When I was given the opportunity to interview Felix Kröcher, the first sound that came to my mind was that of “Requiem For A Dream” in its schranz version, an edit that placed the German at the epicentre of the rave scene more than a decade ago. That was a very different rave scene to the current one. The more abrupt and sharp styles dominated the picture. Genres such as hard-techno, hardtek, the so-called ‘tekno written with a k’ and the aforementioned schranz ruled with authority. However, even then, Felix Kröcher opted for diversity. His production studio produced old-school electro pieces, low-intensity techno approaches and everything in between. “I play the music I feel, not putting music too much into genres,” he admits. Felix Kröcher is celebrating 20 years of artistic career in this 2020. It is not the best of celebrations, but Felix is calm and happy, taking time to be with his daughter and his garden: “Stuff to keep me calm during the day.” To celebrate these two decades of music, the techno legend is preparing a 20-track album of which we know nothing… and of which he dares to tell us very little for now.
Let’s talk about Felix Kröcher…
Uhm… I’d introduce myself as a kind and humble human being, I guess.
And as an artist?
Playing the music that I feel, not putting music too much into genres.
Your name has been in my iTunes library since I started to listen to electronic music more than 10 years ago, and I have tunes from you catalogued as low techno, electro, hard-techno… even schranz. Would you use the same words to define all the music that built your career until today?
Definitely!! There are different sources of musical influences that defined me as an artist, and also as a human being, so yes, definitely true.
This career is celebrating 20 years now. Congratulations.
Thank you so much! It’s been a long ride, I made so many great memories, I am thankful for it, even in these difficult times.
We will talk about current times later, but what was the thing that made you start in this industry?
I remember listening to sets from Mayday back in the days. It made me curious about this kind of music. Shortly after, I started an internship at Sunshine Live. Then one thing came to the other.
How do you think the music industry has changed most significantly since you started out?
Everything is digital nowadays. Everything is accessible within seconds through the internet. Streaming is dominating, and especially as an upcoming artist, you need to have a strong online presence to build a relationship to your fans, which of course was totally different back in the days. I like changes at all. It never gets boring and I do think it’d be wrong to say that everything was better back in the days. It is always great to handle new competitions.
I listened to one of your most recent works: your single “Faceless Fears” featuring Haptic. How did the record come about?
I discovered the beautiful voice of Haptic a while ago. I immediately thought that it was something super special, and that I wanted to make a record with him. I got in contact with him and he was directly into it! So glad to have him on this record.
What was your technical approach?
The baseline is a Moog recorded live into the DAW. The rest is mostly made digital using various ranges of plugins from companies like Native Instruments, Arturia, U-he and so on.
Is that a very different approach from what you have normally used along your career?
I think we all went a lot with the technical changes, which came alongside with the digitalization. So, yes, I do think I am constantly trying to change, and also most importantly, to approve things.
What’s the next piece of music you have coming up?
At the moment, we have paused a bit with musical output due to covid-19. We are going to continue towards the end of the year, and I got some beautiful collaborations with more amazing vocalists and other artists. Stay tuned.
What about the album that was coming out later this year?
As previously stated, covid-19 changed it a bit. We’re going to postpone the release. Everything else around it will be revealed soon! It will be quite diverse musically, and I am so excited to hear reactions on it.
We’ll pay attention to it, of course. Now we’re living some very strange times with the pandemic. What have you been doing?
I spent quite a lot of time at home recording music, spending time with my daughter, or being in the garden. Just stuff to keep me calm during the day.
Well done, Felix. Thank you for your time.
Thanks to you. I wish all your readers and you guys stay positive during these strange times!
(Cover Image: © The Echo Agency)
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