As a teenager in Ulm, a small town in southern Germany, Re.You first began to appreciate the dark arts of beats through a love of DJ Premier’s dark and jazzy cuts. Friends started all getting into turntablism but there were other things on his mind, especially after winning the German Youth Championship in basketball. A brutal knee injury ended these chances but with a lot of spare recovery time now on his hands, he began to teach himself production, and the rest, as they say, is history.
You could describe his subsequent rise through the electronic music ranks as meteoric, with consistent output on high profile labels such as Keinemusik and Mobilee alongside a worldwide touring schedule. We caught up with him to find out more about his latest release on Cacao Records, his background and his sound…
> Where did the name Re.You come from, and what does it stand for?
I started off with a live project with my two older brothers and we produced all together. At one point my eldest brother got – let’s say – very selfish, so we split up in a bad way and I had to start my own project. So at this time I organised a gig at Villa Club in Berlin, which was a really fun place back then and the guys from the club asked me what to write on the flyer. So I had just one day for getting a new alias. I tried things with my real name, and then Re.You came out of it. I’m super happy with the outcome – of course only when people write it correctly and not with a semicolon for example 🙂
> And for the people reading this who haven’t heard your music before, how would you describe your style, are there any key elements that define it?Â
Funny thing is I hear people say a lot, “that’s the Re.You sound” but honestly I don’t know how to describe it. I just do what ever I feel. So sometimes it’s more house, then more techno or minimal but always with a typical groove I guess. And I love percussions. I was already three times in South Africa for about 5-6 weeks each time. I love to bring this influence to my music but I wouldn’t consider my music only as afro house as there is much more diversity in it as you can see on my latest EP “Work It Now”.
> Could you talk us through the creative process and list any specific equipment you use to bring sounds to life?
Actually I don’t have a specific recipe. Sometimes I start off with a synth. Sometimes I record weird sounds and noises. Sometimes I do grooves. I think you get the “humanity” if you add some real recorded sounds. I always have a bed of background noises in my projects.
> Do you have any advice or words of wisdom for aspiring producers who would look to your music for inspiration?
Hmm I’m not a “teacher” person but I would say never stop believing in yourself. Work hard and never lose focus on what you want to achieve. And discipline is also quite important. Nobody will send gifts to you so be patient.
> Your latest release is on a relatively new record label, Cacao Records. How did that relationship come about, and how do you select the labels you want to work with?
The Keene Brothers who run the label are also promoters from Panama city. They booked me twice already and we developed a friendship out of it. We also met quite often in Berlin as they recently moved there. At one point I wanted to help them and give something back. And of course I like their music. Basically it’s always about the music, my music needs to fit somehow to what the label does normally.Â
> You are also nurturing your own imprint, Younion. Can you tell us a little more about the label? What’s the ethos, and do you have a sound policy?
The label originated out of my event series which I started in my hometown Ulm. The premise is simple for the nights… select a small amount of DJs to soundtrack the whole night with me. Just like the events, I carefully consider two or three innovative artists to join me on a deep, hypnotic audio adventure. There is no specific genre or style I’m aiming for. It’s just my personal taste of music. Of course I try to find for each release track that fit together. I teamed up with my friends from Eins Tiefer who now also will have influence on what happens next. But we are quite similar in what we like.
> What do you have in the pipeline right now, are there any exciting projects or gigs coming up that you can share with us?
Yes there is – regarding my gigs I will play my debut in Ecuador on NYE and NYD – in Quito and Montanita. So that will be pretty awesome. Releasewise there is a big thing coming in February or March, remixes for my Cuando EP which I did together with Florian Busse by Davide Squillace and Matthias Tanzmann. I’m pretty excited about that. And I have a release together with South-African Floyd Lavine which will come early next year as well.
> Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today, we like to finish our interviews with a couple of questions that are a little bit light hearted… without getting too personal, could you tell us something many don’t know about you?ÂÂ
Maybe that I just moved to Paris to see how I like it after 9 years of Berlin. Let’s see what’s next.
> You don’t need to mention names, but what’s the most “outrageous” thing you have ever seen happen in a club… was it something outrageously brilliant, like a blindfolded DJ mixing seamlessly and scratching with his elbows, or something outrageously cringe-worthy, like some embarrassing drunk guy urinating on the dance floor?
I guess that urinating person is one of these things you will see once in your clubbing career. And the more outrageous thing is, it was a girl when I saw it. Pretty embarrassing for her on the next day I guess. I mean if you go to Berghain you will see maybe more outrageous things…
Follow Re.You on Facebook & Soundcloud.
Buy the latest release “Work it Now” on Beatport.
