Sven Väth je frankfurtski didžej, producent, založnik, vodja glasbenega imperija Cocoon, zadnja leta vladar Ibize in nasploh eden najbolj vplivnih in priljubljenih ljudi na svetovni klubski sceni. Markantni German, ki je že vsaj dve desetletji močno prisoten tudi v zavesti slovenskih ljubiteljev tehna, letos praznuje 30-letnico delovanja, kot eden zadnjih vplivnih mojstrov pa tudi v digitalni dobi še vedno prisega na vinil in analogni zvok. To so njegove misli ob žlahtnem jubileju.

"Hey Mr DJ play that song - keep doin it, doin it - all night long"...(Tony Touch)

...and that is exactly what it is all about: songs with fantasy and thoughtfulness, songs to freak out and to fall in love to, songs to sing along to, songs with heart and soul. However, its also about instrumentals, no matter whether they are composed with the computer or made by hand, its about songs with soundscapes that inspire longing and exude freedom. For me, its about tracks that have the power of radiance, that tell stories or spread hope. Songs that sound and invite you to listen – sometimes abstract and extra terrestrial, sometimes well-known and catchy. Tracks that should never stop, that keep the moment, and turn all of us into the centre of the universe, exactly in that moment when they are played – played loud! And Im talking not only about the DJs who pick the tracks, but even more about the listeners and the dancers – music that gives us what we are all searching for. Many a track shows us the hidden or crazy side of us, many tracks make us smile and some even make us cry. Music touches us and it moves us. Songs make us move, from Disco dancing via Breakdancing to cool groovin and, of course, right up to ultimate raving. I need songs that simply keep me dancing on and on, songs that combine these two crucial elements: to feel the world that we live in, but at the same time to be able to forget it for a short time – only a really good song can do that.

"This House Is Mine"– Discover and impart...(The Hypnotist)

Finding music that qualitatively stands out from the masses – this is my mission.
Visionary music that never lets you go.
Music that makes you curious for more.
Music that has the power to create something new and to unite people. Music by and for DJs, ideally in a forceful dance floor sound, however not conservative but free in arrangement and open for new ideas, especially open for the combination of old and new. It should be loud and powerful but also subtle, subliminal, soulful and silent, right up to experimental bizarre and totally weird. It must be authentic, not something thats copied and imitated. Revolutionary music that creates something new. This is my impetus and that is how music should be, this is what Im looking for and that is what I want to reach. Searching and creating for 30 years... non stop!

"The Sound Of Music" – Techno, House and...(Falco)

...Club Music – this is the custom-made sound for the dance floor. It was a very exciting time back then, when electronic sounds became more and more present and established in the clubs. I can vividly recall when I heard Kraftwerk for the first time in 1981 at the Dorian Gray. It literally blew my skullcap! At that time, the Dorian Gray had the best sound system in Germany and I felt like being in an UFO: laser lights and fog clouds ("Computerwelt" was playing) in combination with that music... that was all I would need! Since that day, electronic music has always remained the most interesting and liberating music for me. The musical revolution, especially the revolution on the dance floor, is an electronic one!
Of course, the sound as such is the determining aspect. Rebellious analogue sounds, for instance made with Roland machines with the famous magic numbers 909, 808,101 and 303, with the Mini Moog or the Korg Synths MS20 and MonoPoly, have probably formed the sound of House and Techno the most.

Over the last few years, there have been many comments as well as discussions on the sound of a vinyl disc (which is, by the way, still the main analogue music carrier). However, no matter how you look at it: a well-manufactured record, played with a good pick-up system on a good pre-amp / mixing console simply sounds better than any of its digital competitors. Vinyl is THE medium for everybody who sets high values on good sound.

Ive always invested a lot of time in finding music. I used to visit record shops several times a week to check the latest records, exchange experiences with other DJs and producers and discuss about Techno and House music. Unfortunately, I only can afford this luxury two times a month now, due to time restraints, but the guys at Freebase Frankfurt are kind enough to send me the records home, as Im on the road too often. Admittedly, I do miss the social environment of a record store and the exchange of information with the DJs on the spot. Besides that, I get many promos sent to me regularly. However, there has been no change in my listening ritual: I dedicate a lot of time to my vinyl listening sessions. My credo is to find and select new music, to connect it and to create a totally new musical journey out of it again and again, and that has been my style for the last 30 years. Substance and quality of that music have always been the essential part of it – no matter whether the music was abstract or melodic: my eyes and my ears are always orientated towards the dance floor. I come from the dance floor, I literally grew up on the disco floors in Frankfurt and Ibiza, and they are the reason Im still performing.This is where my music should be able to unfold.

