|
 It's been a while since we caught up with Dennis Sheperd but with his appearance at Tall 2XLC’s Technoclub 26th anniversary this week looming we went to catch up...
He's only been releasing records since 2007 but since then Dennis Sheperd has highlighted himself to be one of Germany's next breakout electronic dance music stars. We last caught up with Dennis last year and since then he has been touring the globe bringing his music to new parts of the EDM scene. It is in Germany this week that he will play somewhat of a landmark gig with his first ever appearance at the legendary Technoclub. One of Germany's biggest and longest running club nights they will be celebrating 26 years on the scene this week and have assembled a monster of a line up to set the party off in style. Dennis will be one who will ensure the party is set alight with top notch tunes. We went to catch a few words with him before he steps behind the very famous decks with Talla 2XlC.
i:Vibes: Dennis thanks for taking some time to talk to i:Vibes. The last time we spoke was July 2009. How has your music developed in the last 16 months. It seems you have produced less?
Dennis: No, I didn’t produce less. I just did a lot of productions I’m holding back at the moment for a special reason. For which reason you will get to know soon!
i:Vibes: What was your coolest musical experience in the summer of 2010 that you will never forget?
Dennis: Playing in front of 10.000 people in Almaty in Kazakhstan. This was a really nice experience.
i:Vibes: I asked you in the last interview if you would like to play in the Technoclub and you said of course. Maybe Talla read that and now you will get your chance in December. How excited are you about making your Technoclub debut?
Dennis: I’m so excited, it’s the most popular and one of the oldest Trance-events in Germany and I feel very honored that I got invited.
i:Vibes: Have you ever been to a Technoclub night and how important has this club been to EDM?
Dennis: Unfortunately I haven’t been to a Technoclub night before but my good friend Cold Blue was there a few times and always told me good things about that. I think the club night is quite important for Trance music in Germany, especially with the support of the compilation series. It shows the variety of Trance music and how beautiful it is.
i:Vibes: Do you remember when you heard the name Talla 2XLC for the first time?
Dennis: Yes, the first time I heard of Talla was because of his own release called “The World In My Eyes”. After that I also really loved his release called “Can You Feel The Silence”.
i:Vibes: When you hear the name Talla 2XLC what comes to mind? How important has his music been to EDM?
Dennis: Talla 2XLC? One of the ancestors of German Trance music. How long is he doing his stuff already? I think there is a Technoclub party before which is called “30 years of DJ’ing”? Unbelievable Talla is doing his stuff so long already. No wonder he has been honored by his hometown city Frankfurt with an award.
i:Vibes: How would a Talla 2XLC/Dennis Sheperd production sound like?
Dennis: I think it would be a bit more energetic than my general stuff and I’m sure we would find a good vocalist as well which would suit our both tastes.
i:Vibes: If you could ask one question to Talla 2XLC that you always wanted to know what would you ask?
Dennis: “May I mix CD 2 of one the upcoming Technoclub compilations?” ;)
i:Vibes: What can we expect from your DJ set?
Dennis: My sets always vary from housy to proggy stuff and become more energetic in the end. To be honest: 80% of my played tracks are categorized as house nowadays BUT for me they all have one thing together: A special feeling which I only know from Trance music.
i:Vibes: You recently placed 537 in the DJ Mag poll. What will be most important for you to do to keep getting a better placement? Maybe Gareth Emery can give you tips, because he has reached number 7 with mostly just music doing the talking.
Dennis: Get more people to know my music. That’s my highest aim. I’m sure fans will come easily, they just have to hear what I’m producing!
i:Vibes: Gareth Emery will play at the Technoclub party as well. If you could ask him one question about his producing talent what would you ask him?
Dennis: Haha, I’ve already asked him all my questions via email back in 2008.
He’s a really nice guy and always sent me very detailed answers. I’ve also met him already at the ASOT 400 party in Wuppertal where he played as well.
i:Vibes: What releases are coming in the future from you? You will be remixing a Kirsty Hawkshaw and Jan Johnston track. Can you fill us in with some early information about these remixes?
