Exclusive Interview with Gunnar Stiller
Born in the sunny seaside town of Rostock, Germany, Gunnar Stiller found a change of scenery when his family moved to Berlin in the early 80s. Moving to such a beautifully chaotic, adventurous city was a key factor in shaping his musical perspective, and with the purchase of his well loved (and now worn out) turntables in the late 90s, he took his first step into a professional artistic career as DJ and producer. In 2003 while working as manager for Berlin-based event agency No UFOs, Gunnar found himself in the heart of a perfect playground to gain insight and develop his own style, which at the time was focused on deep house, breaks and electro. Inspired by those around him such as Steve Bug and Matthias Tanzmann, Stiller quickly began to carve out his own sound that impressed not just the dancers filling the floor but also any promoter and organizer who was paying attention.
Siam2nite had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Gunnar Stiller, shortly before his performance at Glow Nightclub on Saturday 23rd March.
In the early 80s your family moved from the seaside town Rostock to Germany’s capital Berlin – no doubt a special place when it comes to electronic music. How did you get in touch with it and what made you start to DJ?
I think it was 1999, when my brother in law invited me to come to one the partys they organized. He was working for good old DJ Westbam and his label and I got in touch with electronic music for the first time in real clubs. That was the time I decided to become a DJ.
What - artists and music genres - are your biggest influences?
There were so many great artists who inspired me to do what I really love to. Matthias Tanzmann was definitely one of the most important in the time when i started to develop my style of djing. I am always loving to listen to Dixon, he is just great and really knows how to take the people on his trip.
How would you describe your own music?
I love it to create waves to surf on, deep and forward, deep and forward. Its all about the groove! Electronic music is so diverse and i am trying to play as much of it as i can. So it will never be boring at anytime on the floor.
Your debut release ‘Heideberg EP’ and its follow-up ‘Manaus Madness EP’ landed both directly within the Top 5 German club charts – an impressive start! What impact did that success have on your career?
It helped me a lot to get better known to more people in different countries and i got the chance to travel and playing more of these special gigs like Glow in Bangkok.
Your track ‘Open You’ was remixed by Layo & Bushwacka!. How did it come to this collaboration?
Our Label A&R at Upon You Records, Marco Resmann, had a longer contact to the guys and asked them if they would like to remix one of our Upon You tracks for the Five Years Compilation. So they started to work on a remix of „Open You“ - the result was just great!!
Out of all tracks you have made, which tracks would you recommend to someone that is not yet familiar with your music?
We talked about ‘Open You’... This is my absolutely favorite one, timeless and always working right.
What are you currently working on?
In the moment i am just on holidays and totally enjoing it! As soon as i am back i will work on different new projects. Can´t wait to start again with fully loaded energy...
What was the best and the worst gig you ever played?
Well thats always hard to say! 2 Years ago, I played at the Subsonic Festival in Australia. The whole atmosphere was so special and just awesome. A great location with fantastic people it was such a good vibe there. The most worst one was in a ski dome! I thought i am playing in a special room in there but the stage was in the après ski area of the main hall and had a temeperature of -3. Surly, i didn´t have a propper jacket...
Are you adventurous if it comes to food? Do you try the local dishes of the countries you travel to? Do you enjoy Thai food?
For sure i did! I love the Thai kitchen and trying to taste everything as much as i can.
You will perform live in Phuket on 15th March and after that here in Bangkok at Glow Nightclub on Saturday 23rd March. Will it be your Bangkok debut or have you played in Bangkok before?
It's my very first time playing in Bangkok and i am really looking forward to this!! I heard a lot about the club and totally excited to get this experience. Can´t wait...
You are signed on the record label Upon.You Records – its founder Marco Resmann performs in Bangkok one day after you perform in Phuket. Is it a coincidence or do you tour Thailand together?
No, Marco played here at the Thaibreak Festival in Kho Mak and has a different tour. But we are talking from time to time and sharing our impressions. I am sure he will completly rock it in Bangkok!!
What can Bangkok expect from your performance at Glow Nightclub on Saturday 23rd March?
First of all that we all will have massive fun together in that night! I love it to become one with the crazy party people and will built up this special vibe i love to feel with the crowd. This will be definitley a wicked night!!