A Year Of Catharsis With Techno Icon Sven Väth

CATHARSIS:

The process of releasing and then releasing strong or repressed emotions.

It's also Sven Wat's first studio album in over 20 years and his 50th on his legendary Cocoon label, released earlier this year.

Sven Vet is a heartthrob, but also a multitalented artist, DJ, producer, record label executive, clubbing pioneer and globally respected legend of electronic music. It's a rare gift that she is able to connect with everyone on the dance floor every time she performs. It's something he partially attributes to his mother, he told me.

"My mother was my best teacher."

After a year of dancing to his music at many parties in Europe, I met him at his last show of the year at London's Coco before Christmas. He wanted to know how the pandemic-induced disruption to his relentless touring schedule in early 2020 set in motion the process that ultimately led to the creation of Catharsis.

The album title sums up the path he took after being forced to stop doing what he loved. He says:

"I was really shocked. I've never stopped so abruptly in my life. But it allowed me to look back at the photo and music archive of my life. I thought about what I played in 1981 and 1982 and came back at the beginning. That's when the idea for my "I Played" collection was born. I sat there for 3 months on this music that I played from 81 to 90.

Always forward-thinking, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for nostalgic reflection was the start of something special, resulting in not only Sven's first studio album in two decades, but also an incredible solo retrospective.

During his first 10 years as a DJ and the dawn of electronic music, he jammed with a collection of 12" x 12" vinyl boxes that accompanied him. He says:

“It was the opposite of always looking ahead and suddenly having time to think and reflect on where it all started. I had so many memories and enjoyed all that music again."

What I Play began with six themed playlists totaling 120 tracks, ranging from early 80s Balearic sound to late 80s excursions into Afrobeat, European New Wave and EBM sound, plus to various vintage techno. /Home. US footprints. Between. From these playlists a 12x12" vinyl compilation was created.

In the early eighties, German clubs such as Vogue and Dorian Gray had crowds dancing to what we now call "dance classics", mainly disco, funk, soul and pop charts. A new generation of DJs had to create their own club music, including Sven Weth, the youngest hero from the Rhine-Main region of Germany. Good new tracks and possible floor fills were rarely sought and found. Sven talks about the weather:

“The 80s was such a colorful time, we had so many different genres and characters. After this audition, I also started writing a book, so I hope to publish it next year. It will be full of stories, interviews and lots of picture of my life".

After this nostalgic reflection on his incredible life and career, he was finally able to take a much needed vacation at his spiritual home in Ibiza in early 2021. It was then that his album 'Catharsis' was born. He told me:

"I was in Ibiza with my girlfriend after a year of not doing what I love. I started writing songs, gathering ideas and for the first time in 20 years thought about making an album. It took me a long time, because before that I was recording two mix albums a year, building my Cocoon company structure, organizing events, bookings, management, etc. I have been very busy all these years. All this time he plays like crazy, giving more than 100 concerts all 'year.

Before the success of Pandemic, Sven wrapped up Cocoon's incredible final season in Ibiza, celebrating 20 years of pure entertainment and cutting-edge electronic music on the White Isle. Cocoon has been integral to the evolution of electronic dance music on the island since 1999.

The many Cocoon parties in Ibiza that summer were incredible. Kraftwerk, Underworld, Richie Hawtin, Solomun, Bicep, Charlotte de Witte, Dubfire and Tale Of Us are just a few of the incredible artists who have joined him not only at his favorite club, the infamous Amnesia, but also at numerous Jaws concerts . Shows in Ushuaia and Benimusa Park. 2019 marks the last year for Cocoon in Ibiza after an incredible two-decade legacy that is now part of electronic music folklore, but as Sven told me:

"There was nothing else to gain."

So in early 2021, armed with a myriad of ideas, Sven called his friend Gregor Thresher and returned to his hometown Frankfurt to work on what would become Kataris. He says:

"Gregor has great musical knowledge. I called him and he was like Sven, I've been waiting for him for years. So I went to his studio and we opened a bottle of wine and I went through all my ideas and I told him I was listening to all this old music and I was inspired by it. And then we did it one by one. The album was completed in 3 months".

Catharsis were announced for spring 2022 with the release of their first single "Feiern". The instant classic was accompanied by a stunning online video of archival footage from Sven's incredible career. Feuern was next year's call to arms as he got back to what he loved.

Sven's album and this year's world tour also set the stage for a year of musical catharsis for my friends and me. In 2019 we keep the memories made with Sven at Watergate Ibiza and the Cocoon 20th anniversary celebrations in Berlin. As soon as we were allowed back on the dance floor during quarantine, we decided to pick up where the pandemic left off. Our unforgettable experiences on the dance floors of London, Berlin, Edinburgh and Ibiza provided the therapy we needed after those difficult Covid years.

I had the chance to thank Sven before he took the stage in London for his last show of the year at Coco. He told me:

"I really feel the love from you guys, we are enjoying the moment and the music together and it's great to know that you have brought your family and friends to be a part of it."

In 2022, Sven proved to me that electronic dance music and the dance floor is the ultimate performance experience.

We are now looking forward to 2023 which should be another great year for Sven. Like:

"What our thoughts do to us."

Sven Väth - Catharsis is now available on Cocoon. Click HERE to start streaming.

Sven Väth - The Game I Used to Play is available for pre-order HERE on Cocoon.

Many thanks to Sven, the Cocoon team and Robin from Time Warp for the wonderful photos Sven took this year on his return to Germany and Brazil.

Below is a playlist of our favorite songs that Sven played on this year's Catharsis World Tour, including the Catharsis tracks mentioned earlier in the interview.

sven wat - fire

Claude von Stroke, Walker & Royce - Inspiration

Sven Wet - Who we are

Harvey McKay - Black Spider

Paria - Caterpillar

BDB - Rhythm of the head

sven wat - mystical sounds

Metal Master - Spectrum (Bart Skiles and Veska remake)

Planetary Attack Systems - Flare

Rhythm and Dr Dunks Odyssey - El Cid