In most consequential cases we follow the mould that one plus one must surely equal two. Even for a young spirited German boy who detested mathematics in the prime of his youth. You see, the development of that boy, who the existential music world has come to fondly know as Michael Mayer, also fits into the mould of this basic equation. But this ain’t a mould for moulds sake, nor is there any indication that such a mould has enforced any regimental qualities of sameness on its inhabitant. It is merely a means through which to calculate a series of consquential events. 1 + 1 = 2. That is, one humans desire for music + the self confidence to dare something = a now adult Michael Mayer screaming: music is my past, present and future.
“In a way I always knew that I would become a professional in the music business, ” says Mayer without any hestitation. “Though at first I didn’t see the autodidact way so I thought about studying sound engineering or something like that. Then I noticed that I would need to play the piano perfectly for this so I had to change my plans because I was a lousey player.” And, like most of us lost in that post highschool confusion of how and where to channel our creative energies, Mayer pursued other avenues. “I started studying languages and sociology just to study something. For me university totally felt like one of these Kafka-esque scenarios, a scary factory, everybody on the campus moved like remote controlled. So after one year I exmatriculated myself. I just never wanted to go back to university anymore. I had no qualification but my highschool, no job, no support from my family… I had to get up from my bum and work hard on what I always loved most: playing music to other people.”
One year after the Mayer family made the move from their previous natural surround of Black Forest to one of Germany’s largest and most historically wrought cities – Cologne, an external dimension was added to the already mystified Mayer equation. That dimension was the influence of Wolfgang and Reinhard Voigt, Jürgen Paape and Jörg Burger and the soon to be Kompakt Empire. A telling tale of what has become one of the electronic worlds pivotal pioneers. “In 1993 there was a rumour about the opening of a new techno record store in Cologne. I couldn’t wait until it opened because I wasn’t very happy with the selection of the other shops so I was the very first customer in the front of the door when they turned the key. I instantly felt that the guys behind the counter are cool, but the selection they offered was inacceptable!” he says before comically reenacting via cyberspace the dialogue that followed. “I started yelling at them like ‘What the hell are you doing here. You’re missing a chance here… get this, get that…’ It didn’t seem like they understood what I wanted. It didn’t seem like they had a clue about records at all. Those guys behind the counter were Wolfgang and Reinhard Voigt, Jürgen Paape and Jörg Burger. They told me that none of them was a DJ and if I thought I could better orders for the shop I should prove them. A few weeks later I became a partner.” Thus the dynasty of not only Mayer and Kompakt, but the identifiable sound of Cologne, also developed.
“At that point I was mainly playing rough NY deephouse like Nu Groove, mostly the B side tracks, the instrumentals and dub mixes. When Wolfgang showed me his early Mike Ink acid tracks I was blown away. They were even more minimal than Chicago house, extremely funky, totally different from what I knew before, but way too fast. I played around 125 bpm and Wolfgang was at 150! After endless discussions we pitched ourselves into each others, somehow, and – in a nutshall – that’s how the sound of Cologne evolved.” The lesson Mayer learnt from the very outset of his relationship with the Kompakt commanders, was a laurel that, to this very day, he still rests on. “What I learned from Wolfgang (and Jörg Burger) was the self-confidence to dare something. There are many ways to use a 4/4 bassdrum and you’re at your best when you choose the most personal one.”
This, too, has remained the ethos of the entire Kompakt union says Mayer. “I believe that Kompakt encouraged a lot of people to express themselves in a more personal way. We started our distribution in order to give those people a solid platform. We know what it’s like to argue with your distributor about whether your record is good or not. It sucks to discuss artistic topics with merchants. We ran our business not from a merchantile, but from an artistic perspective because we are artists.” With this approach they have garnered the trust of the collectives that follow their lead. “Of course we too need to do our homework, but I think most of our labels feel very comfortable. They trust us. Techno and the business connected to it doesn’t necessarily need to be cold and mechanical. It seems like we managed to give it a more friendly face. There’s too much meaningless cliche records out there. What the world needs is inspired, forward thinking music. Serious, but with a smile.”
Mayer, himself, has been a fundamental player in maintaining this creed. That the world does indeed need inspired and forward thinking music. Take your delectable choice of any of Mayer’s five mixed albums released over the last seven years, and you will see nothing but testimonial evidence of this. It is as he describes it. Deep, sexy and dangerous. This is testimonial evidence that he has doted on with a cutting precision. “Preparing a mix CD and playing a club set are two totally different pairs of shoes. For me a mix CD is something eternal so the music on it should have a timeless character. Much more important than including the ‘dernier crie’ stuff is to develop a storyboard. From where to where do I want to take the listeners? What do I really want to say? Which are the key tunes and how do I connect them? This mix has to work in repeat mode as well,” he acknowledges, paying heed to his obsessive manner. “I can get quite obsessive about these things. It could steal my sleep and stuff… but hey! One day in 10,000 years a new civilization might excavate this CD as the last trace of our culture. In case they’ll manage to play it I don’t want to disappoint them.”
