German DJ and producer Mark Dekoda is presenting his first album ‘Between Reality and Darkness’ published on his own label Scythe Recordings.
Munich-based Mark Dekoda is well known in the world because of his tracks like ‘Instance of Time’ or ‘Nebel’ which have been clicked a million times. In 2019, over 9.5 million people in 79 countries listened to his music on Spotify.
Consisting of 12 tracks, his ‘Between Reality and Darkness’ album is complemented with features from Drumcomplex, Droplex, Vanessa Sukowski, Sound & Temper, Gizmo & Mac and Kati Winter.
Listen to Mark Decoda’s exclusive mix for Klubikon Podcast and read the interview about his debut album ‘Between Reality and Darkness’.
Tell us about yourself? How and when did you get into DJing and producing music?
I was about 15 years old and started my unsuccessful career as a snowboarder ;-). Believe me, I’m now 32 and still learning it! Whatever, at this time on my first ride, I was sitting next to someone in a bus, who listened to trance music. His disc player was that loud, that I was able to hear it clearly through his headphones. After I asked him what kind of music he’s listening to, he told me it’s his own. I was very impressed and wanted to do the same. That was my start as a producer. At the age of 20, in a club in Erding called Penthaus, a guy asked me to play at one of his events. I had no idea about Djing and I learned it by myself before the gig.
You played minimal for years. Some time ago you decided to play techno… Will the minimal Dekoda still exist in the future and how did your fans react to the change?
Minimal will always be a big part in my life but techno is giving me something more! I made some experiments a few years ago with techno at one of my gigs and the people liked it a lot… the reaction on the dance floor was amazing. That was the start of my change. I still have my own style in my tracks and the people still feel the vibe, I think that’s the reason why the people accept (and like) my new style.
What’s the idea behind the album’s creation?
The idea was to create an authentic album with music that I love. I didn’t want to make an album with tracks that were just second picks or something. I was also a big CD fan when I was at school and my dream was to create my own CD one day. That dream is coming true with my upcoming Album. It took about one year, to finalise everything as I’ve wanted it to be and now I’m one hundred percent satisfied with it. The album cover is made by an Indonesian tattoo artist and the final graphics from Alexander Nees, a really talented designer and friend of mine. On the whole it was a really great time to work on it and as I told you before I’m really proud.
What is your personal favourite track from the album?
I don’t have any. Every track is something special for me.
Half of all tracks on your album are collabs with Drumcomplex, Droplex, Vanessa Sukowski, Sound & Temper, Gizmo & Mac and Kati Winter. Why do you do so many collaborations and why a mixture of famous DJs and young talents is important to you?
Exactly! I’m a big fan of giving young talents a perspective or a platform. That’s why, I’m thinking about opening a new label only for newcomers next year. Gizmo & Mac, Sound & Temper and Kati are some of these talents and I’m very proud to have them on board. Droplex, Vanessa and Drumcomplex are big names in the techno scene and also good friends. It was something special for me to work with such legends.
How did you mix this exclusive mix for Klubikon? How is it different from the album itself?
I have some recording equipment at my studio and that’s how I recorded the mix. The mix itself is mixed with some of my tracks and some of the other artists as well. I love doing that in some free time, that’s the reason why I bought a Pioneer mixer and 2 XDJ-700’s. The small size was important because I don’t have that much space in my studio.
What do you think of the album concept in modern times when people mainly only stream music online? On Spotify you have over 300,000 listeners per month and on YouTube 55,000 followers… You still produced a fanbox and a CD. Why?
As previously mentioned, it was always a dream of mine to make my own CD. I know that the CD market isn’t as big as it was about 15 years ago, but it’s something like an emotional product that you can hold in your own hands. I’m very proud of my stats and listeners but this time we want to concentrate more on the physical section. That’s one of the reasons why the CD and fanbox release is one week earlier than the digital release. And yes we did it so far! No. 1 on the Amazon Techno charts. Wow.
Gigs in over twelve countries, over 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify are huge successes. But probably the biggest success is that your album was number 1 in the Amazon Charts. What does this success mean to you? And how is it for you that you ended up in front of legends like Fritz Kalkbrenner or Scooter?
It was definitely a big surprise and we made this as a team! Without the help of my management Yves and Simon from Bassgefluester, this would not have been possible. I started with this idea last year backstage at a club, but at this time, I didn’t have the “manpower” behind me as I have now. My old management did a really great job too, but for me it was the time to reach the next level… especially with such a big number.
What do you miss about performing the most?
The people, the club atmosphere, the hotels, the dinner with my DJ friends and the event promoters, the travelling… almost everything on touring. I can’t wait to have it all back as soon as they can find a solution for clubs and festivals.
You performed all over the world, already in over twelve countries. What was your favourite club or festival gig and why?
Every festival and club gig is something special for me. I think every DJ knows this feeling, especially at the beginning of one’s career, when the club isn’t that full as it should be and that’s the reason why you need to be always thankful for a full festival or club. I really hope it will continue soon. I’m really looking forward to it.
