Both Ben Klock and DVS1 are men in need of little introduction in the Techno world.
Although nowadays Ben Klock is closely associated with the Berghain club and it’s Ostgut Ton label, he got his start behind the boards and decks long ago. His first production surfaced under the name Ben E. Clock back in 1998 but things really got rolling in 2003 when he assumed his present alias for a pair of offerings on Ellen Allien’s BPitch Control, a label on which he continues to release today. With the launch of the Berghain/Panoramabar Club in Berlin in the mid-2000s, followed by the establishment of the Ostgut label, the stage was set for Klock’s ascension to the highest echelons of the Techno DJ circuit, where he has remained ever since.
The tale of Zak Khutoretsky, aka DVS1 is a rather different one. Although he started in New York in the early 1990s, Zak soon relocated to Minneapolis, not exactly a place known for launching stars unto the global Techno circuit. There he became a favorite in the tightly knit underground dance scene, establishing a reputation across the midwest for his energetic DJing style and passionate love for the music. With no Berghain in which to perform and no Ostgut on which to release, Zak founded Hush Sound, his own event promotion agency, and with it quickly changed the face of the twin cities underground. Hush set up shop in a private warehouse where DVS1 helmed his own events, high on production quality, low on nonsense. In between parties, he offered up the locale as studio space for aspiring local DJs, producers and bands, building on the talent at hand to establish MPLS. Although along the way he’d shared the booth with many of the best in the business, in 2009 Zak was still a relative unknown when a single performance of his, witnessed by Ben Klock, resulted in the DVS1 debut on the Klockworks label. With releases following on Transmat and Enemy Records, and remixes on Prologue, Sleaze Records, and Perc Trax, Zak’s profile has been on the rise ever since. He also has several remixes coming out on Curle and Blueprint in upcoming weeks. But it’s still his DJ skills on which the DVS1 name rests. Amongst contemporary American Techno DJs, few can rival Khutoretsky, who keeps a breakneck pace in his deep and wide-ranging sets and plays vinyl most, if not all, of the time.
With both of these twin pillars of the Klockworks label in town for an all-night showcase at BLK|Market Membership, we thought we’d catch up with the pair for a bit of history on their separate and collective past, present, and future…
halcyon: So hello and welcome back to New York guys. We’ve seen a bit of both of you recently… any startling news since your last appearances around here?
Ben Klock: Well, just a lot of traveling since last time I was in NY. Exhausting in some moments but the startling news… is that I still love my job!
DVS1: Nothing startling, but definitely some highlights! I’ve had a chance to play some really great events, most notably had a chance to play 10.5 hours at Berghain’s anniversary back in Dec! Otherwise just working on music, specifically getting back into writing more original work. For the last year I really focused on remixes that are starting to come out now.
h: So I’m curious… Ben was responsible for releasing your first single Zak. How did your relationship get started then?
DVS1: Some promoters in Minneapolis asked me to do a live set, which I had only done one other time, nearly 3 years prior. I had agreed to do it and the date was set… about a month later a show was announced by another promoter that was bringing Ben out to DJ on the same night. I asked the people I was playing for to put me on later in the night so I could go check Ben out. After Ben was finished playing at the club, the promoters wanted him to come out and hear me do my live set. At first he hesitated, but ended up agreeing to come by as it was something special for me to be doing a live set and they wanted him to see it. I think he literally walked in as I was starting and shortly after I finished we connected. About 2 weeks later I emailed him and we started talking. He asked if I had put out any music and if I had any interest in it, and at that point I made the decision to give it a go. The outcome was 4 parts that Ben chose from the live set that later got developed into my first klockworks release. Only 3 of the tracks made it on there and the 4th will be coming out on my next klockworks release in March/April.
Ben: Well, Zak puts it in pretty sober words here ;) It was actually a bit more emotional: I was really blown away by his live performance. It was the best that I had seen in a long time. And the fact that I usually never go to any after parties after I finish my sets and that I had just came in when he started and the fact that it was his second live set ever.. the whole thing felt for me like one of these special moments. Sometimes you meet people and you know it’s not a coincidence.
h: Another one for Zak… Seeing you release under your own name on Transmat was a bit of a surprise – not only did the name change throw some people off, but it’s not really a very active label. Would you mind telling us how that went down?
DVS1: In all honesty, I wasn’t really for it, but Derrick May was really adamant about using my real name and building on me as Zak and not as DVS1. In the end we came to a compromise that listed the record as Zak Khutoretsky/DVS1, but it was crazy how many places had it listed as two different artists when I would look it up. In the end the name thing wasn’t really that big of a deal, the opportunity to release on such a legendary label was. I can’t really describe what that was like. Transmat is such a HUGE part of electronic music history and to have a chance to be a part of that history is just humbling.
h: I’m also curious if there’s been any collaboration between the two of you in the studio – that would certainly be exciting to hear. Any news, teasers or possibilities of something like this coming up soon?
DVS1: We’ve definitely talked about it and joked about names we would use. The hardest part is the distance between us. Berlin and Minneapolis don’t make it the easiest for us to sit and let ideas develop. We also use different styles of programs and production and still need to find a way to get the concepts moving between us. I wouldn’t write it off though, maybe some time soon our joke will become a reality!
Ben: First it’s a question of time. The other thing is that I absolutely love Zak’s style. He creates this amazing funk and atmosphere with a minimum of sounds. Bass drum, hi-hats, one synth line and maybe a clap every now and then – that’s it. True minimalism. I’m not sure if I want to add anything to that, you know. But we’ll see. We will try at some point.
