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Markus Schulz: “The Australian fans are fantastic to play for”

“The Australian fans are fantastic to play for, and have been welcoming towards me from the outset,” Markus Schulz exclusively told The Trance Project.

This year, Markus Schulz has released a new album ‘Watch the World’, toured across the globe, reaching some of the biggest nightclubs and music festivals and recently hit our shores for the Aussie debut of Transmission.

The Trance Project exclusively caught up with the trance hero to talk about his career.

Check out his latest album ‘Watch The World’ here

Connect with us here.

How are you processing this eventful six months you’ve just had?

Markus Schulz: It has been incredible year so far, and I have been grateful to each and every person out there for the response towards such a career milestone in the Watch the World album.

Working on Watch the World as a project was an enormous challenge for me – delving deeply into the world of songwriting for the first time. It’s actually a revisit to days of my youth in school, where I excelled at creative writing, and the teachers would encourage me to try it as often as possible. But in those teenage days, my heart had been set on chasing the dream of becoming a DJ, it meant that I slowly drifted away from the writing aspect, and along with DJing, finding gratification in playing with synthesisers and turning knobs.

But with the sixth album on the horizon, I needed something beyond the music, and it was writing words based on what I felt on the inside. I felt it was risky at first, but thanks to the overwhelming response towards Destiny, based on a story about my personal circumstances and relationship, it gave me confidence to explore this songwriting path further.

My biggest happiness from the album is that the fans have been so kind in their resonance – to have the fans feeling they are on the same frequency as you is all I can ask for.

Between completing the album and the various tours around the world to support its release, the first six months of 2016 have been like a blink. And now we’re hitting summer in Europe and North America, it’s certainly not going to slow down.

You’ve been touring Down Under for many years now – what do you love most about playing in Australia? Can you share any memories about your very first Aussie gig?

Markus Schulz: I could be completely wrong so you will have to forgive me, but I think my first show was the Future Music Festival tour in 2009? I definitely remember those shows being absolutely incredible. It was a few weeks before the Toronto ’09 compilation came out and everyone went crazy when I played Rex Mundi & Susana’s Nothing at All, which went on to become one of the biggest tracks in the history of Coldharbour.

Then the year after, I was touring across the country in June 2010 just a week or two following the release of the Do You Dream artist album, and those shows were very memorable too.

The Australian fans are fantastic to play for, and have been welcoming towards me from the outset. They sometimes don’t get to see the big DJs as often as many of us would like, due to the geography of the country, but when you do make that annual trip, all of the shows have a buzz and anticipation. Thankfully with the advent of Global DJ Broadcast being available as a weekly podcast, it means that the fans are keeping up to date with everything I am playing, and they are well in tune when the time comes to perform live for them.

For Transmission to come to the country I think is a huge development, I hope this will be the first of many.

What’s the secret to staying in the music business for the long haul?

Markus Schulz: You have to absolutely love what you do, and that includes accepting the many, many sacrifices you have to make with your life along the way. Off the top of my head, I couldn’t tell you how many Christmas Days, Thanksgivings and so on I have been away from home in a hotel, or missed weddings and birthdays.

I think the key to survival in this job is to look after yourself, both mentally and physically. I always warn people who want to be part of this business to be sometimes careful for what you wish, because once you reach a certain level, the touring life, and the travel involved can be absolutely brutal at times.

There are plenty of moments where you are jetlagged and completely upside down physically and mentally, but as long as you live healthily you can get through it – eat well, exercise, don’t go crazy on alcohol and stay away from drugs. Even though I live in Miami, well known for being a city with plenty of party options, I actually don’t go out that much during the week, because you’re essentially using that time to recharge and preparing for the weekend ahead.

At the end of the day, no matter how tired you feel, you have to be prepared well enough to give your absolute best for the paying audience.

Around once a month, I’ll maybe take a day and just completely shut off from the world. Turn off the phone, turn off the computer and decompress. I find that having days like this are a huge aid in recovery and getting back on track after a long stretch on the road.

But I still love the job. It’s exciting to meet new people, form friendships with fans and continue to establish your legacy at iconic clubs and events. I think the day that your heart isn’t in it anymore, then that’s the day to retire.

What can we expect from you in the near future? Any exciting things your fans should be looking forward to?

Markus Schulz: Summer season has arrived so that means a plethora of festivals. As many of your readers know, I have a very close affinity with the Transmission events in Prague, becoming their international ambassador and being responsible for the yearly anthems, and I am delighted to be part of Transmission’s debut in Australia, as we head to Melbourne on Saturday. I will also be part of the home show in Prague in October.

After Melbourne it’s off to Europe, playing EDC UK, Ultra Europe in Croatia, Electronic Family in the Netherlands and Nature One in the motherland of Germany, all of which will be great to be part of.

On the radio front, the annual Global DJ Broadcast Sunrise Set will air in July, and it’s always one of the most anticipated sets of the year by the listeners. We also have our annual Coldharbour Day celebrations coming up, where the family will present a 24+ hour radio marathon of sets, including a 4 hour mix from me.

And on the production side, I am continuing to A&R remixes for the Watch the World album, and they will begin to filter into my sets throughout the next month. Coldharbour Recordings is also proudly celebrating 250 releases very soon, and to continue with the tradition of milestones on the album, there will be something new from me for the occasion.

It will be a very busy time, but it’s also a time of the year where giving back to the fans is important.

Check out his latest album ‘Watch The World’ here.

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Written by Miguel Ramirez

My name is Miguel, and i'm a trance addict.

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