Timo Benz read the full interview here
Real name | : Timo Benz | Artistname | : Timo Benz | Aliases | : Axora (for Trance tracks) | Website | : click here | Born in | : 1981 | Girlfriend? | : yes | Location | : Stuttgart, Germany | Influences | : Johannes Heil, Adam Beyer | Work: | : Testing engineer at Mercedes Benz Trucks | Gigs | : Neue Heimat, Stuttgart; Aquatower, Duisburg; Treibhaus, Glöwen; Orange, Stuttgart | Netlabel releases | : Timo Benz - Akulon EP [Access Denied] · Timo Benz - Gorex EP [Decomplex Audio] · V.A. - Deluxe #7 [Decomplex Deluxe] · V.A. - Deluxe #8 [Decomplex Deluxe] · V.A. - Deluxe #9 [Decomplex Deluxe] | Vinyl releases | : · Timo Benz - Gangbang #1 [Gangbang Records] · Timo Benz - The Ecolution EP [Northbeatz Audio] · Timo Benz & Plan-E - Darkstar Empire EP [Strøm Recordings] · Tadox meets Timo Benz - Art Of Alliance EP [Groovebeat Records] · Timo Benz - Majia EP [GAD X-Cell] ... coming soon · V.A. - Distant Drums (Part 3) [Drumworks] ... coming soon · Timo Benz - tba [Strøm Recordings] ... coming soon | Producer since | : 1999 | Favourite FOEM track | : Cinex - New World | Favourite FOEM producer | : Pette Vaydex, MMB | Artist tracks appeared on FOEM/EY Vol. | : 1,2,4,5,9,11 | Interview FOEM/CJ Renegade: Hi everyone! It’s been a while again, being really busy with school, my teachers are really going paranoia, and it looks like they have hyperactive ants in their butt. They all seem to organise projects trough each other, and now I understand why people thinks that this is the most difficulties year on the Highschool, hehe. Well, enough about me, this week we have a german producer who’s already been a while familiar with the idea of FOEM. An artist from start, and someone who always came back with some tracks and made everyone shock! Ladies en gentlemen, here’s, from Stuttgart, Timo Benz! FOEM/CJ Renegade: So Timo, wazzzzzzup man? Could you tell me where that producingfeeling is coming from? Timo Benz: Hey man..! At the age of 8 I started a instrumental music training which lasted over 13 years. Even if I stopped it, I'm very glad that I did it. I think today producing is easier for me with this musical background. At the same time when I began playing an instrument, I listened to the pop-music of the 80s in the radio. From the beginning I was fascinated of the versatility of the electronic sounds, the infinite varieties that are possible. That's why I also liked the upcoming Trance- and Dance-sound in the 90s until I hold my first real Techno-sampler in my hands. Since then I'm in love with the harder kind of Techo. FOEM/CJ Renegade: Who told you the concept of ‘musicmaking’? Timo Benz: It was a very good friend of mine, he got Propellerhead's ReBirth at Christmas 1998. That was the first time I did my first steps in creating techno music. I loved producing so I decided to continue it, to improve my methods, my software, etc. It was always very important for me not to create only one style. I'm influenced of a lot of different styles 'cause in my leisure time I like listening to Pop-Music, Classic Music, Acid Jazz and many more. Until today I finished more than 250 tracks and I think all sound different. For sure there are a lot of tracks I don't like anymore. My biggest problem all time was that I hadn't any connections to producers in my surroundings. So I was forced to learn all thing on my own without help. That was a very long process. I think it would have been much easier if I've got help or some ticks & tricks. But in my opinion I was successful anyway. FOEM/CJ Renegade: I know that problem, I’m the only one in my surroundings who is seriously busy with producing, but I know several local DJ’s, but those one aren’t making tracks. I don’t know much local DJ’s who are also producing. Are you also a DJ? Timo Benz: Yes, I'm also DJ. I started with it before I started producing. I think it was at the age of 16... I can't remember exactly the way I came to the dj'ing. I only know that I got a leaflet of a record store and I ordered some cheap records without knowing the music on it. At the same time the same friend as above bought his first turntables. So we could train in his cellar. First we only mixed Trance. But later we noticed that Techno is our real style. I bought my first turntables 2 years ago. I know, that's very late, but I always had friends were I could mix. In addition I hadn't much time and pleasure to mix in my apartment on my own. Also today I have to force me to do a new promo-mix or a mix for a broadcast. In the club it's another thing. I love playing in front of floors full of people who like my sound. I would love to have more gigs, but I'm also very lazy to ask clubs for it. FOEM/CJ Renegade: So, you are DJ. Do you also make Live Perfomance Acts? And if you do, with what kind of gear are you doing that? Timo Benz: No, I don't have the right equipment to do Live PAs. I produce mainly with software. Not really suitable for Live PAs I think. A PA should also look nice for the people, the eyes also “listen”. It's very fascinating to