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MARKUS SCHULZ is ready to claim his place among the top 10 DJ’s in the world

By: Kyle Bailey

Markus Schulz

He has played for fans in every corner of the world, including: Ibiza, Amsterdam and the Middle East. He’s currently on a US tour that has already hit New York City, Washington DC, Miami and Dallas. His album and compilation efforts raise more than a few brows, including Coldharbour Sessions 2004, Miami '05 and his debut album Without You Near, dropped at the end of ‘05. Past remix work has seen him weigh-in with sharp production prowess on originals by Madonna, Depeche Mode and Fatboy Slim, while his remixes of “Intuition” and “Stand” by Jewel both reached #1 on the Billboard club chart. They say that a rolling stone gathers no moss, and no one knows that better than Markus Schulz.

Enter The Jet Age

A self-described "traveler of the world," Schulz finds time in his hectic schedule to tour between the United States, Europe and the Middle East—proving that dance music has indeed become a universal language. Now his current tour will take him to the shores of Ibiza with a summer DJ residency at legendary Club Amnesia. There, he’ll debut his five-years-running Global DJ Broadcast, which has attracted hundreds of thousands of listeners in the U.S and abroad.

"We're doing a campaign this year that's airing on the radio station in Ibiza and we're bringing in guest DJ's like Sasha, Gabriel and Dresden, Andy Moore, Max Graham and Paul Van Dyk," Schulz says. "It's bringing Ibiza to the people who can’t get out there this year." For those who skipped geography in high school, Ibiza is a providence of Spain located in the Mediterranean, an isle well known as the center of the electronic music scene. Club Amnesia is one of the islands’ top clubs and is infamous for their decadent, peek-a-boo foam parties. You can listen to Markus live at www.globaldjbroadcast.com.

Desert Trance

Amnesia won't be the only hot destination for Schulz this year, because he’s set to perform to thousands at the Distant Heat Festival in Rum, Jordan on July 27th. This will be the first time an American DJ will play in the country of Jordan. “On one hand, I’m a little nervous about it,” admits Schulz. “But on the other hand, I’m so excited. I’ve heard so much about this party, and in fact Armin [Van Burren] said it was his favorite party last year. Who would’ve thought I’d be doing something like this?”

Redeye From Ibiza, Back To The Studio

This year will also see the release of “Ibiza ’06”, the follow up to “Miami ’05.” "It's just really cool, uplifting summer tracks," describes Schulz. He describes the compilation as a "long studio session" where, instead of mixing one song into another, he weaves instrumentation such as bass lines and percussion into several tracks—turning it into what he calls a "two CD song." “It’s quite a task, putting it all together,” Schulz says. “I have this vision in my head of the flow of the compilation that I’m working hard to achieve.” Without You Near, released on Ultra Records in the states, takes listeners on a rollercoaster ride of emotive music, ranging from deep vocal ballads (“First Time”) to melodic trancers (“Travelling Light”). The album’s collaborations also speak volumes about Markus’ impactful style—Gabriel & Dresden, Elevation and Airwave appear.

The Politics Of Remixed

Aside from his original compositions (including tracks on Anjunabeats, his own Coldharbour Recordings and Armada Music), Schulz has an extensive collection of remixes under his belt. In fact, Schulz believes the lessons learned from numerous artistic collaborations have fueled his current success. “I used to work very closely with the record companies to give them exactly what they were looking for,” he elaborates, ”but to be honest, I grew tired of that. Because a lot of times [they] didn’t know what they wanted.”
Schulz would have to search for the sound the record companies didn’t know they were looking for.

The process left him in a position where he would be unable to play his own remixes, because they didn’t fit his sets. “Things really changed for me when I said, ‘Enough of this.’ If they’re going to contact me to remix a track, I’m going to make it so it fits my set; what fits my image as an artist. And when I did that, my career just took off.”

Schulz is ready to claim his place among the top-10 DJ’s in the world, and he currently sits at #21 on DJ Magazine’s mucho coveted top 100 list. The popular UK rag’s chart is based on votes from fans, and Schulz sees this as holding DJ’s accountable when it comes to pleasing the fans. “To be voted on in DJ Mag has to be viewed as a compliment.” In fact, Schulz believes a fan-driven measure such as the DJ Mag 100 can keep DJ’s accountable to fans. “The days of a headliner DJ taking the night off because it’s a small market are gone.” Says Schulz.

Diamonds Are Forever

With a new album release on the horizon, a weekly broadcast on 22 stations (and all over the web—visit www.globaldjbroadcast.com) as well as a worldwide tour, Markus Schulz is making a major impact on the contemporary electronic music scene, one that is felt from nation to nation around the globe. What does the future hold for Markus Schulz? Only time will tell, but if Schulz has his way, we may hear some voices from the past on future recordings. “I’m a huge classic rock fan,” says Schulz. “I’d love to work with vocalists from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and bands like that. That for me is my ultimate goal. ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ is one of my all time favorite tracks.”

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