Dave Clarke, The Baron Of Techno, is one of the most talented DJs and producers today, and one of the most influential names in the world of techno music. He performed at the EXIT Festival this year, and we had the opportunity to have a little chat with him right before the show! We talked about his awesome radio show White Noise, his music, his future plans, and he told us what was the hardest thing he had to do in order to get where he is right now. We hope that you’ll enjoy it as much as we did!
You showed interest in music and technology when you were really young, but what made you so interested in electronic music and what made you want to become a DJ and a producer?
Wow, that’s a long subject. Um.. In electronic stuff I got interested because of my father, because he used to have a lot of interesting things in the house: recorders, echo machines, disco lights even. And then becoming a DJ was quite natural for me because I just really really enjoyed music and then I stared doing a few parties at friends’ birthdays and rolling discos and then.. here I am!
That’s pretty cool.. And it mustn’t been easy coming all the way up to where you are now. What do you think was the greatest challenge you had in order to get where you are now?
To give up complete social life. To give up weekends. To give up holidays most of the time. You know, that’s one of the things no one really talks about.. If you have a normal job, of course it’s tough, of course it’s difficult, but you normally have time off where you see other people, other friends at weekends and so on. You know, I live in Amsterdam and I get invited to birthday parties for one or two years and all of the sudden people don’t invite you any more because they think you’re constantly working. So that’s one of the toughest things, that you don’t really have a social life and weekends. And that’s quite hard.
So when you first started DJing and producing, you were playing under a lot of different names.. Why was that? And how did you decide to stick with the current alias?
It was because I was trying out different sounds, tryin’ to find out who I was and then Mr John Peel said to me why don’t I just use my name.. And then I just did.
Tell me something about your radio show White Noise, how did it start, what was the idea behind it and did you ever think it was gonna be this big as it is right now?
It’s about 90 stations right now. I started White Noise about 10 years ago. Even before that I did a radio show called Technology, which was for 4 years and one of the first ones on the internet as well. And it’s just a love of radio, I mean, when I was a kid I used to pretend I was on radio, I used to record a tape and record adverts on the radio and put them in between records to pretend I was a DJ. But for me now it’s not pretending it’s actually just playing music that a lot of people don’t play and getting it out there on 90 different stations, and I think it’s important.
You have been around on the scene for about 26 years now, what would you say is the best part of your career?
Wow… I don’t have an answer for that actually.. Because there’s so many different things in my career, I just can’t say that this one meant the most or that one did. Everything is part of everything really so to separate it it’s quite difficult.
What does the future hold for you? Do you have any special plans, any releases planned or..?
I’m making music again and hopefully I’ll have a new album out next year.
That would be wonderful! What usually inspires you when you’re working?
The sounds themselves. I just sit in front of the speakers and I play around with different sounds and then all of a sudden it makes sense to me, and that whole procesa is what inspires me.
And when you’re playing at the parties and festivals?
Yeah, that’s a different thing. That’s something I always been saying – making music and DJing music are like fishing and cooking – they’re totaly different things. So when I’m DJing it’s an instinctual thing and when I’m in the studio it’s more of an intellectual thing.
How would you explain your music to someone who has no idea what it is?
Umm.. Get a life.
You’ve played in Serbia several times before, and you’ve played at the EXIT festival 10 years ago. How do you remember your last time here, what are your impressions and what do you expect from tonight?
I just expect some magical moments. Planing is something I never normally do, because it’s not my thing. But I just expect magical moments. You know, it’s inside the fortress and it’s a special occasion and it’s been 10 years since I’ve been here so let’s see what it’s like again.
Do you have any message for our and your fans?
Hopefully, I’ll live up to your expectations! Let’s have some fun!
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