RW011

Hey there,

How are you doing? How’s your week been so far? I’m happy to present you with the eleventh newsletter today, and as promised, I’ve made a few small changes to the sections. I have to admit, I’m always trying to bring you the best possible new and upcoming releases. But sometimes, there’s just nothing out there that really grabs me. That’s why I decided to feature On The Horizon - Upcoming releases to keep an eye on only every month, not every week.

Also, I have to say that The Perfect Match was my least favorite section. It often ended up being half-baked stories from one of my gigs. Plus, my personal way of mixing and deciding how two tracks fit together is highly subjective, and I feel like it limits the creativity of every DJ. So I decided to replace it with two brand-new sections:

Behind The Booth - As I already told you, I’d like to open up controversial or debatable topics, sharing my perspective and my experiences. I played my first club gig back in 2013, so yes, I’m not exactly the youngest anymore. That means there are plenty of stories to tell. But there’s still a lot to learn, too. And what better way to do that than to share and discuss different viewpoints?

What’s in my Bag - This is something I’ve occasionally shared as a story on my Recycling Wax Instagram account. It’s a recap of my last gigs and the records I packed. To be honest, I don’t have a gig every weekend, and I’m far from a full-on touring DJ. Also, I don’t always play vinyl at every gig. But here I’ll show you not only the records I actually brought to gigs, but also what I recently bought, what I just discovered, or the records that will simply never leave my bag. So it’s meant to be a pretty broad and flexible section.

Enough intro, here’s the new order:

1. Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.

2. Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.

3. Behind the Booth - Personal stories, lessons, and perspectives from life as a DJ.

4. What’s in my Bag? - A peek into recent gig selections, new digs, and timeless records.

5. Top 5 by Rokko - A handpicked selection, carefully curated each week by DJ’s.

6. Community Pick of the Week by Kenan - One favorite from the community.
   

1. Recent Cuts - Fresh vinyl and digital releases worth checking out.

2. Essential Oldschool - Records from the 90s and early 2000s that still matter today.

3. Behind the Booth - Personal stories, lessons, and perspectives from life as a DJ.

This past weekend, I had the pleasure of playing at the Cluster Festival in Delft (between The Hague and Rotterdam). It was an all-in deal, so of course I booked my trains as early as possible. Normally, my old agency used to handle this through a travel agent, but for all-in deals, that process always took too long for me. Back in early July, I found tickets for €25 each way, and for the first time, I treated myself to a 1st class ticket. It was €14 more expensive, but with four transfers, two in Germany, two in the Netherlands. I figured: if it’s already going to be exhausting, I might as well make it a bit more comfortable.

I have to say, I didn’t grow up in a wealthy family. My parents were lower middle class; we didn’t have much, but it could have been worse. That’s why things like taking 1st class or a taxi still feel like pure luxury to me. So I was actually looking forward to the trip: a single seat, hopefully no screaming kids, and no loud football crowd. But, well, what can I say: Deutsche Bahn is a surprise bag, you don’t know what to get. Mostly late.

Because I missed my connection from Duisburg to Viersen. The transfer times didn’t work out, and I was stuck in the middle of nowhere for an hour. Then, in Viersen, another conductor waited for the train from Duisburg that was (again) delayed, which meant I just had two minutes for my next connection in Venlo. I ran for it, and I got it! Next station: Eindhoven! Yeah! Once in the Netherlands, though, train travel was smooth again, and I even managed a quick stop at Clone Records in Rotterdam.

The festival itself was beautiful. Some people even knew about my Recycling Wax project, and I had great conversations with Lex from Shockwerk, with Rokko (who’s curating this week’s Top 5), with Ako from Gdańsk, and many more. As a DJ, your job is to make people have fun and get them dancing. And it’s even more rewarding when you manage to do that with old records. Most of them are 30 years old by now.

At some point, around 11 p.m., I had to say goodbye to Rokko, Lex, and the others. I just couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore. I’d been up since 7 in the morning, and at age 33, I’m definitely not about to start doing drugs. Honestly, I’m way too scared anyway. Back at the hotel, I fell asleep quickly, before heading back onto the trains the next morning.

