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 There is a saying that behind every great man there is an even greater woman. And I would agree with that wholeheartedly, being a great man myself. But it could also be said that behind every great DJ cum producer there lurks an infinitely greater studio engineer/producer.

It's only when you start digging and reading the small print of record sleeves that it becomes evident just how many of the recognisable tunes and faces are linked by a small number of studio boffins beavering away behind the scenes.

Stephan Bodzin, though we'd never want to accuse him of being a boffin, has been plenty busy beavering over the last 10 years. Thomas Schumacher, Marc Romboy, Oliver Huntemann, H-man, and Elecktrochemie, are just some of the fronts that harness his production skills, the list of remixes worked on includes The Knife, Booka Shade, Sinead O'Connor, Depeche Mode and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. He has worked in experimental theatre composing music for theatre productions and is a true genuine musician as well as studio wizard. 

"I made the decision to work and live as an artist not as a producer in the background."


Both you and Martin Buttrich are widely acknowledged as producers that have been influencing the scene greatly through your work behind the disguise of some of the more prominent names on the electronic music circuit. How did you come to take that route in the first place?

How would you describe your role in the studio in that situation...for example when you produce for someone like Marc Romboy? How does that differ from working alone?
"My role is always in front of the keys and/or the computer. When working with someone together each decision for or against a sound, a melody or the next step in the arrangement has to be confirmed by a word, a look or jumping around (the best case…). When working alone it's just rolling without taking care for anything or anybody. But everything takes a bit longer for me because there's nobody telling me "Wow. That's it!!! " I have to find out by myself if it's big or if it's shit." 

The swift and easy availability of technology has meant that now just about anybody with a computer has the components to produce and release music. Do you think that this has done away with the need for a good studio engineer?
"Yes and no. It depends on what kind of stuff for which kind of people you want to work on. And which level you want to reach with it. All those really not expensive components provide a high-q sound now. But after all this low price stuff won't be good enough to make something really special. For that you always have to work on your very own – not this pre-produced stuff – styles and sounds and as engineering is a essential part of my understanding of club-music it's part of the creative process too. So while these days it is quite easy to make a track sound good… but this is exactly the chance for the "real" engineers to prove their talent in creativity."

"My live-show won't be this kind of Ableton-nerd style..."

And how blurred the lines have come between producer and DJ. How important is it for a DJ to produce and a producer to DJ?
"Each weekend I feel so inspired by the reactions of the people. I think if you try to work as a producer on the future-sound of club-music you have to be where it happens. And also these days you'll hardly find a DJ without releases…"

And how naturally did it feel for you to move into DJ-ing? Was it something that you'd always secretly wanted to do anyway?
"No. Not at all J even 6 months before my first DJ-gig I told everybody that I'll always be the man in the background – sound-researching and working isolated in my studio. "I'm not an entertainer !" were my words for many many years. But after some really interesting booking requests and the big responses to my first solo-releases I decided to "try" spinning and getting out there for a while. Now I can't imagine life without this weekly great experience at the clubs. It's so much fun to produce a record over the week and play it the next Friday!! It's an incredible privilege for me. Will keep on with this as long as possible. It's rock'n'roll – life and I finally I discovered the entertainer in me! He rules."

Tell me about your Live act that you are developing. What sort of equipment are you using and how does it differ from a DJ set?
"For my upcoming Live-tour I'll perform with Ableton-Live6 on an Apple MacBookPro, Jazzmutants "Lemur" touch screen controller, the Notation SL37 keyboard and some more midi-controllers. I'll play some Soft-Synths like the (really analogue sounding! -) ARTURIA Plug-ins (Jupiter8, Minimoog, CS-80) live. With some guys from Berlin I'm working on some special visuals I can control while playing – I think we'll add them in August/September. It definitely differs from my DJ-set. I'll play new live-versions only and will be able to improvise just the way I want to. I think it's going to be even clubbier than the stuff I release on vinyl. Something like live remixing. But as I told you that I really "love to entertain" the people, my live-show won't be this kind of Ableton-nerd style only having an eye for the screen… "

The list of labels that you've released reads like a who's who of the electronic scene. Will you continue working so widely now that you have your own label?
"That wide range of labels was a result of all my collaborations too. So as I decided to concentrate on my solo-works I'll be releasing most stuff on my own labels." 

What's basic idea behind Hertzblut (heart's blood roughly translated)? Will it focus on your own releases or do you have other artists you'd like to produce too?
"The basic idea behind Herzblut is to have a platform for my definition of emotional music. This is a wide range between "Puck" and "Kerosene" and "Liebe Ist…". And whatever will make me jump or cry or head-bang will be welcome at Herzblut in the future! Looking for good demos!!!!"

Tell me a bit about it works with Plantage 13; It looks like they have a great thing going there.
"Yes, that's true. Jan Langer, the head and founder of Plantage13 and a good friend of mine, is one of the hardest working, most techno-living people I ever met. He's into the scene like nobody else and still and always looking for the next step to go, for the new sound and for the maximum success of all his labels and artists. Most respected manager in the music-biz for me. So it was no question for me, with whom I should run Herzblut. He's also doing my bookings. Multi-tasking robot he is."

OK so Liebe Ist…. Love is…. The name is cute… so what is love for you... besides music obviously.
"My girlfriend, my son ("Luka-Leon"), my friends, good food & wine… and besides music…hmm…music music music!!!! "My place is in the electronic music and I really don't feel restricted by it."

"My place is in the electronic music and I really don't feel restricted by it."


You used to produce music for experimental theatre and plays. Do you think that the electronic music scene has as much scope for material and experimentation? Or is it more restrictive for a genuine musician to express himself?
"I think each music scene has a wide range for experimentations. This theatre-plays combined classical composing / arranging with "real" instruments with electronic elements. Very interesting stuff – but too crazy people working there for me… at the moment and with all this tons of sometimes even innovative software my place is in the electronic music and I really don't feel restricted by it." 

I'm intrigued about the naming of your last release on Spielzeug. Daytona Beach, I can understand. But as someone who is actually from just outside Bedford myself in the UK…. Why Bedford? Have you ever been to Bedford in the UK?
"Very simple thing: I'm a licensed skydiver. And 3 years ago I had a really strange situation 12.000 ft over Daytona Beach, Florida after jumping out of a plane. So I'll never forget this day and city. And in Bedford, UK they just build the Sky Venture Wind Tunnel. That's 100% fun WITHOUT the concentration on saving your live…"

Where do most of your track names come from? Is there a special system behind the naming of the track 'Puck' for example, or is it just random?
"Mostly it's random. I'm addicted to air and space… and with Marc Romboy we always choose names of moons of our solar system. "Puck" is one of them… "Callisto" and "Pandora" will be released as Stephan Bodzin vs. Marc Romboy in July on Systematic Recordings again."

I don't see any booking dates for you yet in Ibiza… but is there anything in the pipeline that we should know about? Can we expect a visit from you this season?
"I don't think for this year. But who knows… sometimes it's a quick request for the next week to play in Ibiza. For this case I'll be ready for sure.  But right know my schedule is nearly packed until the end of 2007. I'm really looking forward for my world-tour Sept/Oct/Nov 07 that will lead me to all the places I ever wanted to go to… Have a big summer 07 on the No1-european-party-island and cheers from Bremen / Germany!!!"