Just jamming with Marcus Fix (Cocoon)

Evenin'
So, before the BIG DAY tomorrow, we though it's worth doing one last check of our sabotaging personnel...just to be prepared, sort of speak. We grabbed our guest Marcus Fix for one of our informal 101s where we discuss all or nothing about his music, his studio muse, his desire to keep music as unlabeled as possible and of course his becoming one of Cocoon's knights flying the label's colours all over the world. London, tomorrow night is our turn!
Without further adue, meet Marcus Fix

[code] Hi there Marcus! How are you and where does our inescapable interview find you?
Marcus Fix: Good Morning, I am fine. Your interview just caught me in a pile of cables in my studio :)

[code] How are you settling into 2012? Any fond memories of 2011 (memorable gigs, music, moments)?

Marcus Fix: The end of 2011 is when I've started building my studio and as for 2012: in the last couple of weeks I’ve been working on my first Live act. In hindsight the year has started with a lot of work but I am very proud to see my studio growing up and also launching my first Live act in the Cocoonclub Lounge in Frankfurt to a complete success!
My absolute highlight in 2011 was without a doubt my gig at Creamfields in Lima, Perú.

Just the best organized party I ever played! an amazing stage, incredible soundsystem and absolutely nice people who “Dance like Hell” :) I will never forget this!

[code] Coolio, let's get things started properly then shall we.
Marcus, allow us to introduce you to our extended family and friends. (You know family is very important :)Tell us a couple of things about you. Your musical lineage, your musical beliefs and what do you do for a living?
Marcus Fix: Let´s talk about family, yes! As you’ve said it so well the family is really important, so we are all very close and help each other every time. The “extended family” are friends like Reboot, Sascha Dive, Robert Dietz, Chris Tietjen, Federico Molinari, Dorian Paic and many other djs from Frankfurt are close friends…everyone is in contact, sharing music, having dinner together, doing afterparties together…

[code] Sounds like a pretty party oriented family :))
Tell us what is music for you?
Marcus Fix: Music...is like “fish & chips”….no,no, no! :)
Music is always, everywhere. Like if you go out you listen to music, to a car, to a bird, or to people talking maybe; everything gives you a impression of something, and that’s music for me. That’s what music does for me.

[code] What/who makes you want to get up in the morning and write music?
Marcus Fix: All the buttons and knobs on my hardware, they make me horny everyday ;))

"Is it just me or is it getting hot in here?"


[code] What is the music that Marcus Fix makes? Your preference in style, themes, song and flow.
Marcus Fix: Describe my style….hmmmm...That’s not really possible for me to say.
Some people say that a style of “claps” I use is “my style” but I honestly don’t know.

Latest tracks by Markus Fix

When I sit in my studio I have no idea on what I want to make or even how I want to make it.
I love to just jam – then record the line I like and then the pieces of puzzle start falling into place. So it can be a real trippy track, a harmonic one or a pumping house tune.
I have no rules for producing music.

[code] How do these preferences fit into your dj sets? What’s more important when playing live: presenting the sound you love or hitting the spot with the crowd you have in front of your Dj booth? How do you find the balance?
Marcus Fix: It really depends on the party you are playing. Sometimes the public is really open minded, sometimes they are not. I always try to feel out the audience and see how they react. But I do love to present them some of the music I really like and I try to do it more and more often.

[code] Having released music on some of the finest labels in both underground terms and worldwide influence, how has your evolution to this point been?
Marcus Fix: Most of the time, an artist becomes the center of attention through his releases. But the battles he has fought and the learning experiences he’s had to get to that point, are most times overlooked. It’s really difficult.
When you have your first good release, everyone expects your next one to be like the first one, at least similar or in the same style. And for me – this is not possible! I don’t see music as a calculation where you can take parts of the first track and then calculate on which elements you take for your next one or even just modify some and use them again.
The best tracks are done in 4-6 hours and made without thinking too much about “I need a break here, a noise there” and etc. Of course labels want to sell records, I completely understand that…but sometimes I do miss music from the heart - which is not made necessarily straight for the dance floor.


