Papa Was a Rolling Stone , With Over 30 Years on the Decks Sven Väth is Looking at the Future
At the age of 52 it seems that Sven Väth it in the peak of his career, celebrating 20 years of his own imprint Cocoon Records, 17 years of his Cocoon night in Ibiza and countless gigs, headlining the biggest festivals in the world, not to mention legendary events such as Cocoon in the Park that is considered as one of the top events of the year.
From the young DJ at the Dorian Gray club at the age of 18 ,a singer, producer and club owner and all the way to the being ‘Papa Sven’, not just the godfather of the techno scene in Germany but a worldwide icon who carries a global influence over the ever growing techno scene that is taking mouthful bites from the commercial scene of the EDM.
“It is hard to define a moment”, says Sven when we talked to him and tried to understand when was the moment he understood that the intimate alternative culture was becoming a world movement, “The truth is I was so locked in, so obsessed with making this music available. Looking back I am immensely proud that whatever was driving me would go on to drive and influence many others”
Sven Väth @ Cocoon in the Park, Temple Newsam, Leeds
While the clubbers of the 90’s remember Sven not just as a DJ but also as a cross-genre producer, it seems that the new generation knows Sven mainly through his DJing skills, as it seems Sven is more focused on DJing and being the driving force behind The Cocoon Network (home to the booking agency, Cocoon Events and the record label Cocoon Recordings).
In the past years there has been a revival of Sven’s music as it is being remixed by some of today’s talents such as Ame, Yousef, Tuff City Kids, Kink, Kolsch, Henrik Schwarz & Roman Flügel.
For the outsider it may look as if Sven had changed his focus, but the man himself says this is still the fulfilment of the same idea: “I am so busy now but of course we never stop dreaming. There could be a new dream tomorrow morning. But for now I have dealt with the dreams from the past. We are celebrating 20 years of Cocoon right now, I am releasing remixes of Henrik Schwarz & Roman Flügel of my classic track “Electrica Salsa“, from 1986 when I was singer and producer with the band “OFF“. Furthermore my label Cocoon is releasing some great stuff like “Compilation P“ and in autumn my “The Sound of the 17th season“ Mix CD”.
Sven Vath Remixes Playlist:
“It is a very competitive world out there now.” he says. “Many many artists. In the future there will be some new ambassadors for Techno. I am not naming names, lets wait and see. Half the fun of all this is seeing and hearing something that feels different. A bit special. The cream almost always rises to the top, f.e. Ilario Alicante from Italy, he has huge potential!”
Ilario Alicante @ Cocoon Opening, Amnesia, Ibiza
A couple of weeks back during Awakening, Sven Väth was caught on camera watching football on his phone while DJing. It seems that this was the talk of the hour in the techno world and some voices had been criticizing this. Sven from his side didn’t take it too seriously though and invited his fans to join him two days later to watch the game in the park: “You will be able to see the scores of the Germany-Italy game on the screens for the first half. After 22:00, we will watch the rest of the game together”.
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“I love what I do but I work hard and I always give my best. I care about every show. I present great music. Everything I do in music comes straight from my heart and soul”.
Sven Väth – BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix Here
“I am really looking forward to the upcoming event in Tel Aviv, it looks very promising!”
Check out live reports from @sven vath in the cat & Dog 8 year birthday celebration this Saturday on Techno Station