Marcelus shines for Tresor
We speak to Marcelus ahead of the French producer’s third EP for Tresor due later this month.
For those brave enough to plunge into the depths of Tresor club in Berlin, the sounds of Marcelus’ Shine EP will be all too familiar, and as a press release writes, “the A-side is adamantly aimed to be used and abused in the vault during the most feverish and damp hours.” Marcelus does, however, add a shellac finish to the four-track EP by providing the B-side with the one complete ambient and textural “Astral”, while a rhythmically complex title-track sounds like a broken sequence of drums and brass bells tolling at the bottom of a well.
Marcelus, a figurehead of French techno, debuted on Tresor in 2012 and he’s provided the label with a release every year since. His first 12″s surfaced on Parisian label Deeply Rooted, emerging as a producer of note around the same time as label mates Bleak and François X. Following several releases on both labels he set up his own, Singular, which releases his own music and that of others. Ahead of the Shine EP dropping at the end of the month, Marcelus was kind enough to answer some questions which you can check out below along with a preview of the EP.
Hi Marcelus. You are a resident DJ at Tresor, is that right? How long have you been playing there for and what is it like DJing at the club?
Hi, yes that’s right, I think my first time there was three years ago or something like that, and I’ve been playing quite often at the club since. I also made music for the label so they asked me if I would like to be resident last year, and of course I also wanted something regular like that so It made sense. DJing there is always a great experience, it’s a very dark and rough place obviously, and for playing techno I think it’s fantastic, I would say it’s a kind of perfect immersion, plus I really love the people in charge of the club, so it feels great playing there.
How did you first become involved with the club and label?
They liked what I did on Deeply Rooted House so they just contacted me for more music and to play at the club.
Is there a story behind the release of this EP?
Not really, I just restarted working on some new material at some point, maybe it took me more time than I would usually need on the production side of things. The selection process with Paulo also took some time, it’s not always easy to work with me because I always go in every direction which can be problematic, and furthermore we wanted something a bit different from my previous EPs on the label.
What determines a release on Tresor rather than Deeply Rooted, or your own Singular?
I’m not sure, I usually make music just for myself in the first place, it’s a very selfish thing, I forget everything quite rapidly when I am making music, then I will share some tracks. After that the release comes down to tastes, the mood, I don’t know, they (other labels) choose what they like. For my own label it’s different, obviously, because I make all the decisions, that’s the main difference.
How are things going with your label Singular?
Fine, I’m developing it slowly. I really love being able to release what I want, this freedom is very exciting and it’s cool to exchange with other artists. It’s not easy all the time but I love it, and I’ve started working on the next releases, there will be some very nice music from Mush, Scan 7 and more.
Will we hear new music from Claudia Anderson?
Yes and Claudia too, absolutely, she is working on new music right now, actually, I should have the tracks very soon! I am very excited about it!
Tresor will release the Shine EP by Marcelus on September 29.
Tracklisting:
A1. Red Dance
A2. Worship The Bass
B1. Shine
B2. Astral