Will Saul interviews Efdemin
The enormously talented Dial Records artist talks to our resident Will Saul.
Phillip Sollman, aka Efdemin is one of the most feted producers in the house and techno scenes of the last few years. His self-titled debut album in 2007 on Hamburg’s Dial Records was named number two album of the year on Resident Advisor and as a DJ he’s had residencies at some of Europe’s best clubs including Berlin’s Panoramabar. With a gig here at The End playing for Simple Records coming up, Simple boss Will Saul decided to pose a few questions to Efdemin.
Will Saul: So your Dial label is based around a hugely talented collective of producers which really define the ‘Dial’ sound – yourself, Lawrence, Pigon, Pantha Du Prince...how did you meet these guys and how did the label form?
Efdemin: We all more or less met in Hamburg around eight years ago, sharing the same ideas and values. But Lawrence and Carsten Jost were the founders and are still the people in power.
Who does what within the label? Do you fight with each other over creative decisions or is it one big happy family?
It’s a very chaotic bunch of people living in Hamburg, Paris and Berlin. There has never been a fight. The idea behind Dial is love; everybody does whatever he can. But there’s not a real plan behind it. That’s why there are no Dial records coming out for some months sometimes!
How important are your friendships and relationships with the guys involved in the label for your development as producers? Do you inspire and push each other and is there (healthy) competition between you?
I don’t know. It’s more like everybody just does his stuff and puts it out - and in most cases the others like it. Competition is not our business - not within the label and not against any other labels.
Tell us about your production set up...
IBM ThinkPad, external mouse, and some gear which is nice in a studio!
Tam Cooper (my production partner) and I generally work with a lot of old synths when we produce. What’s your feeling on the analogue versus digital discussion?
It’s all about the idea behind the music, not so much about what you use. I love old gear, and if I can afford it, I buy it. But it’s not as important as some people think.
I enjoy the balance I have between running Simple/Aus and producing music as I get a balance between creative work and business decisions which keeps both aspects fresh for me. Do you enjoy this balance or would you rather devote all your time to producing?
My only interest is working on music somehow. At the moment I am a teacher for experimental music and sound art in an art school in France, which is a very cool job. I wouldn’t want to take care of money and stuff like that.
Give us an insight into Efdemin’s typical week.
There is nothing typical about my week. I am too confused to have a plan. Can somebody please help me!?
What are your production plans over the coming months? Any plans to write another artist LP?
Good question, I should think about that. There will be some Pigon stuff coming out soon, as well as an Efdemin track on Cocoon. I am definitely thinking about doing an album. But I haven’t decided yet when I could do that.
What’s your favourite club to play at? And what’s your idea of a good party?
My favourite club is still Panoramabar. Also cool: Silo, Leuven in Belgium, Weetamix in Geneva and for sure Pacotek in Jerusalem. At the moment I feel good when playing four Jens Zimmermann records in a row and people go crazy.
What do you like doing when you’re not twiddling knobs?
Taking care of my plants and flowers.
Published: 28/04/2008
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