While he is known by a few monikers, this German artist has especially found his meteor rise since he assumed his real name of Roger Shah. With such anthems as’ The Claps’, ‘The Mission’ and ‘Tides of Time’ showing the early signs of his musical strength, it was when Armin Van Buuren named the track ‘Who Will Find Me’ as his favourite track for 2007 that the public opened their mind to Roger’s potential. It was the move to drop the DJ prefix and only use the name Roger Shah however, that was the signal he was much more than a DJ. Indeed, Roger would go on to stun the electronic world by incorporating the live element of playing with keys into his performances that remain renown across the globe. Producer, composer, keyboard player, remixer, album builder and dabbler in a wide spread of genres, Roger Shah will always be receptive to new and different ideas in music. And this will always be reflected in his tracks and albums. Lady Lex sits down with Roger Shah in the lead up to his Australian Tour to discuss the release of his very first artist album ‘Open Minded’, and what kind of show Australia can expect.
QServus Herr Shah! There is always so much controversy surrounding what makes a great DJ. What do you think makes a great DJ?
AA great DJ reads the crowd, has a good interaction with the crowd and entertains the crowd.
QWith the changeover from vinyl to digital, what sacrifices and benefits are you finding from the change?
AThese days I have so many options to perform. I want to be able to incorporate so much of my studio – like keys – into my sets so I get the chance to play this live. I use Abelton to mix, so I don’t have to focus on the beatmatching as much anymore. I can just focus on playing live on my keyboards. I have a totally different reaction from the crowd. Now, it’s like a live show and I really enjoy all these new options. There’s a whole change in the DJ culture, from mixing CDs now. You can perform with the instrument, the keyboard, two laptops, all your interfaces. I just need a roadie for my tour to carry all the big things.
QAnd what is your long standing top tech toy?
AMy M-Audio wireless keyboard which connects to the laptop and studio.
QKeys are a big part of your music: tell us about your keyboard or piano background.
AI started to learn on keyboard from ten years old, and after this I moved to a classical background to learn harmonies and key progressions. It was a natural way for me to make it into music. I really wanted to do this. My current favourite composer is Hans Zimmer – he writes those huge soundtracks for Hollywood. Maybe one day I’ll meet him – he is German too! One goal in my career is to make music for movies. This is a reason why next year I will have a home in Hollywood, LA to make it into the soundtrack scene while still working on my artist career.
QSince keys are so important, what is your favourite keyboard?
AI love the M-Audio midi controller – especially the wireless one. I don’t have a favourite brand – I just need to have one keyboard to make me happy.
QWhat equipment do you like to use in your studio?
ATo produce, I use a Mac, logic as a main sequencer, plug-ins for sounds and effects, a sample library. I always keep trying to know what’s out there for new sounds. The technology is not important. It’s the creativity and what is in your mind that is important. However you come to this, is not important; what you create, is.
QWhat kinds of tracks have you been into these days?
ATim Berg’s ‘Seek Bromance’ was the track of 2010 for me and I am listening to a lot of house music at the moment too.
QYou’ve mentioned you are launching a new album: tell us about it!
AThe name of the album is ‘Open Minded’ - because I am open minded you know? Being open minded is the full concept of the album: I am open minded and I hope you come to this album with an open mind. The music is so diverse and aesthetic, from house to trance to classical – or more like cinematic orchestra rather – to rock and breakbeat. It’s my first real Roger Shah artist album. I want to show all my diversity. I wanted to show what I love to do, the way I wanted this album to be heard. I’m proud I got so many great singers on the album to come and play with me, from Moya Brennan from Chicane’s Saltwater, Sian Kosheen from Kosheen – the first ever she has come back to dance music, so maybe she is proud of it too! It’s so cool. I am such a fan of her too. It was so good to work with her, and this is something I’m proud of: for her coming to my house, my studio and working on my new songs. I’m very excited to share this album – I’ve worked for two years on this. This has been the biggest project of my career. And now it’s time to share it.
QAnd what do you try to achieve every time you perform a set?
AI love to see the reaction! Music is the universal language. Everywhere I go, people sing along to my songs – this is always exciting. I can’t believe it sometimes when I hear it - especially those countries which don’t speak English. I just love to share my music.
For more info, visit: www.rogershah.net
Written by Lady Lex, coutesy of Future Entertainment
