Catching Up With...Adam Beyer ~ fabricfirst blog

There are just a few techno artists in the world that’ve reached the same level of standing as Adam Beyer. Since founding Drumcode in 1996 he has built on its foundations of passion and hard work to create a stronghold of tightly formed, functional, forward thinking, hard edged sound. Relevant to this day the label has been a home for both Beyer’s own production and fellow Stockholm original Cari Lekebush, as well as being the launch pad for the new guard of techno producers of the moment - including Alan Fitzpatrick who only made his debut at our disco last December and will be sharing the floor with his four four sponsor for this NYE. 

This year has seen an international celebration of Beyer’s 15 years of heart stopping releases, off the scale parties and week on week dedication to broadcasting the latest sounds to the world (in the form of the Drumcode podcast) and it will end with his return to Farringdon for a four hour set - a special opportunity to experience the breadth of his voice as a DJ. It’s also an ample opportunity for us to catch up with an extraordinary artist and look back at his long term relationship with our club and forward into the future of all things Drumcode.You started playing at our club back in the early days - and were a big part of it - can you recount your first experience playing here?

To be perfectly honest, I can´t. When you play a club so many times the memories seem to fade together, but I know it was a very big deal for me. It was and still is the hottest club in London and back then to be booked in a club like that was special.

How did it compare to other clubs around the world at the time?

I think it really set new standards for the scene, it had all and it was a pure music club, no cheesy bookings and no compromise, an amazing sound system and an educated crowd, a DJ´s dream basically.

What would you say has changed now?

For me it is still magic to play at fabric but if you’ve been to a club 20 times maybe it´s not the same wow factor, when it comes to fabric not that much has changed and I think that´s a sign of a strong club and concept, they stick by their guns through good times and sometimes maybe a bit tougher times. That´s something I really respect. 

With Drumcode you’ve taken control of the whole operation with your huge tour this year - obviously it has its advantages and disadvantages - what would you say those are?

I love to put on our own parties, mainly because we can program everything exactly the

way we want it - line ups, visuals and sometimes even sound. Also, having all the artists under one roof usually creates a great vibe so the party factor is higher, sometimes when you go around on your own it´s more like a job, the Drumcode parties are when we let off the steam.Disadvantage - probably the stress around organising everything and if something doesn’t go according to plan then you are the one responsible for that. 
When was the last time you played at a ‘fabric’ night? What’s changed in for you in how you DJ between now and then?

I played the charity gig in May, I am not sure if that counts as a fabric night? If not it was probabaly a Drumcode night there a few years ago. I don´t think that much have changed, I like to play slightly clubbier and bass heavy in Room Two, since I am playing for four hours on NYE it will be a journey through everything I´m in to at the moment - techno, techhouse and a few surprises thrown in. 

What for you have been the most interesting advancements in techno and the music world in general since then?

Well not THAT much happens in 2 years time but maybe there is a fair dose more "real" techno around at the moment, as the years go on all genres seems to be more defined (naturally) and there is some great music coming out at the moment.

Drumcode is really something that stands out as a label as does your Drumcode show, you're responsible for such a diverse range of activities - which is your favourite aspect of what you do?

They all go very much hand in hand, but an amazing gig with friends around is sharing the top spot with the feeling of releasing music i have made and see other people playing it.

Is there anything new on the horizon you’re working towards or something you wish you had time to do?

Produce my next own artist album, it´s been 10 years since my last!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from 20(ish) years in music?

Greed destroys creativity and can make the most talented producers to sell their soul.

And to talk about what you’re doing now - your most recent signings Joseph Capriati and Alan Fitzpatrick have made a big impact here, performing in the club and on the blog - what is it about them that you think is special and made you decide to sign them?

Well, it starts with me playing their tunes and hearing potential. They are both super talented and they come with the right attitude, both are equally important for it to work. If you want to get somewhere in Techno, you need to be prepared to put in hours and dedication, few people make it over night, they are both very solid in their approach and like I said, they make some serious tunes! 

What other new talents are you looking forward to sharing with the world next year? 

The next release on Drumcode is from Italian Sam Paganini who released on Plus8 earlier this year. We´re also doing a series of vinyl only releases from Swedens Nihad Tule, more of a purist techno sound. But since our roster has become pretty big over the last couple of years we are focusing a lot on follow ups from the artists we have and to push and help them, so i´m not signing too much new stuff at the moment.

Adam Beyer will be playing in Room Two this NYE with Alan Fitzpatrick and Slam. Advance tickets are available to purchase here and as always there will be more available on the door.