The concept “evergreen” is used to refer to something that always seems current, even though it was published months or even years ago. A clear case is “Loverboy”, one of the most enduring tracks in the history of electronic club music. Steve Bug produced it 20 years ago. It was the first release on Poker Flat, a label he himself created at the time. Two decades later, Poker Flat is in great health and “Loverboy” still sounds fresh, current and perfect for many situations and dancefloors. So much so, that two big names like Catz N Dogz and Acid Pauli have been encouraged to remix it. In the midst of the celebrations, we managed to steal a few minutes from the main protagonist of this story, the German producer and DJ Steve Bug.
A decade just ended. What main highlights do you see when you look back to it?
I don’t really like to look backwards, neither too far forward, I am living right here, right now. But as far as I remember, it has been a terrible decade for electronic music. Greed finally, almost completely won over creativity. The success in social media played a way too big role on who’s booked and who’s not. Festival line ups looked pretty much the same all over the place. There were barely any tracks that stood out. Compared to all decades before, this was the worst for electronic music. But I have high hopes that things will change for the better.
It is much older (it was released in 1999), but I guess “Loverboy” is also one of the main highlights of your artistic career. Some people call it an “evergreen track”. What is it that makes it so special, unique and perdurable?
It definitely is a classic, and it’s still playable, so it might be right to call it evergreen. Why it’s like that, I am not 100% sure of, but I think it is because it stands out from the rest. It has a very nice, un-quantized groove, and even though it has just a very few elements, you immediately recognize it. At the time I was working mostly with a sampler only, I sampled a lot of stuff, turned things backwards, stretched things, and put them together like a collage. “Loverboy” was actually put together out of the samples of two other tracks, that I haven’t been able to finish.
When producing it, did you ever imagine that it could become such a big track?
When it was finished, I knew it was special, and I knew it would work on the dancefloor. I had the feeling it could become something bigger. But our distributor wasn’t so sure about it. I remember playing it out for the first time at a party in Hamburg, and it blew the roof off. After that, even our distributor was convinced.
It was the first-ever release on Poker Flat Recordings.
I and my label-partner were running Raw Elements at the time, but we were thinking of making a change. We’ve learned a lot from the mistakes we made and thought it would be better to start from scratch with a new label, and new distribution. So, we founded Poker Flat. And it happened that at the exact same time I came up with “Loverboy”. So, we decided that this would be a good start for the new imprint. Rest is history.
Yes, and now Poker Flat is now celebrating its 20th anniversary. Such a long period, during which you’ve proudly been “out of fashion”. What did you mean with that statement?
Well, I think that fashion is something that changes very quickly and often, while having a style of your own, can not only make you stand out but also be a trademark. I mean, so many labels go with what’s actually hyped at the time, they jump from one sound to another, that’s something we’ve never done. Of course, our sound is slightly varying with every new release, especially by the ones of new artists on the roster, but I think we have a very particular sound of our own, even though our bandwidth is growing. And due to our sense of humour, and not taking us too seriously, we thought it’s a great statement.
How have these years with Poker Flat been? What are your thoughts about the music released on it?
Poker Flat and Sublease Music (and all other labels I had so far) are my babies, I could never have any A&R choose the tunes, artists, remixers. I feel all the music that we release 100%. And I think right now we have our best days, with so many great artists sending such amazing tunes. I am very thankful that people believe in us, and that they trust us with releasing their tracks.
To celebrate this 20th anniversary, you released a double remix of your “Loverboy”: one by Catz N Dogz and one by Acid Pauli. How did it happen?
For the 20 years anniversary, we decided to ask some of our favourite artists to remix tracks from the back catalogue. The artists could choose their favourite tune to remix, and if we had the parts or the original artist was okay with their tracks being remixed, we had a match. Catz N Dogz and Acid Pauli were the first to ask to remix “Loverboy”, so they got the green light. There were a few other artists to whom we said no since I didn’t want to make it all about “Loverboy”.
What’s your relationship with Catz N Dogz and Acid Pauli?
I know the three of them for a long time, not only through their music but also by playing together at events or meeting them at airports around the world.
What about their remixes? I know it’s a tough question, but… which of the two is your fav?
To be honest, I love both of the mixes very much. They sound so different, and yet they are so close to the original. Acid Pauli’s mix is like the perfect update of the original, that works great at smaller events, while Catz N Dogz’s have added a bit more rave to it, with their driving additional percussions.
You mentioned Sublease Music before. What can you tell us about it?
It’s a label focused on rather DJ friendly minimal tracks, somewhere in-between modern house and deep tech, with a touch of acid here and there. Tracks that are great for mixing, that are floating, and that don’t have huge breakdowns. I really feel this kind of tunes right now, and I love playing them, especially at smaller places, that have a more intimate vibe.
What does Steve Bug see when he looks forward to the new decade?
I hope that more people realize that what they see on social media is mostly fake and bullshit. And I hope that people start to look for what they really like instead of just following trends. But I also hope that people will realize that they don’t always need the newest shit. We really have to ask ourselves “what do we really need”. For electronic music, I hope that it will be more about talent, and the music itself, rather than likes and fame. And for the planet, I hope that humanity finally starts working together to face the issues.
(Cover Image: © Phlame)
0
