Spot On – Elotrance – frohfroh – electronic music from leipzig

Elotrance – a name that stands for originality, a family atmosphere and diversity in the Leipzig music scene and beyond. But what is behind the collective? In this interview you will find out.

Conducting the interview with Elotrance was a bit of a challenge: Of the five members, only Alex, Felix and Carl were able to take the time, as the collective lives across several cities and each member also has a lot on their plate privately. Viktor and Eddie were unfortunately missing, but their perspectives and contributions to the collective were acknowledged and included by those in attendance.

In the conversation, the three members talk about how it all began, how they perceive today's rave culture – and what their visions are for the future. It quickly becomes clear: Elotrance is much more than a collective – it is a friendship based on a deep passion for music and community.

Who is Elotrance and how did it all start?

We are five friends: Carl (24), Alex (24), Viktor (22), Eddie (25) and Felix (22). Four of us come from the same hometown, we met Eddie later in Leipzig. The rave scene brought us even closer together. In 2020, for Alex's birthday in Berlin, we realized that we harmonized well together and wanted to expand on that. Organized in September 2021
We had our first rave in Leipzig – back then without the background of a collective. A year later, at our first outdoor rave, we officially founded Elotrance and our podcast series.

How did you come up with the name?

Viktor came up with the name on the way back from a rave in Berlin. Back then we often used Elotrans to get fit again after long parties. After another rave, the idea stuck pretty well. Today our Elotrans consumption has decreased, but we still find the name short and succinct.

What are your individual backgrounds before you started performing together as a collective?

Felix brought us all together musically. When he was 14, he took DJ lessons for 1.5 years. Alex and Felix then met in a small club back home and Alex was very interested in DJing. This led to the two of them meeting more often, which is how their friendship developed. At the end of 2020 they moved to Leipzig together. Viktor also learned to DJ from Felix when they still lived in their hometown of Coburg. At the same time, Carl started himself. He got his first mixer in 2018. At the time he only knew Felix from the choir at school, but found him very inspiring because he was already DJing in a small club at the time. The two of them got in touch through the same interest in DJing and then once every six months they bought equipment with all their pocket money at a music store in their hometown.

Do you have any crazy talents?

We all like to go on vacation. Felix likes to let off steam as a hobby barista with his portafilter and Carl is very good at making friends with strangers. Alex, on the other hand, is passionate about baking bread.

What is techno to you?

Alex: I didn't have any connection to electronic music before, I even demonized it for a long time and I don't really know why. Now for me this music is very associated with celebration and good feelings. In my free time I mostly listen to them when I need energy.

Felix: For me, electronic music is the music that I mainly listen to in my free time. I really like melancholy as a mood, which is why I also like slow techno in my private life. Since I've been listening to this music for a long time now, it's kind of become normal for me. There are just so many different moods coming together.

Carl: What I like about techno events is that the music is always in the foreground. A lot of people come just for the music and yet it's a different vibe than a concert. I also think it's good that many events in the scene make an effort to create a safe space.

How would you describe your music and what do you want to convey with it?

Our music is fast, groovy and above all happy and very driving – perfect for getting lost in. What we convey with it always depends on where we play. In Leipzig we can create a more family vibe than in Berlin, for example. It has to be said that every city has its own charm and offers different experiences. With our music we try to create a certain interface between the genres by incorporating breakbeats, UK garage or even psytrance. This means we appeal to a wide range of people. From old school trance fans to those new to the pop edit scene.

Do you also produce your own tracks?

Carl: Yes, I use every free minute to produce and still have a few unreleased tracks.

Felix: I've been working with Ableton for a long time, but I've only released one track. I definitely want to do more.

Alex: I produced a track, but it took a lot of time and nerves. Since I've been playing the guitar since I was little, I have a certain musical standard for myself. Implementing this perfectionism is not that easy. However, it's not out of the question that I'll try Ableton again.

How do you feel about the current rave scene?

Alex: I think it's great that the scene is becoming more inclusive. But it requires respect – towards the organizers, the awareness teams and privacy, keyword: cell phones in the club.

Carl: Everyone can come as he/she wants, I really don't care. You just shouldn't pretend, that's very important.

Felix: I understand the criticism of the new “after-Corona/TikTok generation”, but ultimately everyone should be welcome. We were also new to the scene.

If you could travel in time, where would you like to go and DJ or dance?

For dancing, it would be very exciting to experience the rave scene in Leipzig or Berlin from ten years ago or around the fall of the Berlin Wall (e.g. Kraftwerk). But it would also be great to immerse yourself in the initial scene in the Netherlands. As far as DJing goes, we're very happy here.

How do you organize yourself as a collective?

As Elotrance, we function very organically and distribute tasks according to strengths and local presence. In Leipzig, Alex and Felix are the driving forces – Alex mainly coordinates the events, while Felix also keeps an eye on our finances. Carl and Alex manage the booking together, with us making the final decisions as an entire collective. Viktor contributes his creative design ideas to our merchandise and Alex takes care of the practical implementation. An important principle for us is that the collective members take on more responsibility in their respective cities – this makes our work efficient and locally anchored.

Do you still produce merch?

Our uniquely produced shirts were well received and are now sold out. The future will show whether and when we will do something in this direction again. There have already been three batches of the caps because they are really popular. We have also given out Elotrance lighters to the first guests at events. When it comes to our productions, we of course also make sure that they have a certain quality, are as sustainable as possible and can still be offered at a student price. For example, everything is embroidered locally. Overall, we can say: We have a lot of great (and also crazy) ideas, but in the end it all has to be organized privately. Sometimes it's not that easy.

Do you have any rituals before and after DJing?

Alex: Before that, I'll walk around everywhere again and check that everything is running smoothly. After the set I first have to get some fresh air and then spend half an hour chatting backstage and relaxing.

Felix: I roll a few cigarettes beforehand and go out into the fresh air after the set to chill out a bit.

Carl: A good backstage area is important to me. I sometimes sleep until late and don't go to the party until shortly before my set.

What was your most memorable observation during a set?

Alex: It's always great to see how the music ignites the energy in the room and puts a big grin on your face.

Felix: I played a closing song at an open air near Würzburg. At the end I was allowed to play an encore. When I played “Rigid” by Kobosil, someone in the front row lunged, then lit up a beer that was lying around in a second and screamed loudly. Viktor and I just looked at each other in disbelief because we couldn't realize what had just happened.

Carl: When I play my own tracks and people sing along with the vocals – it's a very wild vibe and makes me happy.

Which festivals do you like to attend? Where would you like to play?

We enjoy attending Fusion, Mahogany and Tarmac Festivals. Otherwise, we would like to play at Fusion ourselves, but also at smaller festivals.

What about clubs, which ones do you particularly enjoy playing in and where else would you like to play?

We all like to play in the Neue Welle and Carl is currently often at the Lokschuppen in Berlin. We are also excited about the distillery’s new location. A big highlight for us was the event at the IfZ. Being able to perform our music again in this center of the Leipzig scene before the club closes was definitely not a given. In the end, however, the name of the club is not that important, but rather that the party is good.

How do you define success as a collective?

For us, success means quality instead of quantity. It's not about organizing lots of parties, it's about creating great experiences, even if that means fewer events. Of course we are open to expanding into other cities, but we want to remain true to our high quality standards – every party, no matter where, should meet the standard that we have established in Leipzig.

What are your goals for the future?

Our focus is on constantly improving the quality of our events without losing the roots and values ​​that started it all. It is particularly important to us to continue to have a strong awareness team, as this was a challenge for us in the early days. We have learned a lot and would like to focus even more on this aspect in the future. We also want to expand our digital presence with podcasts and releases to offer various artists a platform. We would also like to develop our label further, although it is not always easy to find the balance between quality and fun in submitted demos while remaining balanced and diverse. In the long term, we are thinking about other concepts, such as vinyl events or our own small festival. Of course that would be more of a challenge, but in the end people usually don't want to go anyway. What's coming up in 2025 will be our largest project at the moment. At the end of May we are hosting Elotrance Unbound in the Pittlerwerke: 18 hours, indoor and outdoor. For everything else, and also for various pre-sale tickets, it's best to keep an eye out on the usual social media channels.

Photos: Julian A.