WANKELMUT X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [BEST ADVICE, FAVOURITE CLUB, CHALLENGES]

Jacob Dilssner, known as Wanklemut, is a well-established, Beatport chart-topping German creative force who’s been actively releasing his own unique signature brand of electronic dance music for well over seven years. His highly successful Gold and Platinum-awarded remix of Israeli musician Asaf Avidan’s ‘One Day / Reckoning Song’ marked his first foray into the scene in the summer of 2012. The following year, the release of he and Australian singer/songwriter Emma Louise’s collaborative track ‘My Head is a Jungle’ marked another pivotal point for the artist, hitting the Top 20 charts all over Europe, as well as receiving a 2014 remix from Detroit house legend MK.

THE INTERVIEW

CR: Hello Jacob, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing?

W: Very well. I just back from record shopping at Berlin’s finest record store “Elevate” run by Cinthie.

CR: Tell us a little bit about yourself, what is the story behind the name ‘Wankelmut’?

W: Throughout my whole career, and maybe life, there is a constant presence of yin/yang, black/white or dark / night in my life. I do pop music and I do underground house bangers. I play little dirty clubs in Berlin and the biggest festivals all over Europe. I am a Dad at home with my newborn son and I am a Raver just a few blocks away at Berghain.

CR: The track ‘Rouge’, tell us a little bit about the producing process, as well as where did the inspiration come from?

W: The singer is someone I am quite aware of, and we have seen each other at studio sessions for quite a while. She came up with those brilliant lines and did the song.

CR: Is there anything else about the current state of dance music that you’d want to change?

W: It needs to get going again. I feel a lot of potential and new things coming and I am glad there is no huge change towards negative elements.

CR: What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it?

W: Shapeshifters – Lola’s Theme. Works all over the world and I love it. Heard it thousands of times.

CR: What is the best advice you have received while pursuing your career as a DJ/Producer?

W: Relax.

CR: We know the House Music scene is huge in Germany how did that influence you as an artist? Also, which club in Germany is your favourite to attend.

W: I am a dancefloor man which means I made my rounds at Bar25 and Berghain about 10 years ago. My favourite club is Watergate because it is a short walking distance.

CR: What were some of the challenges when you started DJing?

W: I started with a pair of 1210 MK2 turntables and a cheap DJ mixer. Spent many nights spinning and mixing until I was ready enough to step out.

CR: Do you have any hobbies during your downtime when you are not DJing or producing music?

W: I take care of my VW Bully bus as a hobby.

CR: Are there any projects that you are working on? Any exciting post-lockdown plans?

W: Many projects. Many remixes.

Lighting Round!!

Coffee or tea? TEA

Hard liquor or Wine? HARD LIQUOR

Cake or pie? CAKE

Hot dogs or hamburgers? HAMBURGERS

Xbox or PlayStation? XBOX

Movie theatre or arcade? MOVIE THEATRE

Guitar or piano? GUITAR

Marvel or DC Comics? MARVEL

Dog or cat? CAT

Hot weather or cold weather? GREAT WEATHER. MOSTLY HOT.

WANKELMUT SOCIALS:

RUFF X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [HISTORY, GUESTMIX, CAREER CHOICE]

Ruff kicked off his catalogue in July 2020 with 'Self Sabotage' alongside MIKEY C & Lila McKenna, which proved to be a hugely successful debut, achieving well over 300,000 streams on Spotify alone and staunch support from the likes of Will Sparks. The track was quickly followed by ‘Without It’; Ruff’s first collaborative effort with Robbie Rosen. In addition to ‘Reasons’, 2021 saw the release of an energetic dance flip of the Justin Bieber classic ‘Love Yourself’, which gained support from industry titan R3HAB; a testament to the rising star’s studio prowess. Drawing inspiration from the likes of The Chainsmokers, Lost Kings, Gryffin, NOTD, & Martin Garrix, Ruff possesses an innate talent for radio-ready cuts, with his growing discography having already attracted over 50,000 monthly Spotify listeners and 2.5 million combined streams since his 2020 debut. Effortlessly combining the uplifting sensibilities of electronic music with his unique flair of emotive pop, Ruff’s ever-evolving orchestral dance-pop crossover sound has already touched fans around the world, setting him in perfect stead to cultivate an adoring global fanbase.

THE INTERVIEW

CR: Hello Ruff, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing?

R: I’m doing great, thanks for having me!

CR: Tell us a little bit about yourself and where did the name ‘Ruff’ come from?

R: For sure, I am a 21-year-old Dance-Pop artist from New Jersey. My artist name “Ruff” comes from it being my childhood nickname since my real name is Nick Ruffalo!

CR: What is the best advice you have received while pursuing your career as a DJ/Producer?

R: To never give up and just keep finishing music. Sometimes you get stuck in a creative rut and it may feel like the end of the world trying to break out of it, but having the will to push through and keep fighting is what separates the good from the great.

CR: We know the EDM scene has been growing in New Jersey how did that influence you as an artist? Also, which club in New Jersey is your favourite to attend?

R: Being from right outside of New York City where I’m located in New Jersey, having this mixture of influences from Jersey and New York simultaneously has been awesome in helping my growth as an artist and performer. Getting to meet so many people from so many different backgrounds and cultures is something that is so special being from here. My favourite club here in Jersey has to be Karma in Seaside down the shore, a classic spot.

CR: You must be busy producing and being a guest on others podcasts but will you be releasing any more episodes for ‘Ruff Presents: The Dawg House Mix Series’, who will be the next guest in the mix?