In the Netherlands, trains were fine again, but once I hit German tracks, things started going wrong again. The train from Venlo to Viersen was completely out of service for the entire day, so I had to take a replacement bus. It was cramped, people’s backpacks in my face, and everyone was sweating. I really don’t like being that close to strangers. I notice this even at the DJ booth, when people stand too close to me. I’m always afraid someone might grab my stuff, steal something, or just have some stupid idea. Same feeling in the bus. Yes, I know, I’m a bit obsessive, for sure, haha.

On that bus ride, I couldn’t help but reflect again on how unglamorous the life of a DJ can be. I mean, I still have a main job and could quit anytime. But sometimes, the short and amazing time of playing a gig doesn’t really balance out against the travel experience. In moments like that bus ride, I think of myself as nothing more than a service provider, an object that has to move from A to B to deliver a service, and then I shouldn’t complain. Strange, somehow.

The act of traveling itself, I actually enjoy. Discovering new places, experiencing new things, and stepping outside of my comfort zone. But the delays, the discomfort, the constant uncertainty you can never really plan for, that part wears me down. Like: Will the toilet on the train actually be working? On a seven-hour trip, will I even be able to buy water? Will I arrive on time, or was the two-hour buffer I planned still not enough? And so on.

4. What’s in my Bag? - A peek into recent gig selections, new digs, and timeless records.

5. Top 5 by Rokko - A handpicked selection, carefully curated each week.

This week’s Top 5 comes from a fairly fresh DJ, Rokko. Born in Rosenheim, studied his Bachelor's in Passau, Master’s in Rotterdam, where he is now based. He’s been part of the party crowd for a while, learned to DJ with baby steps in 2020, and has stuck to vinyl since 2021. By 2022, he played his first gig. As part of the collective Sparc, he organizes parties in Rotterdam and plays wherever there’s a good party.

We met at Cluster Festival after occasionally chatting on Instagram before. I think we spent 4–5 hours together after my set, toasting to a good time and doing what nerds do: obsessing over niche record talk, reciting Discogs catalog numbers, and so on. It was a blast! We even went deeper, touching on some private stuff, but hey, when it’s interesting and you feel comfortable, why not? :-) So I asked Michi, aka Rokko, if he wanted to curate this week’s Top 5. Gave him two days, and yep, he delivered. So now I’ll hand it over to him:

“Thanks a lot, Robin, for asking me to curate this week’s Top 5! I really enjoy reading about other people’s favourite records here, and I am stoked to share some of mine today.

For the Top 5, I picked some records from my collection that I would call ‘breaky’ techno or breakbeat-influenced techno. I love it when DJs play with variety, and this chopped-up style works perfectly for that, letting you go from hammering four-to-the-floor to a more broken beat without losing momentum.

The weirder it gets, the more you become hooked. You don’t know what’s coming next. And after all, that’s the feeling every DJ should strive for, right?”

Thank you, Michi, for sending your Top 5!

6. Community Pick of the Week by Kenan - One favorite from the community.

Michael Burkat - Inconstant Places: This week’s Community Pick of the Week comes from Kenan. He didn’t actually write much in his email, just sent a screenshot of his browser with the words: “Regarding the topic. I would send this one.”

It showed the album Inconstant Places by Michael Burkat, released on his own label Fine Audio Recordings, which he took over from Chris Liebing in 1999. The album came out in 2001, a brutal yet minimalistic techno record with 14 tracks, ups and downs, dark but also beautiful, heavy but also bright, including three locked grooves. I bought it years ago, but honestly haven’t listened to it in ages. Definitely need to revisit it, because there’s a lot to discover there.

Michael Burkat was also active in Dortmund’s club scene back then, playing at Soundgarden, one of the most legendary spots in the 90s and 2000s for techno in Dortmund. If I’m not mistaken, he was even a resident there for a while. Big thanks to Kenan for sending us this album and for sharing this week’s Community Pick of the Week!

DISCOGS 

The eleventh edition of my newsletter is coming to an end. I’d love to keep encouraging you to reach out and share your thoughts with me.

What do you enjoy about the newsletter? Is there anything you’d like to see improved? Do the new sections work for you? Or would you prefer to see something completely different here?

Let me know!

And don’t forget: keep sending me your favorite track or record. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the one curating the next pick in the Community section.

Simply reply to this email or comment here with a link to your favorite E.P.

Catch you next week! Be ready to drop the needle on my next picks.

Keep it spinning,
Robin Tasi @ Recycling Wax