ATB - 9pm (Till He Comes)
Finally returning to Australia after a prolonged absence, Andre Tannebreger, AKA ATB, has more than a few surprises up his sleeve for the Global Gathering crowd. 3D’s Rezo tapped him for more information.
For André Tanneberger a life involved in electronic music was assured early on. He didn’t stumble into a bar, see a DJ and then set off to try and emulate. His approach was far smarter than that; opting instead to follow his own path he scratched together a small home studio with a computer and a few synthesisers and took his music to the world.
“I was lucky when I met the right people in 1993 and I got my first record contract,” he says modestly. “Of course it started with some small successes like being in the German dance charts - and then it grew pretty slowly, but I think it was the right way for me. After four or five years of doing music for the clubs, I decided that it was time to become a part of it. So I did a live act with instruments and things on stage and moved onto being a DJ because it allowed you to be in front of the crowd. They provide you with the ultimate feedback; producing dance music is something you could never do if you weren’t approaching it like that.”
Vindicating his work ethic, his seminal classics 9PM (Till I Come) and Don’t Stop were far from one-hit wonders, and his career has now spanned some twenty years. “After all this time I guess I am still here!” he says, with thankful zeal. “It was my goal then, as it is now, to develop and keep getting better. I think for me now it’s really important how people interpret the music I produce, whether it’s trance or house or whatever. The best compliment for me is when people say they enjoyed my set, or if they couldn’t describe it. Love it or hate it, my job it to take people to another world.”
Not just content with music, Andre is also avidly involved in the production of DVDs and film clips, something he considers an integral part of his job. “Dance music is something you can’t touch,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to have a purpose behind music; it’s still something that is made by hand even through it’s finished through a computer. Even rock n roll today is in some ways made like that. I want to have an input into being the face behind the music. That is why my new website is very interactive; I think contact for the people is very important, and if all DJs were presenting themselves this way, it would make the music more personal.”
Making his long awaited return to Australia to play Global Gathering dates around the country, ATB’s not short on enthusiasm at the prospect. “I’m very excited about coming back; it’s been a long time, a very long time. A lot of people are waiting because no one’s seen me since the Sequential One project! I hope people enjoy the party; I just want to take people on a journey, with a lot of energy. I won’t just be standing there; I have a little secret, you’ll see!”
WHO: ATB
WHAT: Plays Global Gathering at the Entertainment Quarter
WHEN: Sunday 30 November
MORE: atb-music.com