I wouldn't want to stay in Miami for six months

Torsten Katzschner

Torsten Katzschner is a quiet contemporary. This is unusual, as the Chemnitz makers are characterised above all by their hustle and bustle. The producer, DJ and event organiser from Chemnitz is also a busy man and not only has a radio show in Moscow, but also develops and accompanies music projects as far away as Israel. Nevertheless, he is at peace with himself and yet seems to be a traveller, judging by the location details on his Facebook profile and the stories about his projects. He is down to earth, only feels comfortable in temperatures above 30 degrees and doesn't make a big fuss about the success he has had with his label Tokabeatz. This comes across as likeable and so the conversation with him in a Chemnitz bistro is very pleasant and relaxed and develops into an exchange about the Chemnitz attitude to life and music here and elsewhere.

We know the saying from Dirk Duske: "Chemnitz has a beat. You just have to listen carefully." What does the beat of Chemnitz sound like to you?
Torsten Katzschner: It sounds dynamic. I think Chemnitz is a very dynamic city. I know a lot of medium-sized companies here. That's the city's strength, which it carries on its broad shoulders. Everything that happens here and everything that comes in terms of economic output comes from SMEs. There are a few big ones, like perhaps the VW plant. At the moment I can see building sites on many corners, it seems to be a real "boom" again.

Is Chemnitz a "boom city"?
Yes, we are growing again. Birth rates are going up and the number of students is increasing enormously, which means that the average inhabitant is also getting younger. The per capita income is probably the highest in Saxony. When I look at these key figures, there is a lot of dynamism in the city. This is often not reflected in the cityscape. This is due to the structure. Everything was shot up during the war. A real pub district, for example, where young people congregate, is simply missing in the city because it doesn't seem structurally possible at the moment. I once looked into the possibility of creating a pub district in the city centre. But there are so many small shops in between, you can't say: Come on, we'll push someone away.

You're travelling a lot, but you're at home here. Do you need both? That you can see something "from the outside" and still be grounded here?
I certainly do. Chemnitz is my home, my home. When I'm in Miami for the annual Winter Music Conference, I also feel at home. The city is great, it's right by the sea. We don't have an ocean here and we don't have the Gulf of Mexico. We don't have white beaches, that's not possible here. But I don't think we need a tower either.

We have a "tower".
Yes, we have one! But the Mercure only passes for a small tower block. We don't have 30 degrees every day, but we don't have hurricanes either. I wouldn't want to live there. You like travelling there, you like being there. I know the city like my own. But it's like that: Home is home. I wouldn't want to stay in Miami for six months. It's better at home. You feel comfortable here, you know where you're going and you have your friends.

Which moment do you particularly enjoy at a gig?
The best moment is always when you get on stage. I once performed in front of 150,000 people at a festival in Katowice, Poland. Five million TV viewers, that's what they told us beforehand. We were a relatively new band at the time and had a chart hit in Poland. We had to go there to present the song. I didn't sing it, a female singer did. But I had to go on stage with them!
We were standing on the ladder to the stage and in front of the 150,000 people. The presenter announced us. The singer stood in front of me, because of course I wanted her to go up first. And the stage director counted down: "10... 9... 8..." and then she pushes me in front! The way up the stairs was an eternity for me. And then the audience saw my head and started screaming. That was crazy.

Do you have to be famous to be in the music business? You may not be that well known in Chemnitz itself, but you are in the scene.
I don't have to be famous. The important thing is that the label and the music I make are known. We have structural problems in Germany when it comes to radio stations. I always say that German radio stations only play mainstream music. And that's not the case abroad. There really are music editors who listen to music and if they like the track, they put it on. It's all more difficult in Germany.

Why is it so difficult in the German radio market?
The editors only look at the airplay charts. But how does a song get into the airplay charts? If it is played often. In most cases, the pressure comes from below. Nowadays, the pressure also comes from social media such as YouTube or Soundcloud, where the "plays" can be seen and the big labels go down. For me as a small label, it's much easier to get on the radio in the USA, Spain and Italy. I even have a radio programme in Moscow.

Do you speak Russian there?
No. I only play the radio sets there. This month, for example, they need four hours of me and then I have a programme there as a kind of guest. I've also been to Moscow a few times for gigs. It's much easier there. And it's difficult here.

When you say that it's difficult to make it in the music industry: What kind of doer qualities do you have to bring to the table?
To make it in the music scene, patience and an iron will are the most important things. You can't do it without that. I say the same thing to many artists who make a record with me. We think it's good, otherwise we wouldn't make it. But if it doesn't work out: Forget it, move on, make a new record, keep fighting. That's the only thing that works. Sometimes there's music that we released three years ago and it's only now suddenly in demand.

Why is that?
As an independent, you're often ahead of the market because you're simply closer to the audience. If a big Universal record company says: "Come on, the crowd listens to rock", then the crowd listens to rock for them and that's what they focus on. As a small label, you have your finger on the pulse and realise what people prefer to listen to, what makes them more emotional and what they're fed up with. And the big labels only hear and see this when their sales figures go down. As a small label, you naturally have the advantage of being at events and festivals - you can see what's happening and can react more quickly. And then it only takes a while for the whole thing to catch on. I'm having that experience right now. I've released a mix compilation in France and Spain. And it contains music that we released here three years ago.

Is Chemnitz a music city for you? You can get that feeling again with the Kosmonaut Festival.
In principle, music is heard everywhere. I can't think of a specific city to say: this is a music city and this is not. Music is heard there and not there. Our theatres and opera houses are well attended. And there is a lot going on in the club scene, especially the Atomino, the Brauclub or the Luxor with their respective events.

You don't see any danger of clubs dying out in Chemnitz?
I read in a big newspaper article last week that there's a huge club death in Bavaria at the moment and that two clubs are closing down every week. I haven't heard of any clubs closing down in Chemnitz. The clubs all have their problems, but that has nothing at all to do with Chemnitz. Anyone who says Chemnitz is a city where there's nothing going on should go out and see what's going on elsewhere.
I was travelling recently and had a great weekend: I was in Augsburg on Friday, near Lübeck on Saturday and had a Holi festival to play south of Schwerin on Sunday. The Fiesta in Chemnitz was really busy that weekend. But the event near Lübeck wasn't really full. And the Holi festival wasn't that great either. So I ask myself: Where is something going on? I'd say this was probably the most popular.

The obligatory question: Do you have to encourage the people of Chemnitz?
You could assume that the people of Chemnitz feel a bit like a third wheel next to Leipzig and Dresden. We don't need that at all. I don't need any encouragement. And the others I know don't need any encouragement either. They live here, they like being here and they don't want to leave. Of course, there are pessimists everywhere. Perhaps it's also the case that the voices of the pessimists are always the loudest or that you hear them shouting first. I don't have time to complain. I have to work.