On The Fly with Gregor Tresher

Photo: Gregor Tresher

mUmU have made a habit of enlisting the talents of top drawer underground stars of house and techno in their years as a partying force - such is the case with their twelve hour Halloween hoe-down at The Old Cains Brewery on November 1st, which will flaunt sets from the likes of house music institution Chez Damier, Circoloco resident Clive Henry and Frankfurt based techno head Gregor Tresher (more on that here).

Since starting out as a DJ in the mid nineties, Gregor Tresher has grown to notoriety through his explorations into the more melodic avenues of dance music. Recent times have seen him plunging headlong into a world of throbbing hypnotic techno and metallic, tech house, whilst at the same time maintaining that tuneful know-how, evident on last year's LP Nightcolors. 

Not happy with merely creating music for the dance floor, Gregor's remit has been to engage the entire person, which has yielded a depth to his sound, made all that more intriguing through his use of vintage synths which add a visceral element to his emotive style (as heard in his best selling record 'A Thousand Nights' below).

We caught up with Gregor Tresher ahead of his mUmU gig, to find out why so much great techno comes from Frankfurt, why its important of not pre-prepare DJ sets, and what keeps him hooked on techno.

Hi Gregor, thanks for speaking with us. First things first, you arrive in Liverpool for mUmU on November 1st. Is Liverpool somewhere you’ve played before? Are you looking forward to the gig?

I played mUmU a few years ago and have nothing but great memories of it! I'm very much looking forward to returning next weekend.

What can we look forward to from your set there? Have you anything special in mind for the Liverpool ravers?

Well, I always try to to be inspired by the moment and take it from there. I think it's an important part of DJing to not be over-prepared (apart from having your carefully selected music with you of course). It would be boring to know exactly what you're going to play before even entering the room (see him do just that below).

Very good point. So, how has your summer been? Where have you enjoyed playing and what have been some highlights?

It's been a crazy summer this year, August was especially hectic. All the festivals were great as always, but I also had the chance to play places I haven't been before - especially Output in Brooklyn was something I´ve been looking forward to for a long time and it was a really great night there.

I also played at Fusion Festival for the first time this year and must say it was really special and exciting. Also to be back at Awakenings Festival and playing Goa in Madrid were highlights of my summer.

Lets go back to your home town now - Frankfurt has been heavily involved with the evolution of techno in the past 20 years, what is it about the city that nurtures so much quality techno?

I don't really know, but Frankfurt surely had a big impact on electronic music, especially in the early years. The club scene isn't as amazing as it used to be but it's good to see new promoters trying new things.

You’re a great champion of using vintage synths in conjunction with your productions. This seems to be increasingly popular, as people are ditching simply using laptops in favour of more human, tangible sounds. Why do you think this is now in more demand than ever?

Well, it adds kind of an instability to the music, that makes things more interesting, for me at least. Then again, I think everyone just needs to find the system that works best for them - I think in the end only the music should matter and not the tools one made it on.

I guess it's possible to work on the worst equipment out there and still make the most exciting music if you have the right ideas and inspiration.

You’ve been heavily involved with the techno scene for over a decade now. How has the scene changed since you started out, and what is it that keeps you excited about techno?

What keeps me excited is new music every week - I've never been involved in playing classics too much, so I'm always listening to a lot of new stuff to keep my sets fresh, for the listeners but also for myself.

Of all the records you’ve put out in your career, are there any that still stand out to you as special? And why?

I guess that's hard to pick for yourself - If I would have to choose a record it would probably be "About A Good Place" (above). Also, "A Thousand Nights" has been an important record for my career. But as I said, I try to not look back too much and I hope and believe that my best music is yet to come :)

On that note, have you any new records that we can look forward to? 

Yes - I have a new release coming up on my own label Break New Soil before the end of the year that´s gonna be called "Midas / Disturber". Then, in early 2015 I will release a record on Bedrock containing two tracks, a release I'm very much looking forward to, as I think the tracks are special.

We really enjoyed your last LP Nightcolors, and its varied, eclectic approach to electronic music as a whole. With a few albums under your belt now, how does your approach differ creatively to the LP as opposed to the single releases? And are there any plans as yet to follow Nightcolors?

Thanks! I really like the album format, even though it might seem a bit dated sometimes - but I think 80 minutes is the perfect timeframe. I am currently thinking about starting to work on my next one.

Last question - and it’s a hypothetical situation. You have the ability to throw the ultimate party, with guest DJs from any time in history, alive or dead. Where would you have it, who would be on the bill and what track would you play to define the evening?

Well, that´s really a tough one - how about Depeche Mode and David Bowie playing a live show at Berghain with tracks from their back catalogue I get to pick, and then Laurent Garnier follows up with a ten hour set...

Gregor Tresher, thank you! Catch Gregor at mUmU's Halloween party this Saturday. Get your tickets here.

Tickets are no longer available for this event