The following does not seek to lionise, rather it wishes to tell the amusing tale of a carnivorous, Kung Fu-loving Munich man who just happens to have that certain uuuhhh…factor. Dario Zenker, natural-born dancer and Mowgli-like wild boy was raised in Germany’s Deep South on a diet of Wu Tang, Gangstarr, Michael Jackson and sweet mustard. His childhood habitat allowed for much adventuring, moving from the heart of Munich to the Bavarian wilderness at the age of 12, but always having the liberty to roam freely and explore his surroundings. Reach the artist, connect to the culture in MedellinStyle.com
Hi Dario is a pleasure to have you listed on our musical horizons, what can you tell us about what happened in the last year? talking generally about the global electronic music scene ?
Dario:
Hi! Nice to meet u ! Well many many things happened. I am actually not following 100% what is going on everywhere, but some things were recognizeable everywhere. The genre crossing of techno & house and disco, pop / indi-edits everywhere, UK base etc. There is a lot of stuff going on with a lot of amazing music, but at the same time there is a lot of really bad music aswell. Same thing with the partys. They get bigger and bigger and more and more people are getting into electronic music. That is not a bad thing in general because we all make a living out of it in some way. But on the other hand everything is getting less personal and the vibes on the partys are not always good. If u mix to many different people on a party the atmosphere will suffer from it. But overall everything is on a positive way i think.
MedellinStyle.com:
Do you think we are NOW electronically all connected enought to be living same phenomenom in all e.m. scenes all over the world at the same time? for sure they will be different contexts but..
Dario:
Well yeah in a way yes. A lot of careers are build on the internet and the global Network. It is a crazy phenomenom. The network all over the world is huge even in the so called “underground” scene.
MedellinStyle.com:
So still they are boundaries than can make music not as interconnected and fast developing as some parts
Dario:
It is a global language for sure. But as bigger it gets as more difficult it gets to be connected, as there are to many different people involved that not always get along with each other.
MedellinStyle.com:
More often each time you hear that djs are making a living more from gigs than music, some others prefer to make more easy music to sell fast. How do you balance between the times to be in good shape. I can bet it just converts in something natural to go on and go on, with out compromise: the quality.
Dario:
I think the more effort & work u spend into it, the more u earn from it. Thats the way. The biggest part of the money comes in through the gigs. Everybody has his own formula to do things.
MedellinStyle.com:
As you said, now pop music is taking over, and this popstar + dj mix is working loud in the industry, affecting how the music is recieved by the mainstream. but at the same time, old school teached that no matter what goes up, needs to interfere the positions, but this can generate a huge wave of future researchers and encounters with new crowds, that i think since 1 decade havent seen something like this. As a producer whats your reach goal when you make music.
Dario:
Of course that can open new doors in good but also in bad ways. Pop in general means nothing bad. There is amazing Pop Music out there since always. But the question is how good is it to combine everything with everything? It is a taste question for sure. But for me it can be to much quite fast. As a dancer i like to dance on a techno party and not to sing to every second track and cheer to the DJ. But that is another generation right now. When i started going out 13 years ago the music was much rougher and faster. It was more about riddim & base then it is today, more about getting lost in the music then showing your new outfit and looking good. I not have a reach goal when i am making music. My music is my expression of my moods and my experience i had on partys with people all over the world. It always will change as everything.
MedellinStyle.com:
coolio, How is the electronic life style in Munich?
Dario:
Well there is no real lifestyle for that. I mean of course there are some people living that party lifestyle, that includes afterhours, drugs and bad food all over the place. But i actually have another lifestyle. For me another things are important, like spending time with my family, my lady and my friends and cooking good food.
MedellinStyle.com:
What soft / hardware are you using? do you have a studio? do you masterize your own songs? why some djs get their tracks masterized by other people?
Dario:
I use mostly hardware to create my sounds and i use logic and ableton to sequence and record it. I not master my own tracks. There are mastering engineers that just have way more knowlegde and experience then DJ’s .Djing and producing are totally different things then mastering.
MedellinStyle.com:
I think the most “successful” deejay in the “bussiness” are the ones who think what goals want to reach not matter what expressions or moods they sing, but more like a way or model to follow, like other successful artists… this can be a turn out as if you dont follow you are “out” , what do you think about this _
Dario:
think u always should do your thing. For me as an artist i need to be creative. Art lives from creativity. If u belive in what you do u not need to follow anything. Quality always will have success. That is actually what differed E.M. back then from other music. No major deals. no commercial videos. Of course the times have changed and nowadays it is more about PR, good looking and having afterhours with everyone. But there are many artists that never followed anything and they are very successful. The inventors and not the followers. The true heros!
