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Tom Novy interview - Body Rockin'

Author: Stuart Evans
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Tom Novy's single is still making reverberations in Melbourne's clubs. Stuart Evans chatted to him shortly before his Australian tour.

"I did Your Body a long time ago and it's actually quite an old track now," says German house dj/producer Tom Novy. "The Germans didn't like the record that much, but as soon as it came over to Australia and people started playing on radio, it was crazy! The record is huge in France and Italy and has also been big in Ibiza."

When Novy first released Your Body to industry insiders and djs alike, most knew the record would be a success. It may have taken a while for the vibe to travel, but a success it now is. It had all the crucial elements that a record needs to make it appeal to a variety of listeners. The bass was present, the rakish vocal and even the kick drum seemed perfect.

"They (the record company) said that the Australian audience is going to like Your Body, so I was glad, and surprised, by how quickly the Australian's picked it up and ran with it."

For those who haven't been out in a while, or haven't switched on the numerous radio stations that havve been flogging it, you would have missed one of the biggest club anthems of the year thus far. A simple enough track with a sultry male vocal, but what really gets the tempo going is the deep bassline that just refuses to subside. The public agreed, taking Your Body to the top of the ARIA charts, peaking for four weeks and continuing to remain a dominant force throughout.

If early signs are anything to go by, his latest effort, Take It, looks set for the same fate. "I'm hoping Take It will be played on the Australian radio as well, but I'm also working on an album and working on a new mix compilation," he reveals.

But who is Tom Novy- Think of German djs and producers and the name Mousse T, or even Knee Deep, are more likely to come to mind. Tom Novy is Germany's top trump DJ, a superstar in his homeland and across Europe; known for making quality records which rarely sound the same. He says that whilst he's conscious of different sounds and styles, he tries to keep his sound unique and surprising.

He's spun at Ibiza's super clubs numerous times, has produced the odd acclaimed track, programs a radio show, hosts MTV and has been in the business a lot longer than most realise. Novy is a Munich lad, and while it may not be the hippest part of his homeland when compared to the more established Berlin, it's a base which he calls home when not on the road.

Having been in the scene for a while, he says that longevity isn't easily achieved in an industry as notoriously ruthless as music. "Being in the industry for this long has had an effect on my work, not only as a dj, but also as a producer. You become open to different sounds… which is a good thing, but as a dj and producer you really have to move with the times."

Moving with the times is something he has done well. He started life as a hip hop dj before discovering the German techno sound in the early '90s.

Novy explains that, even today, he combines a variety of musical styles in his sets and states that a good dj should remain flexible to a crowd's desires.

"It's important to play for the crowd. I'd like to drop a hip hop track in the middle of my set, but if the crowd like prog, then that's what you have to play. Being a dj is about playing to what the crowd want to hear."

Persistence and creativity are key words in the music business, but those virtues seem to be multiplied in the German dance music landscape. He describes the German house community with fervor, saying that it's huge and expanding due to the influx of contrasting sounds.

"We have a lot of electro producers at the moment, but we also have a lot of djs who are still producing great tracks and records. There is a lot of variety within the German house scene, but it's doing well at the moment," he says.

Ever since his inaugural I
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