One thing that almost looks like a collaboration is the forthcoming remix EP for Rejected (Joris Voorn and Edwin Oosterwal). On one side it’s Zak’s remixes, on the other side it’s my remix that finally will come out. I’ve already been playing it for a long time.
h: While we’re on the subject of teasing, Zak, an Ostgut Ton release seems like the next logical step for you. Can we maybe expect to see something from you coming out there soon?
Zak – Being invited to play at Berghain a few times now and heading back again to play two more sets on March 12th, I feel my connection to Ostgut/Berghain as a family is growing. It’s really up to them and how they feel about my progression as part of that family. If the time comes and they ask, I’ll be more than happy to oblige!
h: As guys that both land near the top of the list amongst contemporary Techno DJs, could each of you give us a few tracks, artists, or labels that have recently been on your personal playlists?
Ben: Last year I was digging through old stuff a lot, found some nice tracks that I didn’t know or that I rediscovered by Fanon Flowers, Heiko Laux, DJ Rush, Dave Clark and many more. Also my playlist was full of DVS1 remixes ;) and been playing the ROD tracks, the new Klockworks like crazy the last few months.
DVS1: My memory is really bad and I’m terrible with names, half the reason I play vinyl is cause I can’t remember what anything is. I’m very visual, I remember by artwork or label. Can I just tell you that red one on that one label? Honestly too many to even keep up with right now. I don’t even do charts cause usually my charts are “out of date” with what’s new or popular. I play what stands out to me or what I feel at the moment…A lot of older music (no I’m not stuck in the past) and a random scattering of new stuff fill my bag.
h: Ben, your last mix on Ostgut was a real standout, something that had a wide variety of sounds, including dubby and broken beat stuff. If we were stretching the window outside of strictly Techno, what other sounds and music have either of you found inspiring recently?
Ben: Lately I’ve been listening to Shackleton’s Fabric mix in the car a lot. Haven’t downloaded the new Radiohead album yet, will do this tonight. I’m a big fan and hope this will inspire me again. DJ-wise I’m also really looking forward to Levon Vincent’s new tracks.
h: Both of you stand out to me as DJs and producers that are embracing a harder, faster, and fuller Techno sound with emphasis on melody and atmosphere. What direction do you see Techno going in now and in the next year or so?
Ben: I’m not sure how long this dark, darker, darkest Techno that is kind of the new “minimal” at the moment will go on. It’s so standardized again. Of course I like dark and harder stuff, but for me it also needs to be sexy, funky and warm. Otherwise it’s just boring. I need some variety. Recently I’ve also been putting some electro-ish tracks in my sets.
DVS1: I’ve always been drawn to this type of Techno. What’s interesting to see right now is how many labels have popped up since Techno’s new found success. What’s unfortunate about that success is the amount of soulless stuff coming out. It’s got the back bone of what I like, but its missing something. That’s why I still play a strong mix of old and new, to find that soul in Techno. I can’t say how long the Techno “bug’ will last, but I can say that I’ve been playing this style of House and Techno for years… and when the hype dies down, I’ll still be playing it.
h: Both of you have been keeping quite busy on the worldwide touring circuit for awhile now. Are there any recent experiences or highlights you’d like to share with us?
DVS1: Although I’m finally getting some opportunities I never had before, I would say my schedule is NOTHING compared to Bens! He’s probably got some great stories and seen some amazing things! As I mentioned above, for me playing the 10.5 hour set in Berghain last Dec was my highlight. To be able to play on that system, in that room and to that crowd of music enthusiasts was really something special for me. I just had to let go and do what I do…
Ben: It’s honestly really hard to point out one. I had an amazing party in Tokyo on Christmas, a crazy party at Culture Box in Copenhagen, blood, sweat and tears dripping down everywhere. The major experience for me over the last year was that I realized how many stand out parties I had. It’s like when you say “wow this was the party of the year!” and then next weekend you are somewhere else and you have another “party of the year.” Things were not always like that. And it’s something that I’m really grateful for at the moment. Also for me Berghain is still an amazing place. In January it happened that I had some gigs abroad that were just ok, I felt like something was missing. Than coming back and playing a 7 hour set at Berghain helped so much to overcome this mini crises. Like Zak said, there you can just let go and for me the feeling has been back again since then. This year has started out strong. I’ve already had some more “parties of the year” again since then :)
h: Obviously it’s really exciting to have the both of you here as an all-night showcase for the label… can we expect to see separate sets, a bit of trading off and battling, or just a more loose and organic development for the night?
Ben: I think we will do both – we will play separate sets and maybe towards the end also some back to back action. But we’ll leave that open for now.
DVS1: We’re playing all night, so come down early and stay late!
h: So thanks for your time and we all can’t wait for this coming weekend I’m sure. Any closing remarks, last-minute throw in, or anything else you’d like to leave us with before we see you on stage this Saturday?
Ben: Always love coming back to NY which has always been the city of all cities for me. And I’m excited about the first little Klockworks tour we are having. I have a pretty good feeling about it.
DVS1: Just want to say thank you to everyone who has been supporting me and pushing me these last few years. It feels really good to have the opportunities I’m having right now and I’m pushing myself to get even better this next year! See you Saturday NEW YORK!!!
Ben Klock and DVS1 play all night at BLK|Market Membership in NYC on Saturday, February 26th, 2011. For full details and a chance to WIN A PAIR OF TICKETS click here
For a full selection of Klockworks, Ostgut and other fine Techno labels, visit halcyon the shop at 57 Pearl St. in DUMBO, Brooklyn
RSVP here
