bio
DJ and producer Marcel Dettmann is recognised as one of the most
influential proponents of contemporary Techno. Widely associated with
iconic places – Berlin, Berghain and Hard Wax – Dettmann stays true to his
roots by consistently innovating his interpretation of electronic music,
integrating art with the scene.
Raised in the former GDR in a small town near Berlin, Dettmann had already
begun to develop his passion for electronic music in his youth days. Bands
like Depeche Mode, The Cure and Front 242, as well as Post-Punk and
Industrial, count as his earliest influences, long before he discovered his
affinity for Techno. Since his hometown lacked a record store specialising
in electronic music, Dettmann started selling vinyl from his own home
between 1995 and 1998. He purchased records from various distributers, Hard
Wax amongst others, both to resell to his friends and to cement the
foundation for his own considerable collection.
Like many of his friends, the mid-90s saw Dettmann frequenting Berlin's
nightlife. This included club institutions E-Werk and Tresor where the
resident DJs of that time aroused his passion for the Chicago and Detroit
influenced sound. In 1999, after many (including self-organised) parties,
his turning point came; Dettmann began to work as a resident DJ at Ostgut,
Berghain’s predecessor. Shortly thereafter upon receiving a job offer from
Hard Wax, he finally moved to Berlin. His apprenticeship as a vinyl buyer
and seller as well as DJ, granted him an extensive depth of musical
knowledge and intuition.
Dettmann quests tirelessly for new ways and inspiration to further develop
his own concept of electronic music. His label MDR (Marcel Dettmann
Records) serves as a platform upon which to shape his musical vision, and
through its releases launch new talent onto the Techno scene. As a curator
and producer, Dettmann fosters the call to create in a way which is equally
timeless and innovative. His own releases comprise two albums on Ostgut
Ton, numerous singles and remixes for artists of various genres – Junior
Boys, Fever Ray, Moderat, Commix, Clark and Laibach to name a few.
Furthermore, he has produced compilation albums for London’s fabric club,
Berlin's Berghain, the Belgian techno label Music Man, as well as one issue
each of the DJ Kicks (!K7 Records) and Selectors series (Dekmantel).
Outside of the club context, Marcel Dettmann has established himself as a
multi-faceted artist. He designed the sound concept for New Works, an
exhibition of photographer Frederike von Rauch, contributed to the
contemporary dance project MASSE – together with Frank Wiedemann and
choreographer Nadja Saidakowa in cooperation with Berghain and the Berlin
State Ballet. His single “Seduction feat. Emika” provided the soundtrack to
director and screenwriter Parker Ellerman’s short film of the same name.
As a passionate DJ and one of the faces of Berghain, Dettmann seeks to
inspire his listeners with sounds both reduced and rough, balanced by
emotional and surprising moments throughout his sets. Between pure Techno,
banging Chicago, tracks old and new of the past twenty-five years, Marcel
Dettmann communicates his message with an apparent effortlessness.
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