Dennis:
i:Vibes: A few months ago, you released "Left of the world" which was released on Euphonic Records. What was your inspiration behind the track and title?
Dennis: The instrumental was produced for a quite long time already and I’ve tried various singers on this one. Fortunately Richard Bedford liked it really well and wrote a text on this song. For me he’s one of the most talented writers in EDM right now. Unfortunately due to contract clauses he isn’t allowed to use his voice on other productions than Above & Beyond’s. So I had to search for another singer and Cornelis van Dijk recorded his nice voice with Richard’s text. I feel very honored to work with such talented people all over the globe and I think the result turned out really well.
i:Vibes: "Pressure" was another nice track that you produced recently. Especially the Cressida remix is fantastic. Is this a track that you would play in the Techno Club? Do you get my hint? What do you like most about the remix?
Dennis: Actually “Pressure” was my first release back in 2007 on MPFS Records. I really like how Cressida interpreted my original in its own way and giving it a more atmospheric touch in the breakdown. At the moment I give “Pressure” away for free (including the Cressida remix) if you sign up for my newsletter at: http://newsletter.dennissheperd.comI can’t say if I would play it in the Technoclub because I always decide during my set which tracks I play, not before.
i:Vibes: I like your "Pressure" version as well. It is produced really well. Was this a track that took a lot of bleeding or did you bang it out quickly?
Dennis: Thanks. To be honest: I don’t remember anymore how much time I spent producing this track but I think I worked on it a few weeks back in 2007.
i:Vibes: You made a great remix for Cold Blue Mt Everest last year. what was the most difficult thing that you had to do to get the remix perfect in the studio?
Dennis: I already loved the original so much that the most difficult thing for me was to interpret the original in a different way. I think I succeeded.
i:Vibes: You played in Poland with Above & Beyond at Trance around the world. What was most memorable about this gig?
Dennis: I always love to get in touch with fans who love my music. And I met some of these in Poland as well. That’s one of the things which I like most with gigs (besides playing in front of a crowd enjoying my music selection choice).
i:Vibes: One artist that you would like to be locked away in the studio is Kyau & Albert. Is this dream getting any closer to reality? How would a "Are you fine 2010" Dennis Sheperd remix sound like?
Dennis: Kyau & Albert are doing most of their stuff on their own. I only know about one collaboration which they recently did with Above & Beyond. I think they never did a collaboration before! Will be quite hard to compete with the A&B guys. ;)
i:Vibes: "Not too late" with Cold Blue is an amazing track. Will you and Cold Blue be doing any new tracks in the future?
Dennis: Yes, there’s already one new collaboration finished with amazing vocals! Be prepared. It’s lots of fun producing stuff with Cold Blue, he’s a great inspiration. And please don’t forget about our latest track “Freefalling”( Listen to it right here).
i:Vibes: One of your all time favorite tracks is Satellite from Oceanlab. What do you like so much about this track that makes it one of your favorite tracks of all time?
Dennis: I so much love the vocals on this track. It’s unbelievable. That’s what makes it really shine out from all the other releases.
i:Vibes: The Christmas season is fast approaching. What do enjoy most about the holiday season?
Dennis: Getting in contact with all people you love.
i:Vibes: What gift are you wishing to get for Christmas?
Dennis: Nothing, I’m satisfied and happy with life as it is right now. I’m not a materialistic guy.
i:Vibes: Thanks Dennis for chat. See you at Technoclub!!!
Dennis: Thank you for the nice questions and see you there too!
|
![[i:Vibes]](i_pic/ivibes_new.jpg)
Frontpage
News
Reviews
Interviews
Party Reports
Artist Profiles
Label profiles
Diaries
What is...
Tutorials
Links
Radio-info
Forum
Chat
User Stats
Crew-info
i:Vibes Info
Related Links
Tell a friend
