Since his teenage days the Belgrade-born producer released his music on legendary record-labels like Tresor, Traum, Ladomat or Bedrock and sharpened his reputation as a creator of unconventional, but sure-shot-dancefloor-fillers!
Besides countless worldwide gigs at festivals, raves and cult-clubs like Berghain, he is also a very well-known and popular remixer for artists like Kid Alex aka Boys Noize, GusGus, Justin Robertson, Daniel Avery or Solomun; furthermore he is still the world record holder concerning the longest remix (60 minutes of pure acid-madness for 'Oculus' from Iceland!) in dance-music-history. His own productions got remixed by artists like Paul Kalkbrenner, DJ Rush, Snuff Crew or Legowelt.
1. To begin could you tell us how and why it all started with REMUTE and what was the track that got wider attention? Also we have some info that you have some connections with Croatia?
I've started making music as REMUTE in my earliest teenage days at the tender age of around 13-14. I was always a lot into synths, computers and technology – even es as kid.. I was a very nerdy kid – while others were playing soccer outside, I prefered to stay in and sit in front of my computer playing games and making music.
My first release 'Hypnoconsole' came out in 2002 followed by some further singles and albums on legendary labels like Tresor or Ladomat, but I think it was my tune 'Zuendli' in 2008, which I've put out on my own REMUTE-label, that got wider attention in the bizz and was a huge worldwide success. Since then I've released almost everything on my own label and I'm pretty happy with it, because I don't have to deal with some, well, 'complicated' A&R managers anymore and it's a much better feeling to be in full control of my vision without any interferences.
My connections with Croatia? Well, they're pretty deep! My parents are from Ex-Yugoslavia and I still can speak the language quite fluently. But I prefer to write this interview in english though, because my croation writing and orthography might look a bit retarded. : )
As a kid I went on holidays to Croatia almost every year with my parents: How beautiful Porec is and Zagreb and Split and and and… Croatia has so many amazing places full of history to offer. These days I am very impressed by the scene in Croatia; so many awesome events and festivals!
2. What is your sound and mission?
First of all my sound is decoupled from any trends and constraints – that's the most important thing for me. The overall term 'Indie' might sound dated, but still works quite well for me: Due to the fact that I am fully independent in my work I can do Electro, Techno, Synthwave, J-Pop, House, Game-music Experimental, Ambient, Disco whenever I want or all together. My mission is to keep it entertaining, colorful and intense for the people out there. It's about love and fun anyway.
3. Your new album, could you tell us something about it?
My new album 'Play The Game' just got released and is my most ambitious work so far: I've collaborated with many well respected artists here like for example Japan's top-DJ Shinichi Osawa, the phenomenal multi-platinum awarded singer Plavka or Lil' Fang from Tokyo who sings on the main track 'Play The Game' which my version of J-Pop with a slight touch of 16bit game-music and classic funky Electro – there's also a fun music-video for this song starring a pixelated Remute in a 16bit fighting game.
It's a very playful album with many songs you can sing-a-long to in the radio – pretty different from my more dancefloor-friendly releases of the past. Think I went on to being Pop – without being signed on a major record label. : )
4. Top five tracks that never leave your case?
1.) The RAF Mega Mix Disk #1 on the Commodore Amiga –- sometimes I DJ with floppy discs and the Commodore Amiga only!
2.) Experimental Products – Glowing In The Dark –- an eternal synthwave classic.
3.) Rising High Collective feat. Plavka – Fever Called Love –- my alltime-favorite house-tune and actually the reason I've contacted Plavka to sing on my new tune 'The Solution'.
4.) Remute – Zuendli --- well, people won't let me leave the club without hearing this tune from me. : )
5.) B52's – Mesopotamia – a very funky, underrated tune by my favourite band B52's which still fits quite well to recent Nu-Disco or Electro tunes of today…
5. Top five DJs and producers that you admire?
Oh, a pretty tricky question for me, because there are so many talented people out there nowadays! So I think I gonna concentrate on some role models… some are already dead… well:
1.) Karlheinz Stockhausen – the true pioneer of electronic music.
2.) Tons of anonymous musicians of the 80s and 90s demoscene Commodore Amiga and C64 era!
3.) Kraftwerk – OF COURSE!
4.) Aphex Twin – still on top of his game!
5.) Christian Morgenstern – one of Germany's most creative techno-ARTISTS ever who really died way too early in 2003.
6. What is the last movie you have seen and a last album that you listened to in whole?
I've just re-watched 'Posession' by Andrzeij Zulawski – one of my favourite 'weird' movies starring Isabelle Adjani and Sam Neill delivering some absolutely mental performances. The last album I've listened was 'AdLib Tracks' by Diode Miliampere – an amazingly talented artist who writes his tunes on old MS-DOS computers – absolutely recommended!
7. Why the name – REMUTE?
REMUTE was the name of a quite unknown computer-virus of the 90s – it attacked and infected sound-cards. That kinda fits to me – I attack and infect your ears and brains!
Thank you!
Marjan Marmat Matkovic