Interview with Mathias Kaden
Mathias Kaden is a name well known in the world of house and techno releasing powerful, funky and irresistible music via Freude am Tanzen, Vakant, Cocoon, Desolat, Suara, Moon Harbour and other imprints.
Whether incredibly multi-faceted producer is behind the decks or in the studio, his creative presence has been a mainstay throughout the years pushing boundaries to new heights.
We had an opportunity to have a little chat with Mathias while he visited New York in February for a captivating hybrid live and DJ set. Party was hosted by a respectable NYC promoter Resolute at one of our favorite clubs in Brooklyn, The Panther Room.
What’s grabbing your attention these days and how would you say your tastes have evolved over time?
I still like the house music, which I like to call Power House. I play quite strong, but Techno is too hard for me. It has to be groovy, but in a sexy way. A full floor with only guys screaming was never my intension ;-))
What was your favorite country and/or place you’ve played, and why?
It ́s hard to say, every country has something positive & negative. For sure it’s interesting for me to play outside of Europe, such as Japan, North & South America. Japan is all about music lovers and you can play very deep and they will freak out, they are super respectful! South America is the continent of rhythm and movement. I feel very much at home, especially in Chile. I came to North America for the first time in 2008 so it’s still a new market for me and a very interesting scene. It is growing fast nowadays.
The supporters of NYC’s electronic music scene are very diverse; they come from all over the world. What do you feel is the difference in the vibe (while playing) between NYC and Germany?
In Germany, if you play in Berlin, is quite the same as New York for me. I enjoy and I also need the mix of the people for my music. When I’m going to play in a real German club, I have to say we had better times in the past than now. Sometimes I have the feeling the people are bored from all these parties, or they like all the new music, a bit EDM, a bit of the new Deep House. I call it "Romantic House“. Anyway, over the last 20 years I see music styles coming and leaving, we will also survive this new hype.
On your travels, you must have seen a lot of DJ’s or acts. Who is an artist to watch?
Oh yes, often it is the unknown DJ ́s which are the best and surprising. I ́m also a big fan of Mr. KINK and you need to for sure watch out for German producer Chef Butch. A few others who should be on your radar are Spanish melodic master Eduardo de la Calle, and German youngsters Konstantin Sibold and Kobosil from Berghain!
Are there any new original EP’s of yours or remixes coming out soon? Is there any new material coming out form your band Karocel?
For now we have closed the topic, Karocel, but you never know for the future. It was an amazing time for me and I learned a lot being part of a band. The second remix EP for my last album, „Energetic“, on our Label Freude am Tanzen, will come out soon; including work from Deetron, Uner, Pulshar, and Daniel Stefanik!! The first remix EP was with Redshape, Michael Mayer, Nick Curly and Cuthead. I’m still very proud of these remixes. Another EP will come out soon but I can ́t tell the label right now.
Here are a few of the tracks that I’ve played out lately:
Butch - The_Message - Tuskegee
Jonathan Kaspar - Cross_Pendant - Pets
Dani Siciiano - I ́m the Question (Ben Vreden Remix) - Circus Company
DJ Koze - Royal Asscher Cut (Mathias Kaden ́s Flötotto Remix)
Shenoda - Mancs - Electric Minds
DLSK - Subterraneans EP - Raum Musik
Sons Of Tiki - Three-Man Attack –Vakant
Thank you so much for your time Mathias, we appreciate you taking a moment to chat with us here at the Fiction Lab.
You can buy Mathias Kaden's latest releases through the links below