CLUBS | Feature
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT
As Sven Väth’s superclub makes its Edinburgh debut, Henry Northmore talks to producer and Cocoon signing Alejandro Mosso
S ven Väth has been DJing for over 30 years. He helped shape the dance music scene in his native Germany via groundbreaking labels such as Harthouse and Eye-Q and clubs including Omen. Over the years his sound has morphed through techno, house, trance and back again, constantly at the top of his game over three decades. And that’s before mentioning his all-encompassing Cocoon network which includes a venue in Frankfurt, club nights across the globe, a record label and a DJ booking agency. Perhaps most famous as probably the most credible club night in Ibiza, it features Väth and Ricardo Villalobos and a selection of the world’s best DJs and electronic acts (2013’s season featured Carl Craig, Adam Beyer, Chris Liebing, Loco Dice and many more).
Now the promoters behind club night Musika have enticed Väth and his Cocoon roadshow to Scotland as part of the club’s world tour with a stopover in Edinburgh at a secret location (all will be revealed on 28 October via cocoon.net or musikanights.com). And Musika promise:
internal purpose-built Cocoon-inspired ‘an design within the Edinburgh boundaries in an exceptional venue never used before for an event of this type, guaranteed to exceed your expectations, powered by a Funktion One sound system and full Cocoon production.’ Naturally Väth will be headlining with a three- hour set. Support comes from Cocoon regulars, Turkish minimal / tech-house DJ Onur Özer and Argentinian producer Alejandro Mosso. ‘Cocoon is a big structure that can give independent artists like me, very good support and exposure,’ explains Mosso. ‘Cocoon is a synonym of quality and consistency, and I am proud of being part of such a distinguished roster.’
Specialising in warm organic beats that sit somewhere between the worlds of house and funky techno, Mosso runs his own label (also called Mosso). ‘The Mosso label is a personal thing. I only release my own music there and I try to keep it special. For some years I was looking for a label that would i t my music, but this can be a hard and painful task sometimes, so I simply decided to create the label for it.
Nevertheless I will soon be launching another label, this time releasing other artists as well.’ Mosso will be playing live and is one of a rare breed of producers who has never DJed. It’s usually the obvious stepping stone before moving into the studio, but instead he went directly from being in various rock and post punk bands to electronica. ‘I guess the main thing that pushed me to electronic music was the need to be able to produce everything on my own. Working with a band can be complicated sometimes,’ adds Mosso. ‘Somehow I moved from guitars and rock to electronic music and machines without ever spinning a record. I guess it is an unusual path. I was always interested in creating music and sharing it. For me playing live is a very personal and intense experience. When you are there on the scene playing your own music, you are vulnerable, you are sharing your feelings with the crowd, and when a good connection happens, then it’s a sublime and unforgettable moment.’
Cocoon World Tour, secret location TBA, Edinburgh, Sat 2 Nov.
58 THE LIST 17 Oct–14 Nov 2013