R: Definitely! I have a few special guests lined up that I’m really excited about, starting with the Little L3GENDS.

CR: What do you like to do during your downtime other than producing music?

R: I am an avid fan of working out, getting outside and hitting some walks, and just being in nature.

CR: If you had the chance to open for any artist around the world, who would it be and where would it be?

R: Opening for the Chainsmokers at any venue anywhere in the world would be absolutely incredible.

CR: DJs/ Producers travel with multiples of that one item, what is that item for you?

R: Laptop!

CR: If you were not a producer/DJ what would have been your career choice?

R: Something in the marketing/entrepreneurship/business realm.

CR: Are there any projects/music that you are working on that we should know about?

R: A ton of new music will be dropping this year, with some collaborations lined up as well that I’m super excited about!

Lighting Round

Texting or talking?- Texting

Coffee or tea? - Coffee

Hard liquor or Wine? - Neither :)

Cake or pie? - Cake

Hot dogs or hamburgers - Hamburgers

Xbox or PlayStation? - Xbox

Movie theatre or arcade? - Arcade

Guitar or piano? - Piano

Marvel or DC Comics? - Marvel

Dog or cat? - Dog

Hot weather or cold weather? - Cold

Follow RUFF on his Socials:

QUATERHEAD X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [THE NAME, THE MUSIC , AND THE SCENE]

2020 was an incredible year for the pair, with LUM!X’s international hit ‘The Passenger’ racking up over 80 million streams on all platforms. Similarly ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes’ alongside Ofenbach continues to be an outstanding success months after release, achieving over 320 million streams worldwide to date. The track achieved gold and platinum status in Germany, France, Poland and Austria as well as number 50 in the global Spotify chart.

With a back catalogue larger than most, Quarterhead have earned quite the name for themselves. Working with some of the biggest artists in the industry, from Robin Shulz, LUM!X and  Alle Farben to the Backstreet Boys, Quaterhead’s limitless abilities are inimitable. With 2020 proving to be their biggest year to date, they now look to set yet more milestones in 2021, with ‘Touch My Body’ setting a standard of things to come from the incredible pair.

THE INTERVIEW

CR: Hello Quarterhead, Glad to have you on Canadianravers how are you doing?

QH: Thanks for having us! We’re having a good time right now.

CR: Can you tell us a little bit about yourselves and where does the name ‘Quarterhead’ comes from? 

QH: So this band called Quarterhead is us, Josh & Janik. We started with 15 as an acoustic singer/songwriter project and slowly evolved into the dance/pop/EDM duo we represent now. When we finished school we didn’t know what to do: should we pursue music or not? So we flipped a coin. The name was born.

CR: Tell us a little bit of the story behind the track ‘Touch My Body’, the producing process, as well where did the inspiration come from it?

QH: We really had a crush on 90s R&B at the time we wrote it. So the song came to life at 93BPM with this Rhodes vibe underneath it. We later sped Josh’s vocal up and landed on this awesome dance vibe. It was quite a journey and really not the classic way to write a song.

CR: You have created an amazing track ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes’, it has been recreated from a children’s nursery rhyme, do you think more artists should recreate more nursery rhymes to give them a nostalgic feeling?

QH: We’d never tell anybody what to do or not to do but this was a lot of fun! When we did HSKT the melody was in the room first. When we searched for words somebody said “head shoulders knees & toes” and we really liked the idea to write a song about falling in love with your whole body - from head to toe. So this was how it came together. So “recycling” a nursery rhyme wasn’t the intention in the first place but there’s a lot of things to rediscover, for sure!

CR: We know the Electronic Dance Music scene is huge in Germany how did that influence you as artists? Also, which club in Germany is your favourite to attend.

QH: For us, that’s probably Bootshaus in Cologne. Unlike anything else! But there are many great and very different venues. The diversity is amazing. We grew up with a lot of DJs and dance songs on the radio. That leg some footprints. But as dance is quite universal the influences are definitely crossing borders to other countries as well.

CR: What is the best advice you have received while pursuing your career as a DJs/Producers?

QH: There have been many important ones in different stages but being open to external opinions is very important. Success is always a product of hard teamwork. Whatever you think is right might only be the surface of a bigger truth. 

CR: Where do you think the scene is headed? One year from now? Five years from now?

QH: We really hope that Covid will generate or cause a new love for clubbing, going out, meeting and celebrating with people. It really felt like the club scene had a hard time and lost a lot of attention to Nemlix or all sorts of digital social interaction. Many people might realize that this is never the “real thing” and go out more in the future. Life, friendships and love are to be celebrated! 

CR: What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear it?

QH: Dom Dolla - Take It

CR: What is it that you love about the scene? Your subgenre's scene?

QH: We feel the scene is opening up more and more. A house nerd might be more open to pop-remixes, urbanized disco vibes and techno-infused main stage material. All in all, this is a development we really welcome. There is so much to discover! 

CR: Are there any upcoming projects that you are working on that our followers should know about?

QH: We are currently working on an amazing remix with a very well-known vocalist we can’t talk about, but stay tuned! It’s gonna be great.

Lighting Round

Texting or talking? Talk

Coffee or tea? Coffee

Hard liquor or Wine? Wine. Always.

Cake or pie? Cake

Hot dogs or hamburgers. Anything as long as they’re veggy

Xbox or PlayStation? PlayStation

Movie theatre or arcade? Movie Theatre.

Guitar or piano? This one is hard. Changes with the seasons!

Marvel or DC Comics? DC

Dog or cat? Dog

Hot weather or cold weather? HOT, any time.

Quarterhead Socials: