Defected's Ben Lovett on one of Berlin's greatest electronic talents. 

Last week, Deutsch house and techno pioneer Phillip Sollmann – AKA Efdemin – took his parents with him to one of his gigs.  It was a largely unexpected but pivotal career moment.  The ballet, in fact; for Sollmann and fellow DJ-producer Marcel Fengler are providing the soundtrack to a new contemporary Berlin ballet, Masse, presented by renowned German dance ensemble Staatsballett Berlin and legendary capital-set nightclub Berghain.  They’re not the only ones either.  Peers Henrik Schwarz, Marcel Dettmann and Frank Wiedemann (Ame) have also offered up material to Masse, which in its entirety delivers an impressive sweep of electronic abstractions linked vaguely to techno rhythms, acoustic guitars, pizzicato strings and a whole host of other thought-provoking sounds.  It’s the archetypal DJ-producer operating well outside of their comfort zone.

“And that’s what appealed in the end” Sollmann explains.  “I was sceptical about it in the beginning.  The idea of presenting something so abstract was not an easy thing to consider during my existing musical routines.  But then I saw the amazing creative possibilities and the artistic importance; the opportunity to evolve our ideas of electronic music.  There’s much more now I’d like to explore in the future.”

Interestingly, Sollmann and co.’s music was used as the starting point for the choreography, not the other way round.  Their contributions are at the very heart of the show, which continues to play at Halle am Berghain, the former power plant building next to Berghain (also located on the same site).  Did Sollmann’s parents enjoy it?

“They did,” he quickly responds.  “But there was a lot of applause in general which filled that big hall.  It was really impressive to see this perfect ballet spectacle and hear it set to powerful electronic music.  I think the organisers have sold something like 20,000 tickets, really, really quickly.  I’ll be interested to hear people’s reactions over the rest of the run.  I’ve really enjoyed this project.”

Masse, also due for release as an album on Ostgut Ton this June, has come at the perfect time it seems.  Sollmann, buoyed by all things balletic, has literally just finished building a new studio in Berlin and intends to use it as the platform for bolder production released more often.

“I’m so pleased to have finished building it, and relieved” he chuckles.  “There hasn’t been many releases from me for a while because when I’ve not been DJing I’ve been working on getting everything set-up perfectly.  Getting the various components and sounds right has been key; I didn’t want to start doing anything until I was happy.  Now I’m ready to go, which is an amazing feeling.  I’m really excited about so many different ideas.  And the studio is in a great location; in a block with some really nice people and a meadow right outside... it’s a really positive, peaceful location which should work well in terms of being creative.”

Sollmann, 38, is keen to protect his time in the studio, as much as his typically hectic DJ schedule will allow.  It’s an achievement that Masse even made it out the door, all existing commitments considered.  “That I think is the main point, the big issue” he ponders.  “I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently.  Travelling takes so much time and energy; it’s not simply about having less time in the studio, it’s about being able to maintain the enthusiasm too.  Ultimately, I don’t have the energy of a 20-year-old anymore; so I need to limit myself and focus on the most important things, and doing them really well.

“Marcel [Fengler] and I felt it was more important to channel our energies into Masse rather than crossing borders to DJ.  I think we probably lost around a dozen gigs or so because of the project but it was absolutely worth it.”

Sollmann’s veteran experience is, of course, handy here.  Being that he has played most countries and clubs throughout his career to date he is able to selectively diarise future commitments with laser-sighted confidence:  “I’ve built up trust with a few different venues and people as I’ve progressed my career, so it has become easier to work out where and when to play, and avoid missing out on anything worthwhile.  But it’s still a very hard balance.  This week, for example, I have two gigs which will cancel out over half of the week in terms of doing anything else.  On the other hand, DJing is a great experience; you meet great people and visit amazing places.  You’re constantly reminded of how amazing this life really is.”

It was whilst DJing that Sollmann met Fengler, around 18 months ago.  This particular ‘on the road’ encounter has led to some fairly major developments back behind the mixing desk.  “What can I say?  We just clicked” Sollmann recalls.  “He’s a really funny, friendly guy and we share the same musical history.  But we also complement one another well.  I’m from West Germany, and he from East.  We both grew up with a love of hip-hop and then Detroit techno but Marcel progressed to straight-up techno whilst I took more of a house-type route.  If you look at our work together as DIN on Masse, those differences have helped make the final result even better.  I brought a sense of groove to the studio whilst Marcel had those harmonic scales and structures.  We are both interested in classical and abstract music, so Masse represented the perfect set-up.  We are already considering where we go next.  Our partnership is really natural, and there is an appetite to do more.”

Sollmann grew up in the German town of Kassel before moving, with educative studies, to Hamburg during the mid-Nineties and, in turn, Vienna, Austria, where he graduated from the Institute for Computer Music.  After learning the cello as a young child, Sollmann had joined indie-rock band Concorde as guitarist in 1996 (alongside Pantha Du Prince) before honing a love for electronica and releasing debut cut (with Alexander Polzin) Tobin 01.  The production was eventually snaffled by Kompakt.



By then, however, Sollmann was also closely aligned to Hamburg’s influential Dial Records imprint through his appearances at local club Pudel.  The relationship would, in time, deliver Sollmann’s 2004 EP debut (Kleine Wirnniss) as Efdemin – the name taken from a radio play character he’d previously listened to.  Thereafter, Efdemin became the stylish byword for a uniquely rich, melancholic, deeply atmospheric strand of 4-4 perched beguilingly between minimal, techno and house.  Dial albums Efdemin (2007) and Chicago (2010) enhanced his fast-rising status, so too a number of EPs on labels including liebe*detail (2006’s Lohn & Brot) and Curle (2007’s Acid Bells).  Sollmann has also collaborated with Ostgut Ton director Nick Hoppner on live house project My My and RNDM on minimalist experiment Pigon, whilst launching his own labels Naif and Lirum Larum (the latter, again with RNDM), and establishing himself as one of Panoramabar’s chief residents.  Today he lives in Berlin, having moved their eight years ago.

Next, a new solo album is in the works.  “I’ve started putting this together” Sollmann confirms.  “It’s an early moment in the project but I’m hoping to be ready for release sometime early next year.  I’m going away with my girlfriend to Japan this autumn to re-charge and then, afterwards, will come the final push.  I can’t wait to realise my new studio’s full potential.”  There is also new Naif material due, including one EP from Tobias Freund in June:  “It’s the absolute bomb; I’ve been playing it out a lot recently.”

Evidently, 2013 marks a concerted switch back from performance to production for Sollmann but what’s his current take on dancefloor climate?  His continual undertakings around the world leave him well placed to answer.  “I see a big change in the DJ” he says.  “Today, people expect the DJ to be a performer; a clown even.  I reject this idea of stagecraft as much as I can, focussing on the music only.  In fact the stagecraft should come from the music itself.  When I play techno or darker material there’s no rock ‘n’ roll but the power of the music engages and builds a feeling. That’s why I like Japan so much; the clubs are pitch black and entirely focussed on what’s being played.

“I do have friends who are little techno stars and that’s fine but I wouldn’t want to have to change what I play... to play pop.  I think I’d work somewhere else if I was forced to compromise my sound; fortunately, I’ve been able to build my career specifically by playing deep and protecting my ideals.  I’m really lucky.”

Sollmann has compromised in other areas, most notably social media - seemingly the bedrock for many an electronic artist’s career these days.  He has, that said, learned to use the format for plausible musical reasons rather than shallow-minded image enhancement  A look at Efdemin’s Facebook page, on which he actually posts, features everything from handy tips on killer underground record stores to the sharing of exclusive music content, both from himself and his friends.  It is intended, Sollmann indicates, as a credible channel through which to engage (and thank), exchange creative ideas, and celebrate electronic music.

“I tried to resist it [social media] and used to have a friend do it for me” he admits.  “I’m fairly old school; I prefer phone calls and speaking to people directly.  But now I actually like Facebook. Why shouldn’t I engage with people there and share the music I love with an even wider audience?  This stuff supports my other plans and goals; and I can still pick up the phone whenever I want can’t I?”

He just has.  Sollmann is totally plugged in.

Words: Ben Lovett

Ostgut Ton’s Masse is released on June 10, featuring soundtracks by DIN (Phillip Sollmann & Marcel Fengler), Marcel Dettman & Frank Wiedemann, and Henrik Schwarz.