Rampa: Get to Know

At the peak of summer 2016, Rampa did the unexpected by taking a six-month break from music that began at the peak of last year’s summer season – one that had seen him riding high, winning the love of legendary Ibiza party Circoloco amidst a packed calendar. But, watching this year unfold, it’s clear the break has been a catalyst to reinvigorate the DJ/producer and Keinemusik label-head’s career.

“I wanted to get the feeling back I had when I first started making music,” he tells DJ Mag from the Keinemusik studio in Berlin’s Neukölln district. “It’s all about excitement. Before the break I didn’t have as much time to make music, so I got bored of what I was playing. Now I have new music at every show and I’m excited to play it.”

This summer has seen Rampa spin at huge Keinemusik showcases at Sónar and Hï Ibiza, as well as his numerous sessions b2b with labelmate &ME at Circoloco. And he says his policy of cherry picking no more than four shows a month makes each one special. “I’m taking a slower approach, focusing on less is more,” Rampa — real name Gregor Sütterlin — continues. “Maybe that’s what people are hearing.”

Growing up in Freiburg in Germany’s Black Forest and relocating to Berlin in the mid ‘00s, Sütterlin started Keinemusik back in 2009 alongside long-time friends &ME, Adam Port, David Mayer and Reznik, with label artist Monja Gentschow completing the six-man operation. The studio they run also has a strong DIY approach running through it, welcoming other artists to rent space, who they regularly collaborate with.

As Rampa, Sütterlin presents an often Afrocentric prog sound that refuses to stand still, with his productions and DJ sets constantly pushing in different directions and offering slick changes of pace. “The most boring thing is if music isn’t going somewhere,” he explains. “So, I take what I like, whether it’s a house, techno, Afro-house or whatever, to offer the best of all worlds.”

Having modified hardware effects units to use in his productions for years, Sütterlin has co-founded the TEILE brand this year with a commercial release, the TEIL1 delay unit. Musically he’s dropped his ‘The Touch’ EP on Keinemusik and his huge remix of The Pastaboys ‘Deep Musique’, as well as the ‘Hall of Violence’ EP on Innervisions, the label Sütterlin’s relationship started with the release of ‘Necessity’ on their ‘Secret Weapons 8’ in 2016. “It’s nice people have continued to be supportive,” he concludes. “It wasn’t easy taking a break when I did, but now I’ve got the feeling back that school’s out — all the music is coming together again.”

FROM: Berlin via Freiburg, Germany
SOUNDS LIKE: &ME, Mind Against, Âme
THREE TUNES: ‘Bimma’, ‘Deep Musique (Rampa remix)’, ‘The Touch’

Want more? Check out our recent DJ Mag Podcast with Mr. G.

Rob McCallum is DJ Mag’s deputy digital editor. Follow him on Twitter here.