catharsis.
relax and release strong or suppressed emotions.
It is the title of Sven Väth's first studio album in over 20 years and his 50th on his legendary Cocoon label, released earlier this year.
Sven Väth is a heartthrob but also a versatile artist, DJ, producer, label executive, club pioneer and a global electronic music legend respected the world over. His incredible ability to get along with every person on the dance floor at every show is a rare gift. He told me that he partially blames his mother for this.
"My mom was my best teacher."
After a year of dancing to his music at many parties in Europe, I met him before Christmas at his year-end concert in London at Koko. At the start of 2020, I wanted to know how the long disruption of a relentless touring schedule due to the pandemic set off a process that eventually led to catharsis.
The title of the album refers to the journey he undertook after being forced to leave his beloved job. He said:
"I was really shocked. I've never experienced such a sudden shutdown in my life. But it also allowed me to look back at the photos and music archives of my life. I thought about what I played in 1981 and 1982 and went back to the beginning. Then I thought about what to play.I sat for three months on this song, which I performed in 81-90s.
Always looking to the future, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for nostalgic reflection was the start of something special, culminating in not only Sven's first studio album in two decades, but an amazing personal retrospective.
The one I played was the 12" x 12" vinyl jukebox that accompanied him from his first 10 years as a DJ and the early days of electronic music. He said:
“It was a contrast, really, always waiting, taking the time to think and reflect on what started it all. "Many of my memories came back to me and I enjoyed all that music again."
What I Play began with six themed playlists of 120 tracks from the early 80s to the late 80s, European afrobeat, new wave and EBM sounds, as well as several groundbreaking American techno/house tracks. These playlists were made into a 12x12" vinyl compilation.
In the early 80s, German clubbers like Vogue and Dorian Gray danced to what we now call "dance classics" - mostly disco, funk, soul and pop music. At that time, a new generation of DJs, including the youngest hero of the German Rhine-Main region Sven Wat, were creating their own club music mixes. Over time, Sven says, new good leads and potential placeholders became rare:
“The 80s were such a colorful time, we had so many different genres and images! After this audition, I also started writing a book, hopefully it will be published next year. These are stories, interviews, and my life will be filled with many pictures.
After this nostalgic reflection on his incredible life and career, he was finally able to spend his well-deserved vacation at his spiritual home in Ibiza in early 2021. It was then that the creation of his album "Catharsis" really took off. He told me:
“After a year of not doing what I love, I went to Ibiza with my girlfriend. I started writing songs, sharing ideas, and for the first time in 20 years I thought about making an album. It took so long because by then I was making two mix CDs a year and Cocoon was managing my company structure, events, bookings, management, etc. I was building I had been busy all these years. During this time I was playing like hell and doing over 100 gigs a year!
Before the pandemic, Sven hosted an incredible final season of Cocoon in Ibiza, celebrating 20 years of insanely fun and innovative electronic music on the White Island. Cocoon has been an integral part of the evolution of the island's electronic dance music since 1999.
The countless Cocoon parties in Ibiza this summer are breathtaking. Kraftwerk, Underworld, Richie Hawtin, Solomun, Bicep, Charlotte de Witte, Dubfire and Tale of Us were among the incredible line-up who joined him not only to play at his favorite club, the famous Amnesia, but also for many amazing shows in Ushuaia. and to Benimus. Park. 2019 marks the final year of Cocoon in Ibiza after an incredible twenty years of legacy that is now part of electronic music folklore, but as Sven told me:
"There was nothing else to win."
So, in early 2021, armed with countless ideas, Sven called his friend Gregor Threscher and returned to his hometown of Frankfurt to work on what would become a catharsis. He said:
“Gregor has great musical knowledge. I called him and he was like Sven, I've been waiting for this for years! So I went to his studio, we opened a bottle of wine, I went through all my ideas and told him. I listened to all this old music and got inspired. And then we did it one by one. The album was ready in three months.
Catharsis was announced with the release of the single Fearn in spring 2022. An instant classic, the song was posted online along with an incredible video of archival footage of Sven Fern's incredible career that was called to arms for a year when he returned to do what he loves. .
Sven's album and subsequent world tour that same year was the catalyst for a year of musical catharsis for me and my friends. We cherish the memories of celebrating 20 years of Cocoon with Sven at the Watergate in Ibiza and Berlin in 2019. During quarantine, we decided to continue where we left off before the pandemic, as soon as we were returned to the dance floor. Our unforgettable dancefloor experiences in London, Berlin, Edinburgh and Ibiza gave us the therapy we needed after these difficult Covid years.
I had the opportunity to thank Sven before he took the stage in London for his final show of the year at Coco. He told me:
"I really feel your love, we really appreciate the time we spend together and the music, and it's great to know that you share it with your family and friends."
In 2022, Sven proved to me that electronic dance music and the dance floor is an absolute catharsis.
Now we look to the future again and think that 2023 will be another year for Sven. As he said:
"Our thoughts make us who we are."
Sven Väth - Catharsis is now available on Cocoon. Click here to start streaming.
Sven Väth - Things I Played Before is available for pre-order here at Cocoon.
Many thanks to Sven, the Cocoon team and Robin from Time Warp for the great photos of Sven at the comeback events in Germany and Brazil this year.
Listen to a playlist of our favorite tracks from Sven's performance on this year's Catharsis World Tour below.
Sven Wat - Fear
Claude von Ströck, Walker and Royce - Enthusiasm
Sven Wet - This is Us
Harvey McKay - Black Spider
fairy caterpillar
BDB - Rhyme Boss
Sven Wat - Mysterious voice
Metal Master - Spectrum (reimagining Bart Skiles and Veska)
Planetary Attack System - Glow
Rhythm Odyssey and Dunks - El Cid
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