Michael Mayer’s default position is somewhere left-of-centre. Over his long career as a producer, DJ and label boss, the German impresario has done things his own way.

Moving to Cologne in the early ‘90s, Mayer struck up an alliance with Wolfgang Voigt and Jürgen Paape that would later give rise to the Kompakt imprint. With its mission to be “as undogmatic as possible”, Kompakt quickly became a flag-bearer for a different kind of techno. Its most recent compilation Total 11 is perhaps the most daring and eclectic yet, happily embracing those “freaky micro-genres” that Mayer relishes.

The Kompakt figurehead certainly leads by example. While recent productions like Picanha Frenesi see him in dancefloor-focused form, he’s never content to settle in one place too long. The same can be said of his celebrated marathon DJ sets, which embrace his love of pop in amongst the four-four pulse. Ahead of his return to Australia, Mayer reminds inthemix why he’s no dull interviewee.

Last time you were in Australia, we saw you playing nine hour sessions with Superpitcher. The set in Sydney was one of the best I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing. Do you enjoy the possibilities of the longer sets?
Oh, thanks for the flowers! Yeah, I love playing for as long as possible. I mean, it’s how it was when I’ve started DJing: a DJ played all night long. And here’s the true reason why extended versions were invented: so the DJ wouldn’t need to run to the bathroom any more! Don’t believe what historians wrote about the evolution of 12”s…

It was interesting to see a Kompakt tent at the Tomorrowland Festival in Belgium. How did you fit in there? And is it rare to have an opportunity to bring everyone together like that?
To be honest, I didn’t get to see a lot of the festival. I pretty much stayed at the Kompakt stage for all the time. We’ve passed some gabber-trance-core-whatsoever floor on the way to our stage.

It left the impression on me that I don’t really have to see all the other floors. I’ve already seen the best. What can I say, Scooter are one of my numerous guilty pleasures. I have a soft spot for high-end trash. Indeed, it’s a rare thing to have roundabout ten Kompakt artists on one stage, in one city, on one afternoon. We’ve had a blast…

I see you did an all-night-long set on your own in Switzerland recently. How do you structure those extended stints in the DJ booth? Do you just let the night and crowd guide you?
It certainly takes a bit more preparation than usual because I’m very meticulous when it comes to warming up a party. Nothing beats a good warm-up! It’s the basis for every night; it’s where the magic should already be installed.

The beauty of playing all night long sets is that you really have time to go deeper into every aspect of your sound. I would always play a disco track or two, even in a 90-minute set. When you’ve got all night you can play an hour of disco without having to worry that you won’t have time for the great happy gothstep finale.

What other DJs do you think can hold the attention of a club for the whole night?
Luckily, there’s a lot of them. It’s often the resident DJs that impress me. They know their crowd best and most of them are very accomplished DJs, more versatile than their famous guests.

The readers of our website voted your Fabric mix in the top 10 mix-CDs of all time. Do you have fond memories of doing that mix?
I was in feverish delirium – for one because I just fell in love a few days before and also because of a pretty nasty flu. I’ve recorded the mix live at the empty Studio 672, Tobias Thomas and my long time residency in Cologne.

It took me three attempts, then it was done. I couldn’t have done it a fourth time because I got really, really sick. With a bit of exaggeration we could say: I almost died for this mix!

Do you feel there’s still something special about the art of the mix-CD?
My memories of preparing Immer 3 are still quite fresh so I can clearly say: I wouldn’t have worked this hard on a podcast. To say it with my favourite image: Podcasts are snapshots taken with your cell phone’s camera, a mix-CD is portrait taken with a professional SLR.

There’s a very different feel on Total 11 from a lot of other label compilations. Do you still see Kompakt as the alternative to the serious side of techno?
Absolutely! If you bored with your standard 4/4 treatment you should have a look what’s going on there. Total 11 became the most colourful and diversified in the series. I like to look at most of the tracks as friendly suggestions. Like: “Hey, why don’t we try this way?”. I’ve always been a fan of freaky micro-genres.

What would you say is the dominant sound or ‘trend’ in house and techno at the moment?
I think it’s safe to say that both techno and house are going through very conservative times. The level of interest in true school/old school/authentic sounds is partially frightening me.

As much as I dig my old records and occasionally drop some of them, I want the new, the next, the evolution. There’s so much amazing, forward-thinking music out there. Please don’t forget about it. And actually spend some money on music here and then. Piracy kills.

Is it satisfying to see that Kompakt reaches further than just people who listen to dance music?
Very much so. This means that there’s other people like us that despise musical segregation, people that appreciate dance music beyond functionality; people that like deep, adult entertainment, closed eyes and smiling faces.

Is there a common outlook or philosophy that is shared between all the artists on Kompakt? Or does everyone have their distinctive approaches?
We’re all pretty thirsty people. But that’s not a philosophy, is it? No, there’s no dress-code, no membership book, no rules, no frippery. Just an overall friendly vibe or dare I say: family spirit?