Turn up the techno!

The film "Berlin Calling," in which Paul Kalkbrenner plays a drug-addicted party animal and DJ, was the multi-talented artist's big breakthrough. In addition to his role as DJ Ickarus, Kalkbrenner also produced the soundtrack for the movie - with the title song, "Sky and Sand," going on to hit clubs around the world.

Now, the electronic music composer is back with a brand new set of tracks. And it seems that the detour into film has brought him back down to Earth, to his roots. The new album is devoid of vocals. Instead, it's pure, extremely polished electronic music, which he described as "not the music of tomorrow; it just feels like, well, back then."

The DJ locked himself up in his Berlin studio for three months of pure craftsmanship to put together "Icke wieder" ("Me Again").

But Kalkbrenner doesn't think much of romanticizing his job. For him, creating new albums is a lot of hard work. It's not about sitting back at a club and waiting for inspiration to strike. On the contrary, "inspiration normally comes during the work process, in the thick of things, when one sits down to work," he said.

The more things change…

The title of his new album, "Icke wieder," has a double connotation. It points to his comeback, but Kalkbrenner also wants to show his loyal fans that his style hasn't changed. The basic message of his music is the same.

The album's ten tracks feature soft sounds and gripping beats that can get whole stadiums and concert halls moving. The songs are euphoric and full of optimism - and rightly so. In the first week following its release in June, "Icke wieder" sold 25,000 times.

Yet Kalkbrenner can stick to the beat even when riding the wave of success, and prefers keeping his cool and staying relaxed about what's happened. He also makes sure that the profit-oriented music business doesn't roll right over him.

To that end, he turned down major promotional events for his new album, prefering instead to promote his activities via Facebook. But it took a lot of persuasion for him to agree to share a few samples shortly before the official release of "Icke wieder."

Big stage, big audience

The 34-year-old now plays the main stages at festivals and tours around the world, feeling at home wherever he performs. It's a far cry from the beginning of his career, when technical glitches could often bright down the mood or the night in small clubs.

The techno musician will also spoil his die-hard fans when he goes on a major tour through Europe this fall. After that, there's always time for a well-deserved vacation - and maybe a little spontaneous inspiration in the clubs after all.

Author: Magnus Rosengarten / als
Editor: Greg Wiser