Philip Bader
World renowned DJ, successful producer, bustling party promotor and newly established label boss: A glance at this list of achievements indicates that Philip Bader is one of the veterans of the Berlin techno scene. As far back as 1997, as a 16 year old, his first girlfriend took him to an underground techno party. From that point on, he started fiddling around with music on an old turntable in his shared flat in Templehof. “The slipmat was made of old newspaper“, he recalls, grinning.
Two years later and Bader was already making his first appearance at the original Tresor in Berlin, which turned out to be a resounding success. The experience gave him a taste, but that wasn’t all. Soon, with some friends, he formed “Max and Moritz“ and started promoting parties, including the legendary “Karneval der Verpeilten“ (Carnival of the Wasted!), and the “Jelly“ parties in the old Casino courtyard. From there is wasn’t much of a step towards music production. Many successful releases with labels such as Kindisch, Saved and Get Physical Music have followed, and recently Bader even lauched his own label, called “Danzte“, which he runs together with buddies Niconé and Sascha Braemer. In 2010, Bader also became a part of the Highgrade Records family. In the cosmos of Berlin record labels, Philip Bader’s creative voice is unmistakable: He uses imaginitive and haunting vocals within a deeper and more mini- mal style, while retaining an audible sence of looseness and enjoyment in his genre bending output. From the expan- sive wardrobe of his musical history comes an endless energy. No wonder really, given his own broad set of influences from The Doors and Led Leppelin, through to Bob Marley and De La Soul. Bader also draws inspiration from current acts like The XX, James Blake and Radiohead: a rich, diverse and unending taste in music, to be tested through the impressive variety of influences on his debut album, “Wishful Thinking“. Bader’s role in the Highgrade Disharmonic Orchestra is another vivid feather in his cap. An electronic jam session, which has achieved success not just though their live performances, but also with a string of well recieved releases. But for Philip Bader it was never just a quest for success: “When you love doing something, there’s absolutely no question – you can consider yourself lucky if success comes along with it.“
To decide between being a producer and a DJ would be impossible for Bader. For him, the two go hand in hand. In his life behind the turntables, he is fascinated by the opportunity to travel and constantly meet new people. In the studio it is above all else, the creativity which drives him, and the speed at which ideas are born: “I’ll have a groove or a sample in my head, try something out, play around and when the sound fits it seems to tell the story of a track all on its own.“ he explains. The same is true when he produces music without any particular genre, you have to know what works on the dancefloor.. “and give the music it’s own signature sound“. That, for Philip Bader, has never been in doubt.
