Described by some as the man with many faces, Mathias Schober is one of the most exciting DJ’s and Producers in electronic music. As one half of Internacional Electrical Rhythms with Trikk, Pattern Select with Milton Jackson and co-owner of the Lossless label you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone that does not respect the quality of Schober’s work. The ultimate accolade and testament to the quality of his work is the trust instilled by Dixon, Ame and Marcus Worgull to mix down their latest productions. A role most can only dream of. With Mathias Schober dropping his latest EP, The Fall on Lossless there was no better time to pin him down to discuss life Behind The Headphones.
At what moment did you decide this was the career you wished to follow. Was there a defining moment or was it a combination of experiences?
I can’t recall if I’ve ever made that decision consciously. It all happened naturally. It started quite early with buying records. This lead to my first attempts at DJing which again evolved into production. I love writing and producing as much as I love DJing. I have a rather technical perspective on production and I love working on mixdowns. Lately, it’s what I do for a good bunch of people. To answer your question, it was a combination of experiences. Running fast tracker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FastTracker_2) on my first PC 368, record shopping, first DJ gigs and seeing people react to the music I was playing. I do have a memory, well more a picture of myself sitting in front of my 17” screen with the first version of Logic trying to make a track with the help of my AKAI S2000 sampler. The beat I managed to make was shit, nevertheless, I was enjoying it. I never planned it, it just happened and I never questioned it.
Following on from that do you think the role of the DJ or producer has changed since you first started making music?
It changed yes, or it more or less became one person – ideally. I do remember that a DJ was a DJ if he wanted to dig into making music he would probably go to someone that is a producer and ask for help. Overtime DJs improved their production skills too or the other way around. Guys that were great producers thought they needed to start djing too. In a perfect world today, main acts have excellent social media skills, are really good DJs and their productions and releases are top of the line. But, if you’re really honest there are tons of DJs out there that are mediocre but their remixes are amazing. And of course, there are excellent DJs whose productions sound whack and still, people go crazy about it because of the name. In current times everyone has to be excellent in everything they do or rather they should do everything and still be amazing at it. Over the years it’s a bit of a glorification that’s happened.
It is no secret we are in uncharted territory with the current situation surrounding COVID-19. We will, of course, come out the other side but do you see the landscape of electronic music changing. If so how, and for better or worse?
That’s a question I’ve been asking and discussing a lot lately. I think it’ll probably slow down a bit, at least after this is over. The question is when it is over will we go back to normal and what will this look like. Maybe international gigs will slow down a bit, or production and the actual music will become more important. I don’t have the answer to this question right now. I think it’s important to continue what you do. Don’t stop, never. Maybe the music itself has become a bit more important currently. You can’t or don’t want to listen to club tracks all the time. Do you? Getting back to if it’ll change for better or worse, I think it will probably be a bit of a “correction” towards the good, and then we’ll quickly go back to normal as if nothing ever happened. That’s human nature, isn’t it?
Lossless is the label you run with your partner Thomas Herb as well as producing and DJing as SBTH. The two of you are based in different cities so this must make your studio time together limited. Do you have any advice for being efficient with your studio time?
Efficiency with studio time is something I’m always thinking about a lot. I think you need routines and certain timeframes that you set yourself for tasks. You can easily get lost in the process. We all know how easy it is to spend 4h on exchanging the bass drum and then listening to that 2bar loop over and over again making useless decisions on how to use the cutoff on the bass sound filter. Work in portions set a timer for certain tasks, work down the line and don’t jump between tasks. Don’t worry too much about the mix, it’s the idea that’s most important. 2 hours is usually enough to finish a track. Detail work and mix can be done later.
The time Thomas and I spend in the studio is usually really well spent, much better than when I’m on my own sometimes. When Thomas is in town it’s like being abroad for me. We set ourselves a goal and work towards it. This works well for us and two days of studio time are usually enough to finish a track and start one or two ideas.
Whilst we are on the subject of Thomas Herb and Lossless, the two of you appear at least from the outside to make a formidable team. How did this partnership come about and more importantly what do you think makes for successful partnerships or collaborations?
Thomas and I met at different parties when we were both active in Munich’s nightlife. Munich is small compared to Berlin or London yet it has a really lively scene and you usually meet a lot of the same people. Over time we started djing together and spent the nights chatting about music and things. Somehow it led to thoughts about running a label together. It probably took another 3 years before we put it together and another 2 for finding the first track for the label. I think it’s important that each of us has our own input and tasks. Something that each brings to the table which fulfils the whole project and most importantly, you should talk openly about all issues that might occur down the line. Take my word, there will be issues.
What has been the most challenging thing you have had to overcome in your life to date, and how did you go about it?
Uff, that’s a tough one. Luckily I don’t feel that I have had that one major challenge in my life. My life, in general, is really fast and quite challenging. I’m never bored I simply don’t know what boring means. There’s been a case of cancer in my family years ago, which I found tough.
Throughout history, music has played a role in various key events. The apartheid, The summer of love, Tbilisi. Do you think music is a tool for social, political or economical change and why?
It is a tool for change. Music unites people. It might be lame to say but it’s true. If you think of an African tribe, all united drumming their drums, whistling, dancing, partying. This beautifully describes the power of music as it lets people forget about their sorrows for at least a moment. And, wasn’t it David Hasselhoff’s “Looking For Freedom” that tore down the Berlin Wall?
Finally, what are you most proud of in your career to date?
I’m proud of everything that I’ve done and it’s a constant process. Sometimes it’s the small success in the studio that makes me happy and proud of what I’ve created. Other times it might be a look at my vinyl shelves and seeing the Lossless releases in their physical form. I love all the projects I’ve done with other people too. Music is something personal and a snapshot, it represents a certain time in your life.
