Born in the United States and raised only miles from NYC, donnerstag was perfectly positioned to see electronic music unfold. As a child, he was trained as a pianist at 6 years old and his training in musical theory is still evident in his productions today. He owned his first professional synthesizer, a Kawai K-3, at age 10 and never looked back.
In 2015, donnerstag moved to the musically rich city of Philadelphia and within his first two years, he has played almost every major venue and party in the city of Philadelphia. donnerstag has held numerous residencies, has appeared at multiple festivals, entertained three continents, toured Europe 3 times so far.
Every single one of donnerstag’s releases in 2018 + 2019 has gone TOP 100 on Beatport’s Techno and Melodic Techno Charts and he has been in the TOP 10 four times in the last 6 months.
He is also helping us out with A&R so hell yeah, he deserves a spot in our “TGMS presents” mix series. So check out the mix below and read about what he has to see when we asked him some questions about music & life.
Connect with donnerstag on Soundcloud | Facebook | Instagram | Beatport
Tracklist
01. Placebo – Running Up That Hill (Ambian Remix) (unreleased)
02. Aaryon – Atica
03. Coeus – Opus (Santiago Garcia Remix)
04. Stereo Express – Aquiver
05. Sasha, Krister Linder – Cut me down featuring Krister Linder (Radio Slave Remix)
06. Denis Horvat, Lelah – Noise featuring Lelah
07. Novak, Animal Picnic – Khokana
08. Nico Morano – Bratan
09. Pink Floyd – Hey You (Sebastian Busto Remix) (unreleased)
10. donnerstag – Platz unreleased
11. WhoMadeWho, ARTBAT – Closer featuring WhoMadeWho
12. Sameer – Aida
13. Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons – All I need to get high (Ae:ther Dreaming Dub Remix)
14. donnerstag, JoeFlow – X-Files (unreleased)
15. Nico Morano – Icarus
16. Underwood – Astronef (release 06/06)
17. Agents Of Time – Cosmic Frequencies
What’s it all about, donnerstag?
Where do you come from and what makes your place so special for you?
I’m from the United States. I was born and raised just 8 miles from New York City. Living so close to NYC, I was exposed to so many things both culturally and musically. I’ve seen the birth of Hip-Hop, dark after-hours like Sound Factory, fashion and an ever-evolving art and nightlife scene.
How do you see the electronic music scene evolve in and around the city or country?
I’ve seen the Underground literally grow in front of my eyes. It was unheard of to see a famous DJ or producer play in the 1980s at a large venue. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, raves started popping up in the most sublime locations, under the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to abandoned warehouses. The House Music scene in the United States is growing but often pushed out of the way by Open Format, Hip-Hop and commercial dance as well as EDM. However, I also feel that Techno, Progressive and Melodic Techno are bigger in the states now than ever before because of the number of events that go on combined with social media.
What excites you the most as being a DJ/producer?
My favourite thing about both being a DJ and producer is the ability to express my self in absolutely any way with sound and to connect with my audience as I create mini-vacations. Whether it’s in a track I create or in one of my live DJ sets. When the music is right we can co-create moments together that can last a lifetime and develop connections with people from any part of the world. Music eradicates all differences and boundaries.
Where does your passion for electronic music come from?
First of all my passion for music comes directly from my mother. She played our piano for friends and family and then encouraged me to take lessons and so, I fell in love with the piano. I also come from a very poor area and music was an escape for me. I remember in the early 90s the feeling that I got on the dance floor was nothing like I had ever experienced. I wanted to be a part of the magic so I applied my musical training from when I was a child with pianos, keyboards, choir, musicals and several guitars in roughly 2010 and I morphed into what I am today. Today, electronic music is my drug of choice. I am also a devoted Yoga teacher and Yoga student so mantras and meditation influence my creative process and wellbeing so I have never been more passionate about creating.
How has your music been influenced by other artists, musicians, or life in general?
I was influenced by so many different genres and artists something really cool had to happen. I’m a big fan of aliens and science fiction novels and movies so I have always been in love with that vibe. In the early 1990s I was following, seeing and listening to everyone from the Jungle Brothers and Morrissey to the Grateful Dead all the way to NYC’s Beastie Boys. So I believe the donnerstag sound is a combination of my childhood musical training, my experiences, science fiction, the Emo culture, the early raves, and of course my own personal struggles with spirituality, addiction, heartbreak and personal loss. I am so passionate about music today because I want to build a beautiful life for my children and their children. I want to bring people together with my productions and live DJ sets and use my platform as an artist to promote awareness for some social issues that mean so much to me like serving the homeless, ending racism as well as childhood and adult hate and bullying through the charities I represent.
What can we expect from the mix you made us?
I definitely take some chances. It’s exactly the same as my live performances that I play in clubs and at events. It will have a building, progressive sound. I live remix almost every track in this set by either adding an acapella or some kind of creative looping, sound effect, cueing and or mashup technique. It’s very spacey but vocal. It explores some very new work from myself and some of my colleagues in the Melodic Techno and Techno genres and I use some very famous spoken word samples to create something totally new for the listener.
What’s your favourite song to date?
My favourite song of all time is Mozart – Requiem in D minor but my favourite song to play in DJ sets as we speak is Placebo – Running Up That Hill (Ambian Remix). They both move me.
Thank you!
