Before the year is out and we head fervently into the Christmas period we wanted to give you one last present in 2024.
After another year closes and we celebrated our 10th Birthday back in November at Patterns, there was no better way to finish than to bring you an interview and guest mix from one of our heroes. It's an absolute pleasure to feature the majestic and absolute legend who is, Herr Oliver Huntemann.
Based in Germany's northern city of Hamburg, Oliver has been hugely influential over nearly five decades of music. His tracks have long fired with necessary steel across clubland over many years. The resulting creations are linear, free of fancy, charmingly direct. One particular London arbiter of taste sought to label the nature of his skeletal sound as “bare and stripped back to the metallic core“ – whereby Huntemann’s reduction does not end in thin minimalism, it draws attention to the core itself. Less is more to the max. The only luxury is a little dirt.
Huntemann the producer and collaborator has racked up remixes for the likes of Chemical Brothers, Depeche Mode, Underworld (the list goes on) and his work with Dubfire now spans a good eight years (Elements, Dios, Diablo, Humano). Since 2016, his residency at Watergate has been illuminating Berlin's nightlife quite brilliantly, whilst he continues to play clubs and festivals all over the planet: from Warung in Brazil and the Rex Club in Paris to BPM Festival in Mexico, Strawberry Fields and Let Em Eat Cake in Australia or Woogie Weekend in California.
We caught up with Oliver to reflect and discover what he has coming up in his busy schedule.
Hi Oliver, how are you and what have you been up to this week? I’m doing great! Especially as I just came back with fresh ideas from an inspiring touring weekend and heading straight towards the studio!
You have been producing for quite some time now with an impressive catalogue of releases behind you. In fact, there are so many favourites in my collection from you over the years that certainly have had a place in my mixes, radio shows and events (therefore this is a bit of a fanboy moment!). Are there any standout tracks that hold special memories for you?
Great to hear that my music made it multiple times into your collection. As every track has its own story mostly the youngest one is the favourite – for a while. Unfortunately, or better fortunately, I’m never completely satisfied with my stuff. This seems to be my motor to continue creating music and trying to get always better. If I ever reach full satisfaction, I might have to stop making music as I’m afraid this is the point when I’m not hungry and curious anymore.
But I think most memorable are therefore the remixes I did for Depeche Mode, Underworld and The Chemical Brothers. I always looked up to these outstanding artists and whenever I got the remix requests it was just mind-blowing. Super honoured to deliver remixes to some of my biggest heroes.
You also had a new release in November on your own label Senso Sounds. Tell us more about that.
I’ve just released ‘Crank’ on Senso Sounds. A single release with a dark and dirty touch. Some older signature Huntemann vibes, paired with tough, muscular and groovy techno elements. I love to play it. During the production all elements for Crank came so quickly together that I decided to already release it and not work on further tracks.
Additionally, I’ve spent some studio time again with my buddy Marc Romboy and the result is Schwarze Witwe, which is German for Black Widow, just out on Marc’s label Systematic.
You’ve been running your label Senso Sounds since 2014 and it’s been going from strength to strength. How do you feel this journey has been and what exciting things can we expect in 2025?
Crazy how time’s running, it’s been already a decade for Senso Sounds. Senso Sounds was founded at the end of 2014. We did not celebrate the tenth anniversary yet, but we will do in 2025. It will basically be a 10 Years of Senso Sounds year, with showcases around the globe and some special releases from the Senso Sounds basic crew, new family members and of course myself.
It has been a great ride so far. I’m more than happy being able to support young artists and pushing their careers with Senso Sounds as a strong backbone.
What aspects, sound or characteristics do you look for in young artists hoping to get signed by you?
The main thing I really go for is the sound. My team and I explicitly do not check the Instagram or Soundcloud profiles of artists who are sending demos. I try to listen and choose as unbiased as possible. Main thing I care about: it should fit to Senso Sounds, but with an own identity.
What is your inspiration behind the artwork for the release covers and do you have an artist that produces them? We have often commented here that they are incredible pieces of art and you should have your own gallery collection!
My dear friend Anne-Marie Pappas has been creating the artworks almost from day one of Senso Sounds. She developed a very distinctive style for the label and I’m more than proud to have her in the team. Anne-Marie is simply an outstanding graphics designer.
We already had a very successful exhibition with her works in the gallery place in my wife’s and I restaurant Holy Taco in Hamburg. For the tenth anniversary of Senso we are already thinking about to doing something bigger.
What else can you tell us about your future releases, anything exciting in the pipeline?
