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Last year was definitely his coming of age for this Austrian who turned twenty one and released his appropriately titled Debut EP. But things have certainly been moving quickly since he bought his first record in 1999. A mere two years later he was a warm-up DJ for the likes of Claude Young, Gayle San, and Ricardo Villalobos and since 2003, he’s been producing his own music. Hectic took the chance to slow him down with some questions before he flashed by.

Like the nerd I am, I needed to know what that first record was that started his career. “It was the first time in a record shop, Armand Van Helden’s ‘You Don’t Know Me’ was one of the records. I don’t play it anymore because I changed my style but I still love that tune,” he said.

“I was DJing in Brick Lane at a party which lasted for two days: that was Berlin style.”

It’s no real surprise Meindl’s DJ influences are the greats (Detroit’s Jeff Mills, Canadian and Berlin resident Richie Hawtin and the German, Sven Väth who’s currently on a return to form). His influences as a musician are surprisingly varied, as he explained, “a lot of Detroit techno stuff from 1996 to 2003, jazz from 1920 to 1960, funk from 1970 especially from Philadelphia, disco from the 1980s and also dubby minimal stuff from Raum…musik from 2002”.

2006 was a year that saw Meindl on the move in other ways. He moved to Berlin last June and September upped sticks again to London, so how do the cities compare?

“Berlin in a whole different ball game as it’s a poor city with more than twenty percent unemployment levels” he said. “The city is very chilled, big and fucked up. There is no money to repair things but living there is very cheap and relaxed. The parties are very special because in Berlin there are a hell of a lot of DJs and producers and they know what’s about when they go out in clubs so you have to be really good to rock the crowd and satisfy all the people in the club. The clubs are full of “specialists”; the parties last until seven o’ clock in the morning minimum”.

“Sunday parties are very common because all the students, unemployed and the real ravers don’t give a shit on Monday.”

“In London, they are sometimes over at three o’ clock, but that’s changing, I was DJing in Brick Lane at a party which lasted for two days, that was Berlin style. It started at midnight, but in Berlin for instance there are almost no people before two. And Sunday parties are very common because all the students, unemployed and the real ravers don’t give a shit on Monday. That’s different in rich London, almost everybody has to wake up on the next day early, London is very busy, you can easily get a job and it is very overcrowded but there are not many unemployed”.

If you’re at a loss for a club, Meindl’s Berlin recommendations are the Panorama Bar, Club103, Bar25 and Watergate and the London top five, Fabric, The End, Turnmills, Sosho and Cafe1001.

Fly first heard of Florian on the Koletzki & Meindl Remix of the Rockers Hi-Fi’s classic ‘Push Push’. As far as categorising his style, he defined it as, “minimal techno, minimal house and electro.”

“In Berlin there are a hell of a lot of DJs and producers so you have to be really good to rock the crowd and satisfy all the people in the club.”

Just before Christmas there was the Koletzki & Meindl 12” ’ Eferding Berlin’. This was the first release on Flash Recordings (FLASH001), so how did he get to meet Oliver Koletzki? “I sent him a demo to him and he called me, he was sympathetic from the start.”

‘Eferding Berlin’ is the bouncy and infectious track which followed Meindl’s solo four track EP Glitchy Katie. In the words of the press release, it was ‘Forward thinking yet backward evolving,’ he explained. “They didn’t show it to me before the release but it fits well. I always try to produce my tracks very futuristic and try to apply new effects which are unique but at the same time I try to produce it in a way like I learnt from music history, from my influences, to keep things simple.”

It was as if he was describing the lead track, ‘Beat Spider’ but it’s hard to keep up with all his releases at the moment: ‘Glitchy Katie’ (on Resopal Red), ‘Chase the Robot’ (Trapez) and ‘Eferding Berlin’ came out within weeks of each other. And there’s no stopping him, “In Germany I just release one to two records a month. In February there will be two records, Koletzki & Meindl, a session deluxe recording [Meindl & Daso], two more collaborations in March and in April there will be also just one record, a Florian Meindl solo record called “My Way”; my best production yet.”

He was that busy, he missed out a remix of Mick Rubin’s ‘Sandman Superstar’ on Stil Vow Talent (release date 29 January), which I reckon is his best remix so far. It seemed a good time to ask him how he thinks he’s progressed over the past twelve months since Debut: “The next solo 12” is called ‘Reality Is On The Way!” and is a very advanced production. It represents my current electro style very well. It is already being played by Oxia, Lützenkirchen, Misstress Barbara, Chopstick, Felipe, Cloe and many more”.

“In Germany I just release one to two records a month.”

Looks like it’s going to be a success but is there any sign of a rest on the horizon I asked him: “I don’t know yet if I will have a break. In the summer I will move back to Berlin and I probably be in America for one month for a little tour. I’m mainly djing in Europe but there are booking requests from Mexico, Brazil and Russia as well”.

With the world at his feet, I left Florian to get back to work and check his passport but he rushed back to say that there’ll be a Flash live act with Oliver starting in April 2007. Sounds great!

Live Dates:
15.02.07 — Stil Vor Talent Labelnight — Berlin
24.03.07 — Flash Rec Nigh at Hive Club — Switzerland

Links:
“Flash recordings was founded in October 2006 by Berlin based Oliver Koletzki and London based Florian Meindl” www.florianmeindl.com
www.myspace.com/florianmeindl
Florian bookings nicole@cliquebookings.com
www.myspace.com/flashrec
www.myspace.com/koletzki
www.myspace.com/armandvanhelden
www.raummusik.de
Eferding Austria www.eferding.at — “this city has about 3000 inhabitants btw”.
www.myspace.com/oxiagoodlife
www.luetzenkirchen.org
www.myspace.com/misstressbarbara
The End, 18 West Central Street, WC1A 1JJ www.endclub.com
www.raummusik.de