Five Things with Alex Niggemann

2.Inspirations

I was inspired [by] all kinds of music. Playing Beethoven on the piano, listening to hip hop as a teenager, to John Lennon, Kraftwerk or Gianna Nannini everySundaymorning [while] having breakfast with my parents. My favourite musicians were, and still are, artists like Dr. Dre, Pharrell, Nas, Depeche Mode, Daft Punk (the old stuff), but I also really like classical music – Schubert or Vivaldi. My first EP was the Funk Phenomenon from Armand van Helden. My brother brought me to my first techno party and I ended up with Sven VКth and Ken Ishii, who were the ones inspiring me to do techno.

3.Your Crew

First of all Jona, whose new album will be coming up on my label AEON. There are a few others I work closely with, like Francys, Denis Horvat, Locked Groove (who’s remixing my next EP), Speaking Minds and of course my mentor Steve Bug. I am lucky to have a great team around me, who support me and give me the opportunity to focus on production and touring.

4.The Music You Make And Play

Is as diverse as my influences. For me, it needs to be something new. I like the challenge when producing music. Doing the same all the time is boring. Same, when it comes to the music I play. I like techno or house tunes that tell stories. I like melancholy and dark vibes the same as heavy beats, or just beautiful melodies.

5.Music, Right Here, Right Now

I’m not someone who’s complaining about EDM. I think the good thing about music is that everybody likes different styles of music, otherwise everyone would be on the same train, and we can’t all fit on that. I like musical diversity, even though I don’t understand some music. But it’s a democratic system so if someone likes this or that kind of music they should go for it.