For Sam Geiser, better known to dancefloor enthusiasts as Deetron, there are almost limitless possibilities in DJing. The man’s hands-on, three-deck mixing style has earned him a formidable reputation, however it’s the studio that keeps him busiest.

There are many labels who’ve courted his talents, from French tastemakers Circus Company to Joris Voorn’s powerhouse Green, and Deetron is content to flit between them. His body-jacking blend of house and techno will once again be tried out on our clubs this month and next, so inthemix heard what’s brewing in his corner of the world.

What’s keeping you busy at the moment?
I’m working on…I wouldn’t call it an album yet, but new tracks with many different people. Hopefully with Seth Troxler again, and with Andy Butler from Hercules and Love Affair and some others.

All your productions this year have a certain drama and tension to them. Is it important for you to have a strong sense of mood in your tracks?
I don’t think I plan that, but it’s something that happens. You said drama, you hear drama? That’s cool, that’s a nice description. My intention would be to make emotional tracks, and it’s great if it works like that.

Has there even been a Deetron live set-up in the works?
I’ve done two live sets so far only, shortly after the album. One of them was at Cocoon club, for Sven’s [Vath] birthday I think. It’s something I’m working on for the future, and for a new album I would like to have a live show.

We’ve noticed in recent times that a lot of DJs are moving into a live format, and often the definition of that can be quite loose.
Well, a lot of the DJing has come closer to a live set anyway, or what is considered a techno live set. A lot of people play with Traktor or Ableton, doing DJ sets that’s more of a live set at the end of the day. They’re playing four tracks at a time and using a lot of effects, and edit everything.

But for me, it would be really live. I would only play my own tracks. Ideally, I would love to do it with a vocalist. I really like the live act of Redshape, and for more ‘band’ style live acts Caribou is amazing, he blows me away. But in the techno scene, Redshape would be my favourite. Oh, Shed is really cool too.

In your opinion, is it an exciting time for house and techno at the moment?
I’m actually spending a lot of money on records. There’s a lot of really good records and vinyl-only releases as well. I think techno is on its way back. I feel that while the focus has been on house predominantly in the last few years, the pace is growing faster and a little harder as well, judging from what I hear in the clubs.

From your mixes, it always seems you’re equally into the housey records as the tougher techno.
It’s been always like that. I have a broad taste in music anyway, and when I’m DJing, the club environment allows for that. I like to pick records from different genres and put them together as well as possible.

I really enjoyed the feel of the FACT mix you did in June. Is that the kind of sound and mood we can expect from this upcoming tour?
Well it’s always difficult to say, as it’s a one-hour mix. But it’s a good introduction to what I would play. It can go more housey or more energetic or more vocal. I wouldn’t want to say too much upfront, but that’s the general direction.

When you’re in the studio working on your own material, can it be distracting shopping for records, or more often inspiring?
It’s not so much distracting when I buy music. What’s more distracting are the promos, which only happen digitally. At the moment I haven’t done promos for two weeks and my promo inbox has 140 emails. And I really want to listen to everything, cause I don’t want to miss out on a track that might be hidden on a digital release. When I buy music, I actually enjoy it a lot. I would love to go record shopping in real life, but there are no record shops here!

Personally I think there is too much coming out, but the market will regulate that. It can only be a good thing though for people who once never would’ve been able to release a record because it’s very hard for new artists to get on to established labels, because it’s so name-driven. It’s great to be able to create your own platform with very little investment.

You must get asked this a lot, but what is it about three-deck mixing that excites you? Are there simply more possibilities?
I like to play two tracks at the same time through most of my set, which is why three decks is really handy. From some tracks I only like the beat or certain sections, so I might play short pieces. That’s why three decks is perfect – it can be two decks and one CD player. Recently it has been a bit hard to play vinyl, ‘cause some clubs don’t have the turntables connected. At a festival recently, I got there and the decks weren’t connected at all. But at least I’m bringing my own needles everywhere.

That must’ve become a real issue in recent years.
Yes, although more and more DJs seem to be getting back into vinyl. So it might change again, who knows?

Has playing on three decks become something of a dying art?
I think the analogue way is not so common anymore. But of course the people who play with Traktor are playing with up to four decks, it’s just the means have changed. I’m actually interested in Serato since they have three decks now, and they have an anti-skip function so when the needle jumps, it goes back to where it was. That’s a big problem when I play. People bumping into the booth. It makes it ‘live’ though, when mistakes can happen.

I suppose there’s that visual interest with playing on analogue.
For me, it’s the physical aspect. Seeing the cover and having something in your hands, you know?

Deetron tour dates:

Fri 24 Sep – Sneakerpeeps @ Qbar, Melbourne
Sat 25 Sep – Haus Boat Cruise & after-party at Cuckoo Bar, Adelaide
Fri 1 Oct – Empire, Brisbane
Sat 2 Oct – HaHa @ Marrickville Bowling Club, Sydney
Sun 3 Oct – Democracy Sundays @ Geisha Bar, Perth