Technology&development: the famousturntables,my working tool – I was never interested in the development of playback possibilities...

For many years, DJs have not been interested in playback technology, as the only tool were turntables anyway.Mixing has been and still is essential for me. The challenge is to mix a set in a seamless way, especially when it lasts for several hours. For me, it is always connected with butterflies in your tummy, with stimulation and excitement. I would say that my strength is the improvisation, this "Lets try again!". While playing a set, its a passionate task to work towards that point where you can let yourself fall back in such a way that everything works as if by itself. I start playing just like that, like I would play an instrument. The friction between two records always announces – sometimes subtle, but sometimes rather quickly – the next fugue. The music intertwines and totally new dynamics emerge in the mix and on the dance floor. Energy, even magic starts to flow around the room and this is exactly the moment when everything loses itself and when you have the feeling that exactly now – and exactly here – we are WE!

I could never imagine myself working with a sync button, because I would miss the tension and, besides that, something very essential: the fun of mixing! Im also not a fan of effects and artificial breaks. Sure, some shenanigans with the equalizer are rather normal and can be indeed impressive when used but I want to emphasize that the music I play does not need any post-processing, edits and the like, as it already contains a certain originality and is not only able to keep its character, but to even develop and unfold it! Also as anauthor and producer, I would not be happy if my song was totally cut up and drowned in effects, I mean, what remains from your song then? Theres a big fluctuation nowadays, the DJ acts as the producer and the producer acts as the DJ. Blame it on technology!

I am a DJ, a selector and mediator, my performance and my attention are fully dedicated to the music I selected and my crowd – and to the moment! The pressure on passionate DJs, who apply themselves to the music, the choice and the quality of their set, has risen enormously. Today, its simply required that a practising or upcoming DJ has already produced a record. Ok, this may help, but what does it tell you about the qualities of a DJ???

Due to that technological progress, which was also initiated by producers and DJs, the DJ has difficulties to maintain his position as a selector and mediator. The industry has upgraded and is now on the cusp of destructing the arts and crafts of vinyl DJing with all those new software tools and digital possibilities. There is indeed a risk for the music that technology comes more and more to the fore, but the usage of effects and DJ tools can also lead into ..... The result could be a simple sound, static and dogmatic. That individual fascination would simply be lost and the magic moment is replaced by computation.

Who would still be able to write good and ambitious songs in such a setting? Who would still need messages and moods in the songs when replaceable beats are predominant? The bit producers and the loop- and effect-lapjockeys have also opened new doors for us, but the vast number of productions – and quality is often not the most important aspect here anyway – lose too much with the way this working methodis now establishing. At least too much of that has become what is important on the dance floor.

After all, it was always the big consensus that songs have united the scene. Songs that have a beginning and an end, with a story, a concrete mood: "Knights of the Jaguar" is a prime example here, for sure. However, songs like this one depend on an appropriate medium that gives them room to unfold. After the announcement that the production of the ingenious turntable Technics 1210 is coming to an end, it should get more and more difficult to develop a feeling for exactly this in the present generation, and even more in the coming generation. What would a piano player say if he was confronted with the fact that grand pianos will not be produced anymore? However, he could continue playing on E-pianos – which have more possibilities anyway! Sad news, not only for vinyl DJs, because thus a part of our culture is slowly disappearing.An important part, without which this whole movement would not have been possible.

"Put the needle on the record..."(Criminal Element Orchestra / M/A/R/R/S)

Although it gets harder and harder for me as a vinyl DJ to find my music, I do look forward to the coming years and to perform for you. Please forgive me if I play CDs here and there – you know I already did that in the past, too, and it may get a little more in the future. Anyway, vinyl is still the Champions League for me and I will continue supporting and releasing it! I still consider two turntables and a mixer to be my instrument, for 30 years already, and nothing should change about that. Even more: I would be more than happy if many of the present and coming generation would share exactly this fascination for perfect sound, songs and moods with me and follow me.

I want to thank you for your confidence, your love, your interest and your sweat in the last 30 years – There was always love in the air and there always will be!

Thankfully, my passion for dancing and music has remained unchanged and, so that also in the future, it will be my biggest pleasure to perform for you on the decks.

See you on the dance floor – lets dance!

Love, Sven

P.S. Of course, I want to tell you more about my thoughts and experiences in the last 30 years. More about that later, maybe at the end of 2011, as Im already working on that and will keep you updated.

P.P.S. 80 % of the DJs that are signed to Cocoon Artist Booking are playing vinyl.