Richard Dorfmeister exclusive

JHBLive kicking it with DJ kicks

Richard Dorfmeister is heading to downto Johannesburg this weekend to play at 88. I short circuited a tinybit when I heard this - the mind doesn't quite compute such an incredible turn of events. Dorfmeister forms one part of the DJ duo superstars Kruder and Dorfmeister. The K&D session and their body of work is integral to the New Jazz and Jazz genres and paved the way for many that followed in their giant steps.

 I spoke to him over a Skype call ahead of his South African stint. I dialled a phone number that rivals the friend count of Tom on Myspace (250 million if you have to ask.)  After about 5 minutes of pushing digits I heard a ring tone that made me swallow. On the other end was a master of digital music, probably busy deleting emails from Madonna regarding a remix - and here I was, bothering him. He picked up the phone and I went silent - not a good start. "Hello?" I said cautiously "Is that Richard Dorfmeister?" This felt strangely similar to answering the phone by saying "Hi!  I'd like to speak with Jesus please? Yes?of Nazareth".

Richard Dorfmeister had a thick Austrian accent and was quite concerned about the state of the line. "Ei ghope ew kin heeer me hokafy?" he said. I forced down my nervous pills and said:
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Lionel: Ever been down here before?

Yes I've been twice about 4-5 years ago and I've played in Cape Town and Johannesburg but only for one day so I didn't see much but my impression was nice. Actually Johannesburg made a completely different picture for me than Cape Town but it was all very nice.

Lionel: Are you looking forward to coming back?

Dorfmeister: Absolutely

Lionel: You've done such extensive work with a number of really big artists. How do these collaborations come about?

Dorfmeister:  Well if you refer to the K&D Sessions that was something that we just loved to do. We were approached by the artist for mixes and we decided to do something different and do a track that was more a piece of our own. In terms of collaboration and releases - I did lots under the name of Tosca and some artists from Vienna which was more in the up tempo direction and of course the stuff with Peter (Kruder) as a label there always something to do

Richard has a little chuckle to himself.

Lionel: Your recordings are seen as really pinnacle works with regards to New Jazz. What is your feeling on the Genre of new jazz in relation to more traditional forms of Jazz?

Dorfmeister: Well, I think Jazz is a term that most of the people are somehow afraid of. For me Jazz means free, it means that can be anything - it can be fusion as well and then it can fuse all different styles. We got boxed into the lounge area of sounds but in reality we have always been open to all kinds of sound. From down to up tempo combined with dub or minimal electrons or whatever. We were never happy to be called new jazz or something - our taste is too open. The DJ thing includes too many different changing styles, the whole thing is too one dimensional for us and we'd like to keep our boundaries open in terms of music - you know, you know what I mean.

Yeah, it just makes it free and it can happen that suddenly we're into new sounds and we'd like to keep up with it. People expect us to play lounge music when we go out but that has never really happened - it was always at the end of the performance somehow.

Lionel: Who are your Jazz influences?

Dorfmeister: Well Jazz was a big part of it. We started Jazz from all the records we bought. From Herbie Hancock, Mile Davis was very important of course all the fusion stuff, classic Jazz as well, the blue note thing Samba n bossa Jazz the sixties stuff - I mean we've been big time record collectors. But even there we've never been nailed down to one style. It could have been more experimental music - Brian Eno n such. So Jazz was a part of the exploration.

Lionel: Any Jazz artist from South Africa?

Dorfmeister: I'm clear on Hugh Masekela the more traditional stars but the underground scene, well?I'm not so informed.

Lionel: Moving away from the jazz thing - How did you get involved in music? Did you have a musical family? Did it come through hanging out with friends? How did it come about?

Dorfmeister: Through music school originally of course! I was forced to do the flute then I switched over to treble flute, the some guitar and piano - I hated it! I really wished I could be outside playing football or something. I didn't like it much. The turning point was when a friend showed me his father's Jazz record collection and how big the music cosmos is and how much you can discover. It was helpful that I had this education but in truth it came more from records and radio than learning an instrument.

Lionel: Was it helpful learning how to play an instrument?

Dorfmeister: From the music school? Yeah it was, Oh Definitely. If you are able to learn to read and play notes - especially the guitar and learning the jazz licks and modal playing - This is something you learn then you don't think about it - it is a basic thing. For the stuff that we do it is a little help but it's a small part of what we do.

Lionel: Do you have any advice for people that are interested in getting into making music?

Dorfmeister: To start? The best thing is to know a friend who has some knowledge?FIRST get a computer. Get a laptop, get a sequencer program and get a friend that has experience and copy his knowledge or copy style and take it from there and develop your own style - I think this is how everybody did it. It is more effective than any school I think. We started as well bought Atari samplers etc and introduced ourselves to the techniques somehow. Back then it was more difficult now you can do it all on the laptop now.

But the technique wasn't the key. You have to have a little bit of time in your life where you love something and you don't know where it's going to go. It's important that you have a time where you were digging music and you make an archive and a catalogue in your head that you can go back to. That's important that you have your own music history in your head. The technical thing...that's not so difficult.

Lionel: Thanks for you time Richard, I really appreciate it. We look forward to seeing you on Saturday.

Dorfmeister: No problem! Yeah! Looking forward to it. Okay - Have a good time. Bye Bye!

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