Introducing...Soundstream

As a product of producing for almost twenty years Berlin’s Soundstream falls into the old school pool of DJ's where the music you produce has to overcome the test of time to survive. As Frank Timm tells it; "otherwise it will disappear very fast and so will you." Inspired by the secular power of James Brown and classic funk and soul of Chic, over the years his three crowning labels have amassed a vast array of music styles and sounds that pronounce Soundstream as a more "housey, disco, cut and paste thing", Soundhack as a "harder, more techno if anything" and Soundsampler "more alternative, cutting edge stuff." Distributed by world-renowned record store Hard Wax, he's keeping his next releases under wraps for now but what we can tell you is that his live show coming to Room Two on Saturday is a true exhibition of his musical heritage that sees the German visionary live up to his name. Read on to find out more about Soundstream before he plays for Aus Music in one of the biggest line ups in our disco diary this month.. Can you introduce yourselves for those who are uninitiated in your musical background? My labels are Soundstream, Soundhack and Soundsampler. I've been producing music now for almost 20 years. Each label is quite easy to distinguish from each other. Soundstream is a more housy, disco, cut and paste thing. Soundhack is harder, more techno if anything and Soundsampler is more alternative, cutting edge stuff. Can you tell us about your live-set up? What equipment do you use and how are you perfecting your live show over the years? I've been doing my Live set now for about 6 years, usually I mix all the tracks that I have produced together. I mostly use my computer with a couple of controllers like keyboards and faderboxes. Can you present us with three records that define your sound the best? As a DJ I would say, Chic "Everybody Dance", House Syndicate "Jam The Mase", Lil Silva "Gobble That" How are you looking forward to playing live in Room Two for the Aus Music takeover next Saturday? It's always a challenge to play room 2, you have to rock to get the people going. Your bio says ‘Let’s be honest: most of today’s club music protagonists are as exciting as dead meat.’ Can you tell us what you mean exactly There are so many people who DJ and produce nowadays, it's hard to keep track of everything going on and not everything happening is good. I'm from the old school style where the music you produce has to overcome the test of time to survive, otherwise it will disappear very fast and so will you. Where do you get your inspiration from? Who are the people and places that have had the biggest impact on your life? Black artists have inspired me the most, whether James Brown or Chic, I've always found the sound I could relate to in their productions. Tell us about your connection to Hard Wax? It also distributes your labels Soundstream and Soundhack? I started buying records there in the early 90's, it was the best place for my sound. The whole crew was very supportive when I started to produce. I then decided that HW would be the best place to distribute my stuff and I haven't looked back since. What new projects do you have in the pipeline? I'm planning a new Soundstream and a new Soundsampler, a Soundhack may also be release in the near future, but I can't give any dates at the moment. Finally, what are the three things in life you can’t live without? My record collection, my turntables and my family (wife and son).