German producer Clemens Harre is dedicated to the classic, raw sound of US house music from New York, Chicago and Detroit – so much so that his new EP for the Berlin label At A Glance is simply entitled It’s House Music.
No frills – just four peak-time slammers with jacking grooves, jazzy chords and soulful vocal samples, built for the floor.
Hailing from the town of Halle, near Leipzig, Harre is the perfect guide to this particular corner of the fertile German scene – from a wild, liberated festival and an iconic club to a Scottish-style pub and his favourite place to get inspired surrounded by the beauty of nature.
Best festival
Fusion Festival in Lärz, about two hours from Berlin. It’s like stepping into another world. It’s also an open-minded, safe place where people can truly be themselves. The atmosphere is unique, and the lineup is always diverse. It’s balanced with genres like rock, hip-hop, techno, house.
For me, it’s really special. The people are good, no bad vibes, and for me the festival’s political statement is important – ‘No Nazis allowed’.
Best club
Distillery in Leipzig. It’s a techno club, but also house and tech-house. For a lot of DJs, it’s a big name on the club scene.
They closed for two or three years but it just reopened in a new venue at the end of August. Great atmosphere, great people, balanced line-ups. For me it’s like a little Fusion festival – it’s a safe place. The people like to party, they come to dance and not hold their phones and make videos of the DJ. That’s not my world. When I’m clubbing, I’m dancing, relaxing, and seeing what the DJ makes from their vinyl.
Favourite bar
My favourite bar in Halle is called The Connoisseur. It’s a cosy pub with a relaxed atmosphere. I just really enjoy the vibe of pubs in general so it’s a perfect place.
I’m a fan of Scotland – the country! Some years ago, I visited and the pub culture was amazing. Sitting in the pub, having a beer and smoking a cigarette around good people, that’s my thing. When I step into Connoisseur, it’s like being in Scotland.
Biggest DJs
We have some great DJs here in Halle from different genres, like Super Flu, Monkey Safari, and Martin Waslewski. They are all in the melodic house or Afro house sound, and they are big artists.
From Leipzig there’s Lydia Eisenblätter and Daniel Stefanik, but the biggest artist is Matthias Tanzmann. He also plays around the world.
The house scene in Leipzig and Halle is not so big. It’s more techno and melodic house, maybe a little bit of tech-house, but the real classic house scene is very small. A kicking bassline and some chord sounds, that’s my thing.
Favourite record shops
There are no record shops in Halle, but I have two favourites in Leipzig. Inch By Inch is a very small record shop that mainly sells house and techno – I have two vinyl releases there.
And VARY in Eisenbahnstrasse, which is a really cool, alternative area. It’s a record shop and also a cafe. You can drink some coffee, hear some music and buy some vinyl.
When I buy records, it’s in these two stores. When you have a little record store in your home town or the next town, I think it’s better to support.
The labels
In Halle, we have Monaberry – it’s Afro house and melodic house – and some little labels that are not so popular.
In Leipzig, we have Groovers Family. It’s a house label, maybe a little bit deep house. The biggest label there is Matthias Tanzmann’s label, Moon Harbour Recordings, which is more tech-house and releases artists like Butch, The Deepshakerz and Sidney Charles.
Biggest tune
I Want Your Soul by Armand Van Helden – my all-time favorite track. When I was 12 or 13 years old, that was the first house track I ever heard. It’s a classic banger, I think every house DJ knows about it.
I had a burned CD from a school friend and I had never heard about house music. The album was Ghetto Blaster, the first album of Armand Van Helden. I Want Your Soul is the closer in every DJ set I play.
Unsung hero
My unsung hero is my brother Max – he’s six years older than me. He’s not a DJ or an artist but a normal guy, and he’s been by my side my whole life. He’s always been there for me with the right advice and support.
We had a time when our relationship wasn’t perfect, but in the end we say that blood is thicker than water. He’s always had my back, no matter what. When I have questions, when I need help, I make a call and he’s there.
I think it’s important to have a person in life that’s on my side. I could say that Cinthie is my hero or Mousse-T, but I have no contact with those people. So my hero is my brother.
Favourite hangout spot
A place in Halle called Peißnitz. It’s a big forest with an island. I get a coffee from my favourite roasters first and then walk or on the bike with music on my headphones, looking at the water – perfect.
It’s inspirational when you sit on a bank and listen to music – you listen to a track and then maybe you have an idea for the next track – ‘this piano sounds great’ or ‘this drum groove is really cool’.