With the label birthday a lot of resources will go towards that. I do have remixes up my sleeve, but unfortunately nothing I want to talk about yet. I don’t like to spread unfinished things. But there’s another reason why I’m in the studio more frequently now. I just started working on a new album and another project idea.
How did you first get into electronic music?
From the very beginning I was much into electronic music. My first maxi single was Living on Video by Trans-X. When I heard Kraftwerk for the first time I got addicted right away. As a teenage b-boy I was much influenced by Afrika Bambaataata’s Planet Rock and Kraftwerk’s Tour De France (F. Kevorkian RMX), which brought me from Breakdance to djing. Being musically open minded shaped my musical style back in the day and still does today.
Where was your first gig and how did it go?
My first gig, if you can say so – was at a school party. Bringing radio ripped cassettes and a few vinyl records to the school auditorium. A wild mix of genres, but my schoolmates danced – that counted! You have to know that back then the djs were not the cool guys. The other kids saw us more as the nerds, hiding behind tape decks, maybe turntables and - if very lucky - a mixer.
We recently all read the news of the upcoming closure of Watergate in Berlin. You played at the farewell party in December. As a former resident, how do you feel?
My farewell for Watergate was very emotional. A four-hour journey for a crazy crowd. I went dancing on the dancefloor at the very last track, which was Rej by Ame, with tears in my eyes. Too many memories of countless nights djing at Watergate for almost twenty years.
Do you think that we are losing underground clubbing culture? In the UK for example, we have seen that since 2020, we've been losing two nightclubs every week, but in the last six months, this has escalated to three per week (NTIA Report). Are you seeing the same worrying stats across Germany?
I think in general after covid many kids still enjoy electronic music mostly at home. Social media, especially TikTok, is distorting the picture. When twenty second track-snippets go viral and this is the benchmark for promoters to book these people on an event, it creates a false picture and can’t support a serious culture. In social media only the big, flashy and most eye catching djs and events dominate.
The consumers getting more and more superficial through social media manipulation. Due to this trend especially clubs - the base of creativity in electronic dance music - are struggling. Some look disoriented, trying to follow fake trends based on fake likes and losing their identity. It is really tough to see what happens with club culture worldwide at the moment.
Coming back to DJs and producers. Who are you enjoying right now?
I very much like some of the young talents. From the Electro-Tech side, I see Waltervelt from Brazil coming up with very nice stuff recently and from the more melodic site Rolbac from Beirut is someone who I think has a big future ahead. Also, Neither Nor from Turkey made some fantastic Techno tracks and I picked already two singles which are going to be released in spring 2025.
You have compiled our latest Berlin Mixtapes Series Episode 066 - Tell us more about your mix.
I’ve picked a special one for you, one hour of my four hours farewell set at Watergate on 5th of December. A journey from deep to uplifting tech goodies.
Thanks for spending some time with us, is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers?
As Public Enemy already said in 1988: Don’t believe the hype!
Thanks for having me.
Quick-fire round:
Genre: Electronic Underground Dance Music
Favourite colour: Rainbow
What do you put on your chips: Mayo
First record ever bought: Trans-X – Living on Video
Apple or Android: Apple
Can you juggle: My vinyl juggle appearance from 1992 is legendary
Weirdest/Coolest Item of clothing: String thong for men
If you could have a superpower, what would you choose? Flying
What was the last thing you looked up online? Juggling
Do you collect anything: Useless things, which take too much space
What is the most useless talent you have: Collecting useless things, which take too much space
Favourite place to hang out: Home
Favourite club: Hardpop, Cd. Juarez (Mexico)
Favourite beer: Even though I’m German, I do not like beer at all
Favourite place to eat: As my wife is a chef, I love to eat at home or in our restaurant Holy Taco in Hamburg
Weirdest thing you have eaten: Ant eggs, butterfly, crickets, crocodile, sea urchin…
How do you like your eggs: Sunny side up, topped with chili salsa
Coffee or tea: Black coffee
Favourite football team: St. Pauli
Favourite track right now: The Void by André Winter
Favourite word: Zeitgeist
3 words to describe your mix: Dark, intense, timeless
Tracklist
Schwarze Witwe - Oliver Huntemann & Marc Romboy (Systematic)
Makkuro Kurosuke - Carbon (Senso Sounds)
Acidente - Hiago Pauli (Senso Sounds)
Blotter Spotter - Fabrication (Senso Sounds)
Turkish Bazar - Emmanuel Top (Attack)
Teufelsfisch - Oliver Huntemann & Marc Romboy (Senso Sounds)
Spaceman - Maksim Dark (Senso Sounds)
Lacalute - Drumcomplex & Frank Sonic (Cocoon)
Dirty Business - Sinisa Tamamovic (SciTec)
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