watch for example Alexander Kowalski or Johannes Heil doing a Live PA. FOEM/CJ Renegade: Are you someone that work alone, or do you prefer to have idea’s from other producers as well? What might other artists expect from you about remixing and remixes? Timo Benz: Sometimes I work with other artists. In the past I did some collaborations e.g. with Plan-E, Chris Binder and Tadox. I like working with them. They are very good and professional producers. But without the internet and the possibilities of modern producing software this collaborations wouldn't work. I don't want to miss these possibilities today. Together with Plan-E I released two powerful tracks on the Darkstar Empire EP, published by the dutch label Strøm Recordings in 2005. Another very collaboration is my project “Druckwerk”. That are my friend Andreas Tanneberger aka André Vanox and me. I love producing with André. We often sit at my little studio and work at tracks hours by hours. He has very good feeling for powerful synthlines. We expect the record “Phobia” on the label Freqent this year. Rarely I do some remixes, but none was released yet. I did two great remixes for Elton D. but we are still searching for a suitable label. It's very difficult although Elton D. is a good name and the remixes are really good. Generally I have problems making remixes. It's more exhausting for me than producing a solo track 'cause I don't like being constricted in ideas. FOEM/CJ Renegade: I’m not agreed with being constricted in idea’s…a remix is a new open source in an already existing track. Do you make music on other fronts then electronic music? Timo Benz: I don't play in any Band. I only produce electronic music but I often try different styles like Trance, Pop-Music, Breakbeat or other things. I also worked at a electronic synphonie, but at the moment I have no time for it. Playing in a band isn't the right thing for me 'cause I don't want to have any time borders for making music. I want to produce when I'm creative and when I have the joy to this and not when it's time for rehearsing. FOEM/CJ Renegade: But, you can also mention that other people idea’s can work also good for your own inspiration, though that is what I think! Are you also registered to other ‘boards’ then Electronic Youth? Timo Benz: I'm registered in a lot of boards all over the world. The two boards I visit mainly are the German USB (www.unitedsb.de) and the English Blackout Audio Board (www.blackoutaudio.co.uk). Unfortunately I haven't enough time to visit them often. I think that today these boards are a fixed and important part of the techno-scene. Because of these boards I got a lot of important connections. FOEM/CJ Renegade: Another question…how did you found FOEM? Was it like, ‘poof’ and you found our concept? Tell the people here how you came to FOEM! Timo Benz: I don't know exactly but I think that I read something on a board. It sounded very interesting and I was very filled with enthusiasm by the concept of FOEM/EY. I got in contact with Rockmachine and loaded my first tracks up. Since then I released a lot of tracks on different EY-sampler. FOEM/CJ Renegade: And I like your tracks, though it’s not my usual genre, heh. What do you really like about FOEM? Timo Benz: Thanks! I like the concept of FOEM. Today it is very difficult to find a label without any name or any connections. FOEM offers a platform where unknown but good producers can publish there music. And you see, that some FOEM artists have contracts and releases on labels now, like Sascha Müller, Pette Vaydex or me. I think that in the future much more FOEM-artists will get releases. I also like the variety of the compilations. Not only one style but different styles separated on 2-3 CDs. So always there has to be at least one CD you like. FOEM/CJ Renegade: And those CD’s…do you think they ever will be released in a real shop? What do you think about the future of FOEM? Timo Benz: Furthermore FOEM will be a platform for young talented producers. There are a lot of fans and I think it will be much more in the future. And I hope that also others artists will get the possibility to release 12”-records on labels. In any case I wish you all the best for the future of FOEM! FOEM/CJ Renegade: That are indeed the aims we have! What are your musical aims? Timo Benz: My biggest aim is that much more people all over the world know my name and like my music. It is important for me that I don't produce only for my harddisc. So I hope for more releases maybe on well-known international labels. I also want to experiment with influences of different styles. I don't want to stop on the move, but developing my skills, my methods, ... For this year I hope that my upcoming releases will be successful and that I can do a collaboration with my mate Dean Rodell. FOEM/CJ Renegade: Definitely want to hear that! Do you want to make producing as you job? Timo Benz: Oh no man. Music is and will be only a hobby for me. I love my job and I would never give it up although it would be very nice to earn money by doing your