Johannes Heil Interview

With twenty years of studio releases and ten albums under his belt, Johannes Heils is one of German techno's most successful and prolific talents. Having been performing live since the turn of the millennium, his work has found a home on labels including Cocoon, Klang Elektronic and Figure. But his latest album, last year's 'The Black Light', was released on his own Exile label, which he co-runs with fellow German panel beater Markus Suckut.

The duo arrive this Saturday 17th to play the final Sabajaq of the year, alongside UK techno legend The Advent and rising Brazilian star Vinicius Honorio. We spoke to Johannes about getting schooled by Sven Väth at Omen, why 'production' is meaningless and his contrasting life when he's away from the world of techno...

Get ticket and more info on Sabajaq here.

This year marked 20 years since your debut single 'Die Offenbarung'. What are the three biggest lessons that you've learnt in that time about production, the industry or yourself?

There is no production; machines produce, art is human. I play with machines, because playing is the love and joy of creation. Producing is a dead behaviour. I don't care about the industry, it has nothing to offer that is of interest to me since it is all thought-based and calculated. Industry means business, business is about numbers, numbers are money and expectation. In the end, even if we all need funds to be able to live in a capitalist society, it is still us who decides whether we stick to our virtues and values or not. These lessons I had to learn in order to continue to be fully myself as an artist and to enjoy what I do with all of my heart.

You were a regular at Omen and produced 'Dein Schweiss' with Sven Väth. How much did that the club serve to help shape the sound of techno and your own personal style? Are you close with Sven?

The Omen was where my acquaintance with electronic music took place. It was my cradle, and so I would acknowledge it had a major influence to my musical vocabulary. Sven was the DJ of choice when going to the Omen, and it was him who pulled out all these records which were, and still are, a big part of my musical foundation. I haven't seen him for quite for a long time. 

Can you tell us about the ethos behind Exile. Why did you decide to do a label with Markus and what releases do you have on the horizon?

The ethos of Exile is brotherhood. We share common values that reach far beyond music or business. Our spirit is similar, and we love each other. A lot of people talk about having the philosophy of family values, but many times this is just the card played on the surface. Since Markus and me weren't too happy with the circumstance of not having a base camp that provided for all our needs, dreams and wishes, we decided to create an exile - a place where friends unite in order to create freely. We do not accept demos; in order to get in you have to be recommended by a label member and accepted by our entirety. Markus will be the next to put out a single. Shortly after that, his album will be released. I have two singles ready to roll, and Mika and Andre are also working on new music and are lined up for an album soon. Then we all will start to intertwine our work and go to the studio with each other, no end in sight.

You play live, Markus DJs. Have you ever tried DJing with him, or has he ever tried to playing a live set alongside you? 

DJing does not mean to much to me, hence why I quit DJing around 16 years ago. It is fun, but it does not fit my needs. I prefer to be involved in a process that gives me more experience for the creation of music, therefore playing live is what makes sense to me. It fuels what I do in the studio and vice versa. Markus will prepare a live set when he feels ready for it, and I guess one day we might be on stage together playing live, but I cannot tell you when that will happen.

So far you've released ten albums, which is impressive by anyone's standards. Can you tell us how you approach production. Are you in the studio at the same time everyday? Or do you wait until inspiration strikes?

I sit in the studio once I feel like it would be fun to experiment. Then I just play around and take it from there. As soon as something is speaking clearly, this becomes my inspiration. At this point I give it focus and wrap it up. As soon as one track is finished, I start the next one. Nothing happens in a certain fashion, but after a while slowly but surely order will be found inside the chaos. This is my regular studio approach, but when working on an album it is different because I always look for a story to be told. This can take a while and might cause emotional pain and stress, but once I find a starting point I get a deep feeling for it. Then I begin to create tracks which are all facets of the same story and collect them as if I was drawing on a canvas. This is then divided into tracks, which are blocks of various sizes. Painting square after square I create and collect these parts until the canvas is full, then I arrange them in order to get the most organic and natural and arc of suspense. 

Tell us three things that your fans won't already know about you.

I don't know, I am a simple man, nothing special - therefore I cannot imagine anything to be of interest besides the fact that I found an art form to communicate. That I see as the meaning of my life. Whoever listens closely to my tunes has stepped inside of me, since that is where the music comes from. It comes from within, but I guess we all know that.

You've invited your friends around to you house for dinner. What's likely to be on the stereo early in the evening and then later on? And what is your speciality dish if you're cooking? 

If friends visit, most times it is quiet and no music is playing at all. I enjoy concentrated and deep conversations. If I cook, it would be a very simple wok dish made of vegetables, tofu, rice, ginger, soy sauce and a lot of spices. It is the only dish I can make, and if I would live alone I would eat it every day. I do not cook very often since my wife is a hell of a cook, she has a knack for flavour, consistency, texture and all the other aspects of a great meal.

After getting back from a weekend on tour, what is it about where you live that makes you feel most at home again?

Going for a walk through the fields with my mother in law, reading inspiring books, inviting my family for a dinner at a nice restaurant, going for a swim and relaxing in the sauna, playing in the studio or writing down insights, watching a movie at the cinema on Sunday night together with my wife. That's what I like, what I call home…

What does 2017 already hold for you?

How can I know? Hopefully an intense continuation of a wonderful and creative life journey.