Seth Troxler: In the Mix
Exploring the intersection between contemporary art, music and technology, DJ and producer Seth Troxler continues to push sonic and artistic boundaries with his unique creative perspective.
One of contemporary electronic music’s most renowned artists, Seth Troxler has forged a ground-breaking career. Born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and raised in Detroit, Troxler was working at the city’s legendary record store Melodies & Memories aged just 16, before making the move to Berlin in the 2000s and immersing in the city’s buzzing techno electronica scene. Troxler has since made a name for his nuanced and multifaceted music, alongside his shared passions for contemporary art and gastronomy. Working with the motto ‘Don’t stop’, Troxler continues to expand his creative horizons, producing everything from multidisciplinary projects to an independent label and a new foray into design.
L'OFFICIEL IBIZA: When did you realise you wanted to be a DJ?
SETH TROXLER: I started DJing very young, but I think the professional turning point came in 2005 – I remember one night in particular at the Robert Johnson club in Germany, when I was 19 years old.
LOI: Which are your favourite clubs to play in across the globe?
ST: In addition to being a home resident, Circoloco at Ibiza’s DC-10 is family for me, and it’s a really special place. But there are so many clubs around the world: Fabric in London, Blitz in Munich, Nordstern in Basel. Each city has a different but no less magical atmosphere. And that’s one of the most amazing things about my job. In Italy, Turin, Milan, Bologna, Sardinia and Naples are incredible places for a DJ. Another city where I love to play is Amsterdam – every time the magic is created, there is a sort of symbiosis with the audience. They understand my music and I always feel comfortable.
LOI: How did your connection to Circoloco come about?
ST: It’s quite funny, I had never been to Ibiza and then all of a sudden this club DC-10 asked me to be their new resident. I remember all my friends freaking out at the time and me being quite calm about it all. Now, Circoloco is my family – we work together, our kids play with each other. They have always taken care of the people who have stuck by their side and I have a great deal of respect for that. To me, my own family and friends are everything.
LOI: Where do your passions for gastronomy and contemporary
art stem from?
ST: Travelling a lot, I get to try so many different cuisines, meet interesting people and visit many contemporary art museums. This flow of cultures and interpretations, both artistic and culinary, fascinates me – to the point that it has also influenced the way I interpret music or my life in general. It’s all in the details that I discover and absorb around the world.
LOI: Can you tell us more about Lost Souls of Saturn, your multidisciplinary project with Phil Moffa?
ST: Lost Souls of Saturn is a direct reinterpretation of all the interests I have: an intersection between futuristic electronics, contemporary art and technology. In the making, Phil and I began to deepen the theme of Saturn and its cult, and also the conspiratorial, somehow anarchic ideas to which it is linked. The name encapsulates the idea that humanity sometimes gets lost in strange figures and ideologies. Music is a way to save it. I want to try to really push the sonic and musical boundaries beyond what we know, and even beyond what I do, in many respects, from narration to the exhibition of a project. At the end of the year, we will have a new album and some live performances, in which we will also give space to new technologies and art. I like to think I can take my work to another universe, with a different timeline… But who knows, maybe we are already there!
LOI: What is the concept behind your Tuskegee project?
ST: Tuskegee started with the Martinez Brothers about eight or 10 years ago, when we were playing between New York and Detroit, two cities that were primarily creating a cultural heritage for black and Hispanic music. However, we realised that the same value was not present on the global scene.
So, we wanted to create a label and space that was able to shine a spotlight on people of colour. Placing the emphasis above all on the young and emerging. A light, for the artists of tomorrow.
LOI: Is electronic music becoming more inclusive for women?
ST: The world of electronic music is one of the most culturally advanced scenes. It is an area where artists expose themselves a lot – be it social issues, new technologies or art forms. It is progressive and inclusive for women, as well as the gay community and many minorities. Historically, music was born as a community form of aggregation and inclusion, especially for those looking for some form of freedom, even of expression. Electronic music perfectly embodies this spirit.
LOI: What’s the driving force behind your label, Slacker 85?
ST: Being an artist doesn’t mean entertaining. As a creator, I’m constantly looking for new ideas. I’ve always worked and collaborated with friends, but I’ve never had a label on my own. Slacker 85 was born from this need. I wanted to encompass 20 years of dance music and past experiences. Slacker 85 talks about being human and not about being a star; I’ve always tried to be a man of the people, and this is the true meaning of the word for me. To be normal, without the need to show off – sometimes even a little loser, but cool… Besides, who wants to be a winner the whole time?
LOI: Who are the artists that inspire you?
ST: I’m very lucky, because many of my friends are also artists – painters, sculptors and musicians. It’s amazing to work with your heroes. I also find great inspiration in young people, and to those arriving I say, ‘Don’t just look to the future or the past, but to the people around you, and build your story on this too.’ I’m telling mine, but new ones will come, told by the new generations.
LOI: You’re now releasing a new range of limited-edition beach towels. How did this project come about, and how does it reflect Ibiza?
ST: We did it as a joke last year after I made this joke billboard. I made around 30 towels for my friends. Recently, a photo of one of them went viral, so we decided to do a re-press and sell them. The towel was based on the film Sexy Beast. It’s a parody on the culture that exists [in the Mediterranean], with therich and villa life.
LOI: What are your plans and hopes for the future?
ST: I had a dream recently: I dreamed of my family with two children, a boy and a girl. When I had my first child, I dreamed just before of conceiving a boy, and it happened. So, who knows, maybe we’ll expand the family! And for the future, I would like to create a musical legacy that can last over time – keep creating, experimenting and bringing the weird things I think of from my messed-up mind to reality, hoping someone may find them inspiring, as they are to me.