7. What was the moment that transformed Djing from a hobby into an actual daily occupation?
Marcus Fix: I think it´s now 3 years ago……before I was already playing in Germany a lot, but after my first release on Cecille, the hobby became an occupation. And it was the best choice of my life, no doubt!
[code] How would you describe your connection to Cecille?
Marcus Fix: Nick Curly is such a fun guy, and I am a very close friend of Marc Scholl, he lives only 5 minutes from my house. So my connection to Cecille is more of a friendship. I have to be very thankful to these guys, there really believed in me.

[code] What about Cocoon?
Marcus Fix: As far as music goes - I grew up in Frankfurt, my first Club was the Omen in Frankfurt where Sven Väth had his residency at the time. And I was actually at the first Cocoon-party in a small Location where “Earth Nation” was performing their Live Set. After that, Cocoon did a lot of parties in Frankfurt, which I, of course, attended :)
My first time in Ibiza I lived in the house of a girl who was working for Cocoon at the time and she introduced me to the “Cocoon lifestyle” From that point on it was my dream to become a DJ for Cocoon and for the past 2 years I am really proud to be a part of it.
It is without exaggeration a dream come true!

[code] We are very happy and honored to have you headlining our event “Sabotage” tomorrow night alongside our best Codekontrol family members (residents).

We have put our all to make this event something special, with special music and special people. Looking at the huge response we’ve had from our crowd, it certainly looks like it’s going to be special! When was the last time you played in London and how do you feel about crossing the Atlantic to our shores?
Marcus Fix: My last time playing in London was at Fuse, in Brick Lane and I really love to be in London!!! The crowd is really outthere here in London and I'm sure we can rock all night :)

[code] :)
So to wrap things up. What’s in store for 2012 for Marcus Fix? (hype us please)
Marcus Fix: I have some new releases in the pipeline and I've told you I've just played my first Live set at Cocoon club last Saturday.
I am really looking forward to what's coming this year and of course to our party in London tomorroooow!!! ;)

" 2012? My solution is..." Codekontrol's 101 with Marco Donato from Italoboyz

Feels a little strange posting this quite a little aaaaaafter the night has happened, but nevertheless, this is the way interviews need to be posted: full page and on a proper blog, not on a whimsy Facebook note
The boyz were back in town headlining our second Gasp!!! event which took place @ XOYO, couple of weeks back. Alongside the lovely Italoboyz, we had Codekontrol residents Johnny Fiore, Gabriel amaru and from the infamous East London Bread & Butter family, Max & Jamma. Upstairs room was hosted by Unwanted Family with Mr Venom, Thomas James, Chris Gee and Franklin.
The party was awesome, with such a good and laidback vibe. Nothing and no one else made it so than all of you shaking those boots there on the floor.

Check yourseves out in the pics: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.356314021059040.89146.167201049970339&type=1

So, try and get your brain back into time and read this with a pair of fresh eyes ;)

Aaaand here we are peeps, 2012, January 21st. Codekontrol’s BIG Weekend is now on! You’ve been asking for it so now it’s time to gasp for air and face the music, 2011 is gone, finito, done. 2012 is here to stay! End of the world possibility included.
So no time to waste: firmly grab that Vodka bottle, couple of Red Bulls, fistful of limes, click play and enjoy the show. That’s what some good people have been doing for years and it seems to work quite well for them.

Italoboyz @ B&B London - 29.8.2011 by italoboyz

Marco Donato and Federico Marton, quite well known and loved around London town as Italoboyz are living proof that a positive attitude and a never ending love for music making might just help all you need to navigate through the crazy mess we call society today.

Settled in the maddest of them all, London, a decade ago, Marco and Federico embraced the city with all their being and never looked back with sentimentalism to the “mandolin and pizza country” as they affectinately call native Italy. In return the city embraced them back…with love.

Now with a good ten years spent at the very heart of London’s underground house scene Marco and Donato seem to know very well what they’re after and are willing to use every inch of their creative selves to get it. Ahead of tonight’s Gasp!!! @ XOYO, we take a minute or two with Marco from Italoboyz and skillfully navigate through their story.

[code]: Hi there Marco, hi there Federico, the pair of “wacky” Italo jackmasters, affectionately known as Italoboyz! How are you and where does this interview find you?
Marco: Hello guys (Marco here)! I’m at my new home in east London, just moved here after Christmas, so still a bit unsettled, lots to do, lots to plan, slowly re-building my studio but listening to nice beats ;)

[code]: Aaaah, moving home, what else can beat that?!? We hope the transition is now in its final stages and you can get back to the music. How/where did you spend the Christmas and NYE?
Marco: At home at my sister’s place with my family, then Berlin, then Italy again for New Years Eve, then back here. The overall Christmas time was super!

