Mischluft has been shaking up the trance scene for some time now with his groovy, bouncy beats. In an interview with us, he talks about why so many people suddenly knew his name, how he came up with it in the first place, and why you can never go wrong with good trance.
Mixed air? Yes, there is a lot of hype. 38k followers on Instagram, countless gigs across Germany and Europe. And all of that in a very short space of time. We have a few questions – let's get started.
Many people talk about DJ Mischluft, who suddenly came out of nowhere and turned the trance world upside down. Who is behind it?
I'm Fritz and, yeah, I DJ as Mischluft.
Where did the sudden hype come from?
I would say that I was just in the right place at the right time. Trance was just starting out. I started producing in 2019, 2020. Melodic techno in particular. But two years ago I didn't feel like producing in any direction anymore because there was really no progress with melodic techno. At the time I uploaded an edit of “Sauf Sport Balance” to Soundcloud, which was well received. Then I created the account “Mischluft” and said: “I produce what I feel like without paying much attention to mixing and mastering.”
Mixed air? What does that mean?
I didn't want to think in genres anymore, I wanted to mix everything together. And then I found myself in a rave basement with really bad air. Yeah, it made sense somehow.
Why do you think Trance suddenly worked like that and Melodic Techno didn't?
Melodic techno is also very dead at the moment. It's not played that much in clubs anymore. Trance is a really good way to open doors. Especially with edits, i.e. basically tracks that people already know. These are very common in the trance genre. When you produce new tracks, you try to create new emotions in people. That may or may not work. But with edits, people can recall emotions that they already had about the song. And a lot of people celebrate that.
And what happened next?
At the time, I still had my normal job, but then I decided to travel for a while and, among other things, visit my aunt in Australia. She has a yoga retreat center near Canberra. I spent a lot of time there, sitting on the terrace for days and producing tracks. I still really enjoy that. That's where my first own tracks were created under the Mischluft alias, “Pop A Pill”, “Breaking My Heart” and “Outside Those Doors”.
When was your first gig as Mischluft?
My first gig under this name was in April 2023 in Rostock, at the Endrave. Before that I was still in Australia and couldn't accept any requests. But I did DJ before that, although this time it wasn't planned: I was partying as a guest at the Feel Festival. Suddenly, a DJ slot became available. They asked if anyone had a stick with them and wanted to play. I did have one, but I thought I was too drunk for that. Then they put me behind the desk and I played for three hours. A friend was in the bathroom when I got up. He was completely confused when he came back and I was no longer on the dance floor – but behind the decks.
It really sounds like you've been in the right place at the right time several times. What does your everyday life look like these days?
I gradually reduced my job as a user interface designer and finally stopped altogether. When the first gig requests came in for Mischluft, I really asked myself whether I really wanted to DJ. Before that, I had actually seen myself more as a producer. But it was the best decision I could have made. At the weekend I play somewhere and during the week I mainly deal with social media. That really eats up most of my time, especially because you get lost in the reels so often. But after a stressful weekend and an empty social battery, I try specifically not to fall into a hole. That's why I go out and work in the Albi, for example. In fact, I end up working more hours than in my 40-hour job.
Not only during the week, your weekends are also full of gigs. Why don't you play more often around here?
Now Hot Meal Records is taking over booking for me. They see what comes in. But this trance genre in particular is somehow not so popular in this area. I don't really know why, especially because the younger generation in particular really love this groovy, happy music. People are into trance. But here in Leipzig it doesn't seem to get booked that often, which is a shame. The subculture and underground scene is so big, but it's somehow standing still.
That's why you were booked in Australia.
Yes, that was intense. Going back there and being able to DJ there. I mean, that's where it all started on the trip. People love trance a lot because the scene is generally a bit more “mainstream”. Any track with vocals is well received. It was a lot of fun DJing there.
Do you have a ritual before or after DJing?
Yes, always an isotonic drink. Never forget the electrolytes.
Has anything crazy ever happened to you while DJing?
Once someone threw a beer mug, if that's what you mean. I had a lot to do, wiping the mixer clean and drying it. The question now is why the mug flew. Out of joy or anger.
And while we're at it, when do you like to play the most?
That's easy. From 2-4 a.m. The crowd is in a good mood, so it's perfect for happy vibes and bouncy, groovy trance.
Do you also only go to trance parties in your private life?
I don't have much time to go out to private parties anymore. But I generally love trance because it puts you in a good mood and you don't have to take yourself too seriously. I prefer that to hard techno parties, where everything is always very dark. Although I still like listening to old school techno at 130 or 135 bpm. You don't have to go crazy because there are no hits or peaks in that sense. Instead, you get sucked in and then you stay in it. Just like with melodic techno, I can only repeat that this genre in electronic music never gets old. Even if a few people might roll their eyes at that.
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The photos for this spot on were once again taken exclusively for us – a huge thank you to Johanna Fazekaš.
Source: https://www.frohfroh.de/42564/spot-on-mischluft
