’m currently working on a follow-up with my homebase label, OFF Recordings. But I don’t have any pressure at the moment, so we’ll let the album work for now and then take it easy and see how it goes on in 2021.
The album includes collaborations with Frank Sonic, Ben Champell and Uncertain, was there anyone else you were hoping to have on the record?
Not really, I chose those 3 names because my attitude was that I only wanted to work on The Story Of Now with my closest friends, it’s a bit more intimate.
And how about a remix album? If so, who do you have in mind for that?
Absolutely there will be a remix package. I plan to release several remix EP’s with 2 tracks per release in early 2021. I’m not a big fan of making a remix album with many artists at once. I will release a new remix EP every few weeks. We have already signed a bunch of big names, with more coming soon.
Drumcomplex’ The Story Of Now LP is out now on his Complexed Records imprint.