Known for his unique fusion of house, trance and techno, D-Nox creates stripped-back, cavernous grooves, topped off with some warm synth and the occasional warped vocal loop. Despite the icy presence his music creates, the German native known to his parents as Christian Wedekind, is a regular family man away from the club. “When I don’t play I am a different person,” he reveals, in his accented tone. “I like to take it easy and stay calm. I am doing this since 20 years now. During the week I recharge my batteries and spend time with my family and do my label and office work. Once I start to play I become a different person. Seems someone is pressing a button in me.”
As we ponder who or what could be the button pusher that gets him going, it’s clear that dancefloors across the world are appreciative of this transformation. Just as a blistering set can alter the mood and atmosphere of a club, it turns family guy Wedekind into Peter Griffin on a Red Bull kick. “I love the energy that electronic music can give to me and also to the people. I love those special moments when the music gets you and makes you fly, forget time or whatever other emotion.” Meanwhile, the process of concocting epics like Naked Punch in the studio is a different high altogether, one that almost sounds like electronically-induced couples therapy. “Working in the studio is more a process between two guys [Beckers and me] and it’s a very intimate moment. It gets emotional a few times when the track gets to the final stage and we know we gonna have a good one coming out of the studio.” The ying to his yang, Frank Beckers is his longtime co-conspirator and travel buddy. The Germanic duo have produced some of their most known work together and continue spread the gospel across the globe. Only three hours away from his home of Berlin, Wedekind and Beckers are fresh from a tour of Portugal.
“We went there to play at a Halloween party and it was a huge success. One thousand four-hundred people showed up and that’s for a club party. Beckers and I were the only headliner and that makes us proud. It’s never better than to play in a crowded house with people that come to see us.” After almost 15 years on the scene, he has not lost his love or passion for making a crowd move. “We did a three hour set and I believe we blew them away,” he says with charming modesty. Now, a year after his last visit to Oz, D-Nox is ready to bring that passion back to our dancefloors with a couple of special shows. He will be headlining a packed lineup at New Guernica for Darkbeat, one of hottest new names on the Melbourne club scene. With strong memories already there, he wants to forge some new ones.
“I have always had great experiences there. Okay, Australia is pretty far away but it’s worth every mile,” he says, like a true DJ. “What I like most is the strange beauty of the countryside and the Aussie people.” As unique as he finds our wildlife and landscapes, he doesn’t believe local audiences are that far from the other crowds he plays. “The club crowd is not very different than to any other around the world. I would more say that the festival tribe that goes to Rainbow Serpent or such is very different. But [the] people are very friendly and open and that would make the Aussies different to others.” For the night, he will be joined by a power-packed lineup of international travellers, including the UK’s King Unique, Spain’s Luis Junior and Ireland’s Psycatron. It’s like a European Union of party rockers. While he has never shared the stage with any of his fellow globetrotters, he is anticipating the explosive possibilities the night could present.
“It will be a night with various styles of music, [there] should be something in it for everyone, from techno to prog-house, great mixtures.” This seasoned DJ enjoys exploring the sonic opportunities space creates, taking time to find his groove. “I usually never play less than three hours because anything else doesn’t make sense. I need some time to connect to the audience and once I do that I love to just go with the flow.” Like most DJs, Wedekind is a man of many tastes when it comes to the audiences and venues he rocks, from intimate confines to expansive festival settings. “What I like about big festivals and audiences is the massive feedback people give you when the music is kicking. Hands in the air give me goose bumps.” Always in pursuit of the perfect union between the music and the audience, the Berlin resident has not swayed from his path. “I always played what I liked. [I] never really followed certain styles.” This open-minded approach has seen him incorporate a range of sounds and textures, drawing inspiration from techno, tech house, electro house and prog house, to create one unique package. “I have to say I play the best of all.” His unique perspective has been heightened by his international travels over the past 13 years, including stops in Budapest, Zagreb and Tel Aviv. In the face of musical trends coming and going, some things have remained the same for this veteran. “Twenty years ago music was faster and maybe 15 years ago music was harder but the feeling and groove has never really changed.” Feeding off the energy of the space they inhabit at the given moment, Wedekind and his musical partner Beckers choose to go wherever the mood takes them. “We don’t think about the dancefloor when we write music,” he explains of their studio approach. “We know that the music we do is dancefloor music, but we totally disconnect and see what comes out at the end of the day. This is why our tracks always kinda sound different. We have never made the same [tracks] over the years.” Not slowing down, the D-Nox Express will keep rolling from Australia to back home and beyond as he and Beckers hit the lab to cook up some more magic. “After my Australia tour I will spend a week in the studio. We have to finish two remixes and see if we can work on some new originals. We [haven’t] made plans for a new album but we will continue to work with a few labels.” Juggling the responsibilities of touring DJ, recording artist and label head, Wedekind preaches the art of balance, for himself and his fellow DJs. “Frequent flying kills your body and mind,” proclaims the self-professed Jet Lag Slave. “It’s important to rest in between, stay healthy and it’s always family first. It’s important to have a good and safe home, a place where you can come back and land. If this is sorted than the rest works kinda automatically.” Even with this balance there is never enough time in the world. “Producing, [running] two record labels, a few events and then having friends and all that. I wish the week would have nine days.”
BY ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY
