Stephan Bodzin: Livin’ It Up

It’s been eight long years since Stephan Bodzin released his debut album Leibe Ist…, solidifying his place amongst the heavyweights of German techno. Eight long years in which, apart for remixes, barely a whisper was heard from the Bremen man, production-wise.

They say good things come to those who wait however, and Data Transmission is pleased to know of one wait that is finally coming to an end. We speak of course, of Bodzin’s forthcoming follow-up, Powers of Ten – a lesson in space and musicality, that may just be one of the most cohesive albums of the year.

Chatting to DT from deep in the bowels of his studio, Bodzin reveals that it wasn’t until last year that he really felt ready to return his focus to production. Thankfully, it seems making music is like riding a bike. “I’m back at that point where I’m creating tracks in three hours,” exclaims Bodzin. “You can hear it; it’s intuitive, spontaneous and not constructed. I have to feel it and when I have the right picture, the right vision of the final track, it’s quick, quick, quick man. That’s the shit I love.”

Set to drop June 12th via Bodzin’s own Herzblut Recordings, Powers of Ten is preceeded by the Birth EP – a two track affair featuring a remix from fellow Germans, Super Flu. Returning the favour for Bodzin’s 2014 hit remix of their track ‘Jo Gurt’, the pair score the first in a series of Powers of Ten reworks, destined to form yet another album, slated for release in October. When Bodzin says he moves quickly, it appears even Usain Bolt has to check himself.

Bodzin sees his upcoming gig at Noisily Festival as the perfect opportunity to unleash this fresh batch of beats. “You won’t hear any track which is not on my album or on the remix album,” he tells us, hinting at a wealth of unheard material. “At the moment I’m seriously working on a live set,” he continues, “I won’t have it ready for the Noisily Festival unfortunately; I would love to play it there, but it’s still in the process. I have a super great visual artist, and [I’m] working on custom controllers and that stuff, but at Noisily I will play a classic DJ set, but with 100% new Bodzin stuff.”

Aiding in the producer’s return to the studio, is his rekindled fascination with hardware. Bodzin admits that Liebe Ich… was made entirely with software synths, but recent years have seen his interest revert back to a more “old school” sound. “…like using a lot of Moog bassline, I have two Moog Sub 37s here; just finished a remix for Marc Romboy with that,” he adds. Bodzin believes the “warmth and pressure” of analogue creates a more sophisticated tone, which, combined with the unique potential of recording tracks live in one take, brings his work to life. “You can always hear it in the club when there’s life in the music,” Bodzin enthuses, citing KiNK as master of the craft. “He’s living his music and his music is him,” Bodzin says of the Bulgarian, “and it’s un-fucking-believably intense what he’s doing. I’m a big fan.”