Bortz Q&A

Daniel Bortz is approaching the status of household name in the deep house world. Despite his relatively short time in the spotlight, his refined, slow, and deeply emotional style of dance music has captivated listeners around the globe. His edits of artists like James Blake and Gotye have received heavy rotation, and demonstrate his breadth and depth as an artist. With several original releases and an Ibiza Global mix under his belt, he finally toured the US and we grabbed him for a quick Q&A.

Daniel, after years of playing sold out shows around the world, you finally graced North America with your presence. Notable parties included the Velvet Speakeasy in Montreal, the Life party in DC, MiM in Chicago, and BeSpoke in NYC. Why did you decide to embark on this tour, and why not sooner?  Good question. It just happened to take now, but I really enjoyed it and hope to come back again soon.

Tell us a little bit about how you started making music, back to your first release on Pastamusik in 2007 and before. What motivated you to get started?  Music has always been my passion and it inspired me to make my own music. Being a DJ was certainly one reason; because at some point I just wanted to play something of my own. I took my time to experiment, every day I would make some music but then one day it just all came together and so I finally did my first record on Pastamusik.

Your musical style ranges from themes of disco to deep house and downtempo. What bands/groups influenced you growing up?  I’ve always been into the minimal kind of producing. Artists like Daniel Bell, Matthew Herbert or Robert Hood have influenced me.

How have the environments of Berlin and Augsberg influenced you?  Berlin hasn’t really had any influence on me. Munich is probably the environment that has shaped me most in terms of electronic music. It’s been very versatile all along.

What do you think was the pivotal moment or record for you over the last few years, where you really started to see your music take off internationally? What was so special about this?  I think it started with my bootlegs and edits that a lot of people really enjoyed and then I would have to say my first release on Suol was a very special moment for me.

You've been playing an increasing number of gigs lately- is there any place in particular that was amazing for you, or any interesting stories from the road that you'd like to share with our readers?  First I really want to thank all the promoters who have had an interest in me and booked me. Regarding the amount of gigs I’ve been playing I can’t really tell that there has been something extraordinary good or bad in particular, but I’ve had great moments and met nice people around the world.

Tell us a little bit about your studio. What are the major components? (ie. Logic/Ableton, hardware, etc.)  I have one or two analogue synthesizers and then the arrangement and mixdown happen with Logic.

Which piece of equipment do you absolutely love and can't live without?  I have more than one, among them vintage synthesizers, but I would have to say the Virus is one thing that has been responsible for a lot of my tracks.

Where do you look for inspiration when writing your music?  On the one hand while dj'ing and dancing, on the other hand when I’m just out for a walk or something and melodies simply come to my mind.



Your Ibiza global mix, and Soul4Suol set, both inspired thousands of fans. How do you approach the art of a mix set, and these mixes in particular?  For me that’s the same process like dj'ing in a club, I just decide very spontaneously what to play.

Tell us about your relationship with Suol and how it started.  They took notice of my music and apparently seemed to like it, so they approached me and it’s just been a lot of fun since then. We’re all jesters.

The label seems like a tight knit group. How do the artists on Suol support each other?  Some of them go to the studio together, and we invite each other to our events and recommend each other, too.

What are your plans for this year? Is there anything you are particularly looking forward to accomplishing?  A lot of big parties and hopefully time to get on some new tracks

Listen to Daniel Bortz on Pulse Radio.