We exchanged some Qs and As on his first and memorable CDR experiences as well as current and future projects. Read (and listen) on!

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When and where did you first attend CDR? What do you recall?
The first time I attended CDR was this summer in Berlin at Prince Charles. It was one of the hottest summer days of the year and Brandt Brauer Frick were guests that time. It was a great experience for me since I like the guys and their music a lot. When the first submitted track got played after the interview I was really overwhelmed by the quality of the sounds as well as the sound system. At that point I asked myself: How will my track sound here?

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How did you hear about CDR?
It was more or less accidentally that I came across CDR. I had been following the Detroit music scene for many years now, when I noticed that Theo Parrish was supposed to play in Berlin at CDR. So I thought that CDR might be just the right thing for me.

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What has CDR meant to you?
To me, CDR means meeting new people, exchanging ideas, having fun, getting your tracks played on a good sound system and experiencing people's reaction on the dancefloor.

Have you collaborated with, or hope to, any artists via CDR sessions?
Yes, of course, that's very important to me and I think that it's important for my musical development. You never stop learning.

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Any other noteworthy CDR memories?
Ah, there are so many. It was fun when I ordered a drink at the bar and at that precise moment the track I had submitted started to play. I had to put the bartender off till later and headed to the dancefloor. This had been the first time that I experienced my own track being played in a club in front of a lot of people - an unforgettable moment.

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Have you a favourite club and/or soundsystem?
There are many good clubs. Panorama Bar in Berlin is certainly one of the best clubs I've had the pleasure to experience with an excellent soundsystem and always a good crowd.

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Please describe your current production set up.
It's basically my Mac, Yamaha DX21, an APC40 and M-Audio Keystation 61 - my setup is quite small. At the moment I don't have good monitor speakers, so I'm forced to check my tracks at friends' studios. I really love my APC 40. It's almost as if you can touch your sounds (laughs).

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Any projects or tracks your working on at the moment that you'd like to let us know about?
I have just finished a track which will be released on Balance Rec., Chez Damier's label from Chicago. Before that my first vinyl release will be out this month on Black Is Black Rec. from Berlin. This is still a very young label which I run with Amor Fati. It's vinyl only and focussed on rather deep sounds. Also, I will be doing three remixes for friends from Paris, London and Berlin. And finally, I'm working on my first solo EP - so there's a lot to do.

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Finally, have you any advice or words of warning for producers/musicians developing musical works in progress to play at CDR?
Make only music you really enjoy and you can support 100% because people will hear that in the end and appreciate. And, of course: have faith in yourself!

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www.blackisblack-recordings.de        soundcloud.com/domenique-xander       @domeniquexander

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If you'd like a German version of this Q+A please ask.

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