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Dirt Crew: Interview

Dirt Crew are desperate to inject some soul and emotion into German electronic music. DJmag.com chatted to them about the state of the German club scene, and drugs.

Minimal, minimal, minimal. With so much good minimal music coming out of Germany these days, you'd be hard pressed to hear about a dance music producer in the country that's making something other than stripped down techno.

But since 2004, dirty house duo Dirt Crew have been trying to inject some soul, melody, and emotion back into German electronic music with much success.

Their debut EP 'Cleaning Up The Ghetto Part 1' was well received by electro DJs, with the likes of Ivan Smagghe, Sasse, and Trevor Jackson giving it a thumbs up.

Now they've just released their debut album 'The First Chapter' on their own record label Dirt Crew Recordings.


Here at DJmag.com, we're always happy to hear about artists who are doing something a bit different, so we caught up with Dirt Crew's Breaks 3000 to discuss Germany's scene, and where it's going.

1. Why are you called the Dirt Crew?

Because we make dirty house grooves. In the beginning we had to
think of a name and it just popped
up randomly.

2. What's the best thing about being German?

I'm not German, I'm Dutch! But Felix, my studio partner, is pretty happy with being German.

It is good for food and it has a relaxed way of living.

I've lived in Germany for four years now and I must say that it is far more open-minded then Holland.

3. There's lots of attention surrounding German minimal techno at the moment, but you guys make electro and deep house. Have you been tempted to make minimal?

We have always included minimal sounds and grooves in our music but the true minimal sound is something we cannot do, there is no soul in this whole genre.

There are other people who are into it, but we try to do something a bit different.

In the beginning we started Dirt Crew as a reaction against minimal, to try and bring back soul and house grooves into German dance music.

4. One of you lives in Berlin, the other in Cologne. Which city is better?


They both have good and bad things. Cologne is better for living and having a day off, but Berlin is better for partying, shopping and meeting people.

5. Where do you think the German club scene is heading?

It's always evolving. I think the whole minimal thing is kind of over and people are starting to crossover
genres again. It's good!

6. The Berlin Loveparade is back this year. Is it still worth going to?

I don't know, I've never been. But the parties around the parade are always great.

It brings a lot of good acts to the city and it is a great weekend to party.

We've had a lot of fun the past few years.

7. You say your electronic experience involved taking lots of drugs. Are drugs a necessary part of dance music?

Of course they are. As they are in rock music too.


We love vinyl and will always be playing records. I think it's uncool to stand there with just a laptop, and most of the time the sound quality is really bad.


Breaks 3000 (Dirt Crew)

8. You started your own label in October 2004. Why?

We wanted to put out our stuff without having other people deciding whether it's good or not.

And we wanted to feature some friends and producers that we like.

9. What do you think of digital downloads?

I think it will grow in the future and become a very important part of the
whole selling of our music.

We are into it, and buy a lot of music on the web ourselves.

It is really easy and cheap to get new stuff.

10. What do you think of DJing with a laptop?

We love vinyl and will always be playing records.

I think it's uncool to stand there with just a laptop, and most of the time the sound quality is really bad.