Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks in Hell was founded in 2010 and is inspired by the sound of Chicago and Detroit, Disco & Soul. 2018 was their most prolific year yet, having come out with a whopping 8 records from the likes of Dan Shake, Alma Negra, Konig Saatgut, and the label head himself. This February, the ever-growing Dutch imprint sees itself releasing a new record from one of their frequent collaborators Italian DJ & producer Giovanni Damico titled “The Sound of Revolution.” Ahead of delivering their annual New Year treat, we got the opportunity to speak with Mr. Vogel in this latest edition of Times & Tunes where we discuss some of the maestro’s favorite things.
TIMES & TUNES
Three house heroes you’d like to invite to dinner and why?
Theo Parrish. as he is my all time hero and he is always fun to be around. He is opinionated, he is funny and a bit crazy and he has a lot of wisdom. Osunlade. if I can’t claim him as my spirit animal than at least agree on that he is the good spirit within the scene, transcending cliches and hustle. if they say house is a feeling and a spiritual thing Osunlade is the embodiment of it all. His music has always been outside of the box and he has the Charisma of a real guru.Little Louis Vega. Well nobody has been grinding more. Produced more music. Toured the world more. Influenced people, producers and DJ’s more. I would say it ‘s impossible to keep up with this man’s pace but I am sure some inspiration would rub off.
Best club in the world
Is there such a thing? what is the best club in the world without the best audience? without the best music? the best programming? and what does the best mean/ I am not a techno head. The critically acclaimed “best’ is always what the majority wants, and that is Techno. I’ve seen some great clubs, I’ve played some great parties but “the greatest club’ in the world mostly exists in my head as a phantasy. It’s what I strive for wherever I go. You can make an easy list of the most popular venues in the world, and each of them you can have a great night. But for me it’s always the combination. In this day and age anyway. the combination of promoter, venue, DJ = audience. You wont have a great time with a shit audience. but a great audience goes a long way. So to make a long story short. most of the venues which are most perfect dont necessarily play the music I like.
Have you ever missed a flight for a gig?
What a terrible question! yes twice. the first time I met Mendel at the airport as he was on the way to another gig. My fight got delayed and the gate changed.so I decided to bring him to his gate as I thought I had tons of time. when I arrived at my gate I wondered why nobody was around but I though boarding was imminent. took me a while to realize I had mixed up the boarding and departure times and the flight was gone. also it was impossible for me to find another way to get there in time. so I had to cancel the gig. I felt very bad about it.The second time I had to cancel a gig was around the birth of my son. He took some extra time to make his appearance and I had to cancel a show that was planned maybe a bit to close to the birthdate. First time dad’s mistake. luckily the promoter found a good replacement in time and we are making up for the show in February.
Favourite Sandwich
I love Tuna Melts but my local spot Small World catering has a fantastic Salmon Fishcake Sandwich.
DJ travel tip?
watch your stuff. dont leave records (or any valuables) in a car. watch your stuff. I am still trying to travel light. USB stick light but most of the times I cant resist bringing records. It’s my dream though just to come out with a backpack every weekend.
3 fav tracks you’re playing right now.
Giovanni Damico – the Sound Of Revolution . I love playing Lumberjacks releases long before they come out and enjoy the reactions and my own anticipation of the release. that’s definitely a bomb.
Jagger Botchway Group – Moko Le Dzen (Ruf Dug tight Disco Dub)
Jad & The – La Allstars
Two records you wish you’d released?
Mark Seven – Lessons in Love
In my mind I was sooooo close to release this but maybe it wasn’t true at all. But I have an original Mark Seven CD-R of this from before it was released on vinyl.
First Choice – I Can Show You (Phonk – D Remix)
I really wanted to this for my BBE compilation but couldn’t get the sample cleared with Salsoul. Luckily for Dirk Salsoul took it and released it themselves.
Worst ever request while playing?
I hate all requests 😊 as it’s basically a way of saying: Yo, I can do a better job than you. But usually that’s not true.
Best club you’ve ever played at?
It’s always about the party and the audience. are the people there to hear what YOU can bring? are they open to hear new stuff? I love midsized venues with dedicated audiences like Phonox, XOYO, Prince Charles, DJOON etc…