Despite a future civilizations knowledge of our current climactic culture possibly resting in the hands of one of his cds, Mayers approach to music has scarcely changed since he first set out to fulfill his own personal equation. He says, with a laugh, that it has only matured: “It has been a continuous mix since then, so to say. I would still play things I used for my first mix CD. Fortunately, seven years later we can look at a much wider spectrum of interesting music. In fact it became impossible to maintain all new releases in techno with all its subgenres. But still I’m the kind of person that gets bored very quickly. I’m addicated to changes so I have to look out for new signals all the time. I love to discover something new and watch it growing, like some micro development. My approach towards music hasn’t really changed, but it became more mature. My ears have never been sharper.”
While his reputation for having the gift of the sharpest ears behind the turntables precedes him, it wasn’t until late last year that Mayer finally utilized those sharp ears to pen his first artist album. For Mayer, the reality of the situation is that the coalition of DJ and producer isn’t always boastful of a happy marriage. “Throughout the early 90s I was convinced that there are guys that produce tracks and other people who play those, like a separation of powers. I found this theory proved in seeing all those rave boom DJs teaming up with a producer just to release something in order to get more bookings or fame whatever, ” he says with a certain level of disgust. “Some of those DJs even weren’t in the studio at all. They had (and still have) real ghostwriters without telling people the truth. The results of these liasons were far away from being interesting compared to ‘real’ recording artists.” For a long while this was a contributing factor in keeping Mayer from touching his equipment. “I said to myself: ‘I’m the DJ – that’s my function.’ But in 1995 my curiosity became unbearable. I wanted to know how ‘I’ would sound like. So I started to learn how to use all that gear – all by myself. Today I still see myself as a DJ in the first line. It’s like I’m born like that. It was my first love (and it may be my last). I know many people who are both, DJ and producer. But I only know a few that are equally good at both things. I’m no exception…”
So what does ‘Mayer’ sound like, and what happens when you throw those sharp ears into a studio with G4, Logic, a hardware sampler, an old Arp, a Juno 106 and some effects and drum machines? The result is ‘Touch’. A voyeuristic splice into Mayers head that many have been waiting on as if it were Godot. “Producing music was always my stepchild. I just didn’t have enough time to take of it properly. I was doing my music on weekday nights. But one has to sleep. It’s quite important sometimes. Since last summer I was able to delegate most of my responsibilities at Kompakt distribution – so at last I’m almost free! While I was working on ‘Touch’ I felt like hyperventilating. There were so many things inside of me waiting for release. So I threw up,” he says on a whim. “I know this sounds a bit gross, but it describes best how I felt. The only guidelines were to connect every track to a musical chapter of my life and no vocals necessary. I wanted to do this from a very private position. If I would have listened to all the expectations I was confronted with I would have never cut this gordian knot. ”
And while most are eternally satisifed that Mayer took the plunge, grabbed the scissors, and snipped that deadlock, the album has still received a host of reviews that are rather mixed in their opinions. The reviews, however, are distant to the mind of Mayer. “I didn’t take the most hype-friendly approach so I didn’t expect raving reviews from everywhere. What’s much more important to me is the reaction on the floor when I play one of the album tracks because the dancefloor never lies. So far the reactions have been great. Djs here especially play ‘Heiden’, ‘Lovefood’ and of course the more banging ‘Neue Luthersche Fraktur’,” he says noting the one that particularly tickles his touch. “My personal favourite clearly is ‘Lovefood’. We’re currently putting together a remix 12” of this one. Closer Musik’s Matias Aguayo already delivered an extremely cool version of it.” And while the fortune teller stands reluctant to say more than que sera, sera… it is a certainty that Mayer will continue to utilize the screaming musical microdots of his past, present and future. “Right now I am working on a couple of remixes for Ada and Nathan Fake. I’m looking forward to prepare a new mix CD for autumn. Until then I’ll keep myself busy with touring Australia, the US and Japan. Apart from that Kompakt is about to launch an mp3 shop. It should be online in march 2005 under www.kompakt-mp3.de“
There is one small force that we have, until now, omitted from Mayer’s equation and outcome. That is a well overdue, and virgin visit to the shores of Australia. While he may be a virgin to the twenty-four hour flight ahead, he certainly has managed to douse himself in an adage of Australian cultural cliches. However – cricket, didgeridoos, kangaroos, crocodile dundee, Kylie Minogue and Finding Nemo aside, Mayer seems genuinely primed for the tour. “I am very excited to see the other side of the world. I heard it looks spectacular. And I can’t go further, I think. Next is the moon. Melbourne will be my first gig after a four week break. Be sure I’ll give my very best. My fingers are itching already…”
Don’t miss throwing down a digit at any of the events below, as Michael Mayer tours Australia for the first time. You never know, 1+1 might not really = 2.
Sun 23rd Jan - Melb, Rainbow Serpent Festival
Tue 25th Jan - Melb, Honkytonks
Fri 28th Jan - Sydney, Glitch
