If you’re an old school EDM fan, there’s no doubt that you’ve heard ATB’s seminal 1998 hit, “9 PM (Till I Come)”. Not only does the track remain catchy as hell, it’s a reminder of when trance ruled the EDM charts back at the turn of the century. For the artist, Andre Tanneberger, he’s remained pretty active as a producer over the past two decades. Witness his sold out show at Exchange LA this past weekend where he played wonderful set, showcasing where trance has been and where trance can go. We got the chance to speak with Andre before his show at the legendary LA club. More than anything, Andre showed how enthusiastic he is as an artist, and how eager he was to get back on the road. Here’s our backstage conversation below.
Hey Andre! Thanks for chatting with us. How’s your year been? How excited are you to get back on the road?
“I can’t tell you how excited I am. Coming back to the U.S. it’s like coming back home and this time it feels really warm. I’m thankful to have a little bit of sun right now. So, exactly when Covid started, it was like, it’s a horrible time for us all. But, I’m thankful for having so much time with my little kid. But, after a year and a half, I want to be back on the stage. I want to be in front of the people. I did a lot of music, and when you’re in the studio and making music you have to imagine how people react to the music. And, now I’m able to see the reactions of you. I need to be on a stage, and especially in the U.S., it’s amazing, I love to be back.”
What have you been working on music-wise? Obviously, with the worldwide pandemic, producers had a lot of time on their hands. What did you do with your new found free time?
“Of course, at first, I spent a lot of time with my son, and second, of course, I added a lot of time in the studio. So, I did a lot of stuff, Your Love (9 PM) was exactly this time, I had a big success, worldwide with a track, but on the other side, I don’t forget the club life. So, I just released the DJ Edition EP, the first EP. So, that’s the typical ATB stuff on the road. So, I’m frequently working on new stuff. So, right now I’m working on a new single, a new EP, I’m also working on album stuff. The good thing about having a lot of time in studio is being creative.”
You’ve been in the game a long time. It’s been 23 years since 9pm. How do you continue to find inspiration as a producer, and how do you think you’ve evolved over the past two decades?
“I don’t know. The thing is, I really can’t explain, I would say, first of all, it’s my love of the music. The second thing, it’s always a small part of, you know, being with the people, who I know exactly what they love about the ATB stuff, but I’m very open-minded to different kinds of music. I don’t just want to do club stuff, I don’t just want to do radio stuff, I don’t just want to do ambient stuff, I want to do all of those things. So, sometimes, people don’t understand why I’m on the radio right now. The other people don’t understand why I’m doing an instrumental track right now. I don’t care. Maybe this is a little part of my success, I’m doing what I’m loving. Even if people think that’s very commercial, I’m loving it. Even if people think that’s very underground, I’m loving it. And, that’s what I would advise to young producers, people who are doing music. Just do what you love. Don’t care about what is categorized, don’t care about what’s really fancy right now. I don’t care about it, I try to be myself. So that’s what I’m doing in the studio right now, I’m just doing the stuff that I love.”
What’s your take on how the whole scene has evolved over the years?
“That’s a good thing about electronic music. It’s going up, down, faster, slower, harder, more melodic, more trance-y, more house-y, whatever. So, I remember the questions when I did interviews 20 years ago, people were like what do you think about electronic music, do you think it will die? And I always said, no, electronic music will be the future. There’s so many different facets of electronic music, it always evolves, and I’m glad to be a part of it. I brought it to the U.S., I started playing electronic music in country clubs, and showed the people there’s another kind of music, it’s electronic. But, electronic doesn’t mean it’s done by robots. It’s human people behind it, that’s the reason why it’s always evolving. Faster, slower, house-y, techno, whatever. This is what I’m loving about it, you can do whatever you want.”
Tell me about the new DJ Series EPs. What can fans expect from this and what’s the concept behind it?
“The concept behind it is to show to the real ATB fan that there is still the stuff. You know, there’s a typical ATB signature. Whenever I am doing a DJ EP, this is the ATB signature sound. On stage, this is what you can expect from the DJ ATB. So, that’s the DJ EP. Lots of energy, can be instrumental, don’t care about vocals, don’t’ have to be on the radio, just for the moment. It’s just these typical ATB sounds.”
When was the last time you were here in Los Angeles? What do you like best about the city and the crowd here?
“I think it’s nearly two years ago. Shortly before the pandemic, so LA’s a little bit for me, being home. I have a lot of friends here, my agencies here, the record company is here. So, it’s like coming here, it’s strange, but I feel very, very comfortable. It’s such a big city, but, for me it’s very personal. So, especially here at Exchange, I’ve played millions of times here. I’m just waiting for the crowd. I just feel good, I can’t explain it, but it’s family.”
Any words for the fans?
“First of all, I’m really thankful to still be on stage worldwide and in the US. I hope the pandemic will be over very soon. We’re all getting through hard times, and I’m very thankful for everyone who is still listening to ATB, believing in ATB’s sound, and thankful for that.”
Check out Andre’s latest, The DJ EP Vol. 1 out now on Universal. Here’s a glimpse of ATB’s epic live show as well.