hobby. I think that's very risky today to earn money with “underground” music. I have very conservative aims for my life and I think that I couldn't reach them with “electronic music”. But I couldn't live without this hobby. I need it like water. FOEM/CJ Renegade: Interesting, I think also that people gets less inspiration when it goes about the money…it needs to be directly out of your heart. When you sent your last promo to a label, what was their reaction? Which label was it? Timo Benz: I send promo-cds permanently to labels. Most of them didn't answer, some of them like the stuff, but it doesn’t fit to the label and sometimes there's one who wants to release your stuff. Unfortunately it's very rarely. Although I have some releases out it is very difficult for me to find labels which want to release my tracks. I think that I have to wait long time until labels ask for tracks. FOEM/CJ Renegade: What do you think of the contemporary popular music which is played by normal radio stations? Timo Benz: In my opinion there's a lot of low quality pop-music, only made for making money. The song constructions are very simple, but the masses want this kind of music. Rarely there are very good songs of very good artists. Today most artists and bands/groups are casted and they are only one-hit-wonders. The music isn't very authentic 'cause they get an image made by the major labels. It is a piss take of people. I miss new “real” musicians like Phil Collins, The Beatles or ABBA, who wrote songs on their own and a lot of famous hits. That's why I prefer the pop-music of the 60s-80s. There was much more quality than today. FOEM/CJ Renegade: If you would name 1 band or producer which has influenced you most, who would it be? And what exactly was the thing you were so impressed by him / them? Timo Benz: In electronic music Johannes Heil influenced me mostly. Since I bought the LP “Reality to MIDI” I love his music and bought a lot of records of him. I think he is one of the most creative Techno artists in the world. He never stopped on the move and he always developed his style. Every new record was a new experience in high quality Techno music. It was also very important for me to create versatile tracks: sometimes Tribal-Techno, sometimes Hardgroove or sometimes melodic influenced Techno. FOEM/CJ Renegade: What do you think about downloading music from the internet? Is it good for the music? Timo Benz: It's good to have this new way of ordering music. MP3 is very popular and it's very simple to get your music. But in my opinion the costs have to go down. Tracks are still too expensive although the costs for labels are lower than for CDs or vinyl. At the moment I hope that much more Techno-tracks will be available at the major MP3-portals like iTunes in the future. The developing is in the right way. I also have some pure MP3-releases on Decomplex Audio (or sub-labels). FOEM/CJ Renegade: What is your alltime favourite track? Why? Timo Benz: I don't have any alltime-favourite-track. I love a lot of tracks of very different styles. For example Johannes Heil's Paranoid Dancer. This track is great. The powerful saw-bassline or the awesome synthpad. This track is unique! I also love the track Semiole by Kriss Dior (Monoid 28). Although I would never play this track it is a very great production. Very dark and a corky buildup. FOEM/CJ Renegade: True! If I need to chose, right now wich track I like most, I must say I really don’t know…which is your favourite club? Timo Benz: I have no favorite club, 'cause I don't go clubbing at the moment. But one club I like much is the U60311 in Frankfurt. The atmosphere there is always magnificent. In my past I often went to the “Neue Heimat @ Club Prag” in Stuttgart. I loved the location, the people and the music there. FOEM/CJ Renegade: What's one thing you're a fan of that people might not expect? A surprise for people that know you a little bit? Timo Benz: I think there's nothing special what people would surprise. In my leisure time I like to go mountain-biking, I like watching the Formula 1. I am a conservative person with normal hobbies and conservative aims for my life. Maybe people might not expect that I love ballads. FOEM/CJ Renegade: This question do we ask at lot of artists, but we also want it to know it from you. Being a musician or a DJ can be tough and frustrating and many musicians and DJs 'burn out' after a number of years. How do you plan to sustain your efforts over the coming years and avoid that 'burn out'? Timo Benz: As I said I want to develop my style by working with influences of other styles. It is important to try new things to avoid this “burn-out”. I'm not frighten about that situation, 'cause I often had phases with no ideas. But after them I had also phases with a lot of ideas. The big advantage is that I don't have to earn money with the music. So I am not forced to have every time good ideas for new tracks. FOEM/CJ Renegade: Have good luck and much fun in your life! FOEM supports you as much as possible! Timo Benz: Thanks guys! |