The Echio Quizz with Johannes Albert

How did you learn music and did you have mentors?

I started to play the piano when I was like, six years old. I wasn't super talented, I would say, and I never practiced. Sorry, Mom. But at least I can play some house chords, you know? And I wouldn't say that I had, like, mentors. I mean, like, I was buying a lot of records all the time. So even, like ten years before I got into production, I was into electronic music already all the time. So I think this shaped my taste in music and my approach in making music a lot. So I would say this was the best school, like ever.

If you were not making music what would you do?

I would be into online marketing still, you know, before I went into the professional way of being a producer and deejay, I was working for different companies, doing online marketing.

If you could spend a day in the studio with one of your heroes, who would it be?

I mean, I wouldn't say hero, but I would love to spend the day in 1986 in New York with Mr. Shep Pettibone

What is your secret weapon ?

My secret weapon. Let me show you. This is, like, my palm tree. But all jokes aside, you know, what I really love about this room is, like, the sound. So we optimized it a little with absorbers and I have these Adam speakers and a subwoofer so for me what makes this studio special is the sound, because before I was only making music at home and it sounds like shit basically. So now I avoid making mistakes in the first place because I can properly listen.

What’s the special object in your studio that you can’t live without ?

A special object in my studio, not only when I'm working on some acid tracks.

What was your worst / funniest performance experience ?

A lot of funny experience in a nightclub over the years, but recently something special happened when I was playing on a Sunday night in Berlin. Like a girl came up to the booth and she wanted to propose to her boyfriend. So I didn't find a microphone. So I gave her my headphones and put them into the microphone input and put the volume down completely. And she asked her boyfriend to marry her in front of the whole audience. And luckily he said yes. And I played some Loletta Holloway (Love Sensation) after.

What would you say to your younger self?

I would tell my younger self to keep it simple, to not overdo it.