Tocadisco - Disco Delicacies
3D’s Nina Bertok speaks with German DJ/producer Tocadisco and not only learns of his new album, but also his culinary passion.
Martha Stuart, watch your back – not only does Tocadisco [Roman Boer] cook up a mean tune, the man can also bake a delicious muffin or two. Getting hands-on and generally letting the creative juices flow is what inspires this German hit-maker to get out of bed each morning.
“Just creating something and being able to entertain people in one way or another has always been my first interest,” he confesses. “If I hadn’t been a musician or a DJ, I would have always been a creator of something. I absolutely love to cook – everything that has to do with creating stuff is what I enjoy doing the most. That goes for movies and acting too, those things have always appealed to me.”
And like most artists, Boer admits to being a bit of a loner when it comes to what he does best – making electronic beats that have seen him blow up the stages and clubs around the world.
“I used to be in bands before I started out in dance. With a band, though, you always had to rely on other people. Being in the studio and just relying on myself means I am not dealing with crazy people who forget to bring their instruments. It’s the same with being a DJ – you’re on your own. I mean I still get to collaborate with other people who sing on tracks. I wish I could sing well but I can’t, so I always have to have somebody with a beautiful voice to do that part. I’m also really impatient with writing text. I can sit for hours and produce music but writing and making things rhyme makes me really uncomfortable. It’s just not my thing.”
What’s more, Boer claims he taught himself to record and produce music with only the help of literature and strong will power.
“There is actually a lot of literature out there if you look for it,” he says. “I bought the right program and I studied instruments. There are a lot of magazines with tips on how to combine everything, and with a lot of sweat and screaming, you finally get somewhere after a while. 10 years later and I am still learning new things every day. If you want to be good at what you do, you have to stay open to learning, that’s definitely a constant; it never stops. Especially with dance music: it’s a style that is always changing. With rock you’re always playing the same kind of stuff with your guitar, but with dance you can mix up so many different instruments – from a guitar, to an organ – and combine them all to make one style. To me, dance music offered more creativity.”
While Boer is currently working on his second album, his proudest moment is still his 2008 debut Solo.
“It was my first, so it was a dream come true to have it out,” he says. “I made it over a period of 12 months but this time around I wanted to compress everything into six weeks. The new one is sounding a lot more organic, though I am standing by the same sound. It’s a little bit stressful as I am finishing it off, so I’m looking forward to getting out and playing some shows.”
WHO: Tocadisco
WHAT: Plays Future Music Festival, Royal Randwick Racecourse
WHEN: Saturday 28 February
MORE: futuremusicfestival.com.au