[code]: And now…how is it being back? Back to work; or not quite there yet? The hangovers getting better?
Marco: As I said, more than the hangover, which we have learned how to master properly (:), it’s more about planning, and settling down and all those things…My studio is still down, first time in years that I am in this situation, it feels a little unusual, but it’s ok….

Now where on Earth did I put those wiring schematics?

[code]: Cool, so let’s start the questions with a popular one: For someone who’s just heard of Italoboyz, how can we define it? Everything that Italoboyz stands for!
Marco: To be honest, it’s a name that we have been given here in London in 2003 when we (me and Federico) started djing together by this promoter who booked us for our first London dj gig at 333 in Old street. Not far from XOYO actually! And it was so epic, that we decided to keep the name…. Is that bad, doctor…? ;-)

[code]: Surely not bad Marco, quite good actually :) Your connection to London is quite special and well documented in the previous interviews you’ve given, but how is the relationship going? Is London still THE place you want to be in day in day out? Does it still get your creative juices flowing?
Marco: Yes for sure! Personally, I have been very tempted a couple of times to change and move to Berlin, but somehow I felt that I still have a lot to give and a lot to get here, in London; and I still feel that.

[code]: Please remind us: How long have you guys been around London?
Marco: 10 years darling, exactly 10 years; and for me another 5 years plan just started!

[code]: So, tell us a few things on how was 2011 for Italoboyz? All the highlights, all the best moments of the year. And please give us a few favorite couple of (2011) tunes you’ll forever be in love with?
Marco: Lots of great moments for sure…! maybe Mexico and Peru for me were very special; that’s because I took the chance to have a little vacation too, something that now I sooo much would love to have again!
Musicwise… hmmm… we are always researching music without bothering much of the release date, so it’s a bit difficult right now to answer precisely to this question… But without a doubt, you’ll hear what I’m talking about Saturday at XOYO ;-)

[code]: Now that we’ve put our finger on the “music” 12 inch, let’s get that needle on the groove, shall we? Listening to any piece from your discography, your preference for taking obscure pieces of the past (sound, voices, film dialogs) and twist them into something new, if not futuristic, is a mainstay theme. Why so?
Marco: I guess because this is how we like to approach music; starting from an idea, a main theme, and building the track around it. Also, we really like weird elements, especially voice; You can expect to hear lots more coming up very soon in our music….

[code]: Do you feel that what this past has in terms of music, and everything else is maybe, a different story to tell than what we have today in our collective culture? Maybe more romance…? Are you consciously looking for such stories?
Marco: I do think that a little while ago making music was much more complicated and releasing music was something that only people with a strong passion were doing, having a precise idea of what they were looking for. Nowadays, everyone can make some beats, and releasing music is almost immediate… So this has either good sides or bad side, depending on where you stand as an artist…
One of the bad sides I see is that music sometimes is made just for promotion, just because you have to be present on the market, and not because you really want to present something that represents you…
[code]: We hear that Marco; Nowadays, if you don’t also produce, than probably you don’t really have a future just mixing other people’s tracks. So yeah, I guess there is a lot of what you just said around at the moment.

[code]: Tell us something about what you guys are working on and who are we likely to hear on vocal duties on the next track/EP?
Marco: We are working on the very first release of our upcoming own label… And guess what? A super nice and trippy vocal will be in it ;-)

[code]: Italoboyz own label, yes, hype us! Pleeeeease! And also other plans for 2012?
Marco: Well, yeah, we are gonna be mainly focused on our own project on this new thing, our label…Something you all guys will hear about very soon! The name is Superfiction…. as well as keep working with other labels for some releases, remixes…

And finally
[code]: We’re still in the very first days of the year, but we’re very curious what’s your attitude to the impending doom being predicted?
Marco: !!!…do you mean financially!? …ummmm… I dunno… but it seems scary.
My solution: let’s make music, and hope for the best ;-)
[code]: Probably the only solution worth considering.

Big love xx