It’s Old School months on my microglobe. Although I am still „forcing the future“ (old Frontpage motto), I like to play occasional old school sets. Not out of pure nostaligica: sometimes it’s good to step back and look at the bigger picture. As Westbam put it in his book Die Macht der Nacht: „in the conjuncture of the old and new emerges the really new“.
Many tracks from the early 90s sound dated and are „children of their age“, sometimes only enjoyable with reminiscence in your heart and mind. But many tracks from those years sound amazingly fresh especially in these days.
Producers like Solee or Alex Niggemann use various 90’s trademark sounds and sequences in their latest productions.
Some even go as far as just using a complete tune as a blueprint, like Christian Smith & Webba, who gave the Maurizio remix of Vainqueur’s Lyot a Second Life. Their „version“ even topped the #1 position of the Beatport Techno charts for quite a while.
My Japanese friend Toby Izui just recently told me that Nina Kraviz created huge euphoria when she finished her regular DJ set in Tokyo with Energy 52s Café del Mar.
And tracks like Kenny Dope’s Jam The Mace, 33 â…“ Queen’s Searchin’ or Dave Clarke’s mighty remix of In Thee Dark We Live by Aphrohead are mainstays in my regular sets.
So as you can see, there’s true inspiration to be found in the old school.
But also the retro fans make themselves heard: when Wolle XDP opened a Facebook group about Techno from 1988 to 1992, it was bursting of posts, threads and attention.
And there’s love: with 1.365 listeners and counting, my set from last year’s Walfisch Revival Party on March 14th 2014 is by far the most popular of my sets here at Mixcloud.
Mijk van Dijk Classic DJ Set at Walfisch Revival Party Berlin, 2014-03-14 by Mijk Van Dijk on Mixcloud
So when I was asked to play on the 10th edition of Walfisch Revival, I reviewed the playlist of my 2014 set again and picked (almost) only records, that I did not play on last year’s set, but strictly until 1994 to create another journey into Old School Techno as played at Walfisch Club back in the days, more than 20 years ago.
Mijk van Dijk Classic DJ Set at Walfisch Revival Party Berlin #10, 2015-05-08 by Mijk Van Dijk on Mixcloud
Already in April I was invited by Eric Fischer from Austria to perform at his regular Nova Flashback Revival with music from 1993 to 2003, which was a welcomed addition to my sets at Walfisch Revival gigs. And on June 13th I am happy to perform in Holland after many years at the Promised Land Open Air along with such heavy-weights like Dr. Motte, Julian Liberator [Stay up forever U.K.], Fierce Rulling Diva [Subtopia], Abraxas & Jeroen Flamman[FRD], Steve Cop AKA Sonic Solution [R&S, BEL.], Remy Unger [Roxy, Silly Symphonies], Jaydee [Plastic Dreams], Erick E [Roxy, Palace], Marcello [It, Chemistry], Dano [Multigroove, Mazzo], Gizmo [Rave the city] and many many more.
Again, Houseclassics from 89 to 98.
I expect that festival to be super-amazing.
All my Dutch friends and fans, I hope to see you there!
Here’s the event on Facebook.
And last but not least, I shall play an Old School LIVE set once again August 1st 2015 at Nature One Festival. Being almost like a regular on that festival I am nothing short but in greatest anticipation for this. Expect me to be in full form, since I’ll just be back fresh from my Japan Tour 2015.
(Photo by Annette WĂĽsthoff, 1991)
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