Not the best times of our lives, but the ones we have to deal with… It’s always good to have a chat with a respected player in the underground scene. In this case with Marco Resmann, head honcho of Upon.You Records, a Berlin-based record label that celebrates its 13th anniversary with a two-parts compilation filled with killer grooves and vast amounts of energy to take the dance floors once they are opened. You can listen to this beautiful compilation below, and buy it here.
Hello Marco! Happy anniversary on your imprint. Not the best time for a celebration, but still worth all the way up till here. Right before we start throwing questions at you, wishing the best for your family, friends, and team.
You were in Thailand when all this worldwide situation exploded. Did you have to rush to go back home?
Marco: Not really. We decided to enjoy our family vacation as much as possible. The kids handled that of course much better than us adults. But at the end of the holidays things also started to drastically change in Thailand but we managed to leave the country at the right time.
How has been this corona confinement for you?
In Spain, it’s been very strict. Has it been the same in Germany?
Marco: We came back from Thailand beginning of April and had to go straight into quarantine at home for 2 weeks. We were not allowed to leave the house at all. Since then we kept things easy and spent most of the time at home with our kids, as Kindergartens in Berlin were closed for most of the children. In general the limitations in Germany are luckily less restrictive compared to Spain. Due to the federalism here the restrictions are slightly different from state to state. Now they have started to loose them step by step. Kindergartens, Schools and restaurants are allowed to open under certain conditions. Public transportation and shopping for example is just allowed if you wear a mask. Germany’s most popular sport football is also back in the game just to finish the season without audience. Worryingly wise the group of conspiracy theorists are making more and more noise in Germany and started with protests on the streets.
What have you been up to? Studio? Cooking? Exercise?
Marco: We mainly renovated our apartment, maintained the balcony and entertained our kids. Until today I did not go to the studio as often as I used to as I’m still struggling with the right motivation and inspiration. Finger crossed that I’m getting back to my routine very soon.
How has Berlin’s clubbing scene lived this corona breakdown?
Marco: This corona shutdown hit the clubs in Berlin pretty hard. Unfortunately all of them have to face a very doubtful future. Besides the postponement of rent and the protection of dismissal there’s no real support from the government until today. That’s why they had to call for donations and collaborate with projects like United We Stream and Arte Concert to get a bit of attention to save the club scene. The feedback and the amount of money after the donations was quite overwhelming. So there’s hope, even though there’s still a long way to go. Fingers crossed!
From DJs to record shop owners or festival promoters: people in the music business are certainly struggling like many other activities in the economy. There isn’t a single part of the music industry that won’t be affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The most obvious is the high profile festival cancellations, and the big star DJs…
Do you think this situation will be useful to bring back to Earth some big-headed DJs and maybe bring back some of the realness of the underground scene?
Marco: I definitely think we reached a point where things got a bit out of control. The amount of money that has been paid for DJ sets lost here and there its relation. Hypes were mainly leading the audience, quality wasn’t that essential anymore and marketing became the most powerful tool in the game. The scene will certainly not be as it was before and this could be a good thing. It’s now time to reflect, step back from the race and take a break.
As a Watergate resident DJ, what are your thoughts on the constant support on clubbing from Berliners? It’s something that we really look up to. If Ipse burns down, there they are, helping out for a rebirth. If a fire hits Club der Visionaere, the same happened.
Marco: Berlin’s club scene is something very unique worldwide. People here appreciate this fact a lot and try to keep that alive as long as possible. But the support from outside shouldn’t be underestimated.
From Lebanon or Brasil to Australia or Thailand, you’ve played lately all around the globe. Where do you think is the hottest clubbing scene in the world? (Besides Berlin of course)
Marco: There are so many hot spots all over the world but my heart beats especially for Brazil, Lebanon, Israel and Australia.
In these 13 years of label history, what are the happiest memories you could highlight? Charts, showcases, releases… anything that comes to your head with a smile on your face.
Marco: All of our label nights at Panorama Bar and Watergate are still putting a smile on my face. Due to Corona we had to cancel our 13th anniversary party at Watergate on April 4th. Fingers crossed that we get the chance to find a new date as soon as possible. Furthermore our traditional OFF-Week parties in Barcelona, hosted by our Catalan family from Soundworks, were a yearly highlight as well. Another big and proud moment was to release our catalogue number 100 in December 2015. The EP was called „Hundert“ and is still one of my favourite personal productions.
To sum up and regarding this 13 years of Upon.You Records’ history. Could you be able to name your five personal favorite tracks so we can share them with our audience?
Ruede Hagelstein – Minus
Marco Resmann – Hundert
DJ Le Roi – You Don’t Know
Kristian Heikkila – Mystik Life
Martin Landsky & Marco Resmann – Fred The Ball feat. Jonny Cruz
Well Marco, it was nice to have a chat like this on such a special occasion. From all theBasement Crew, we just want to send to all the Upon.You team our best regards, wishing you another 13 years of joy, dance, and good times. Hopefully we can all go back to our lives soon and continue to jam to your music and DJ sets.
Marco: Thank you so much. See you hopefully soon on some dance floor. x Marco
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