Jacob Dilßner, known as Wankelmut, is one of the great examples of young talents in the music world since he has already accomplished many great things in his musical journey.
Having reached the peak point with the worldwide-known track called “One Day/Reckoning Song”, he has been aware of the fact that this was just the beginning in fact. This success was followed by many remixes and tracks and now both in Berlin and the other parts of the world, he is accepted as “one of a kind” in the music scene.
Last Saturday, he was in Istanbul within the organization of NewSpeak. I had a quick small chat with Wankelmut right before his performance at indigo.
Welcome to Istanbul! How are you feeling? What do you think of the city? Is it crowded, energetic?
It is always energetic, the crowd definitely but today we got from airport to here very fast, very unexpected. No traffic at all, normally it takes two hours to get to Istanbul but today everything was fast!
Are you excited to play tonight in indigo?
Yes, it is the season finale. Yes, I always like to play in indigo, it is really a good club.
Let’s begin with a quick common question, how you describe your first attempt in your musical journey as a professional? When was it?
As a professional? Your first try is a rarely professional because you try then afterwards maybe become professional. I started DJing when I was 21 and did this for 2-3 years maybe once a month. I was not well-known, famous or anything. And then I just happened to produce “One Day” and after it my hobby became my job so I made a remix, edit or bootleg and very very fast hobby changed professionalism.
You accomplished a huge success with the track called “One Day / Reckoning Song”, it turned into a popular track worldwide. I think this track represents your peak point, right? What are the differences between before and after the release?
Of course. It changed my life completely. My life was great before too but now I have job, I have a career in the music industry which I am very grateful for. It changed a lot. I am on the road all the time. Before that I was a student without a job, just hanging around and now I am a professional and a musician.
You have been touring and touring, going to place from another… Among these places, which one was the most unique one?
This is a hard question. I ca’t say one place that is the most unique because there are a lot of places. We had a really great time in New Year’s Eve in Kenya, we played in Kilifi. There was an amazing New Year’s Eve party and also New Year’s Day after party was really really great like the Grand Factory in Beirut. I like Output New York. That is what you want to do when you make a club or festival, you want to become something unique and couple of people worldwide have achieved that.
Where are your next stops? You are going to Paris after this gig right? I think you will continue having performances?
Tomorrow yes. For this weekend that’s enough but I have been on the road for 10 days now so I am looking forward to come home.
I think that is enough for some business talking Apart from your performances and production times, what are you doing in your personal life? Normally most of the DJs do not have free time, how about you? What do you like to do? Maybe partying?
Always depends. I do that, not going to parties that much by myself because the parties are on the weekends so I am away. Sometimes when I have a Friday-off something I go to party but it is not like going there and getting drunk and partying, it is more like you meet friends and hang out at the bar and listen to music.
Any sports, hobbies, special events?
No sports at all for me even though I am a scuba diver and I have been just on a vacation with my dad, scuba diving. Even though I am travelling a lot for my job I still love “real traveling” like going somewhere with a backpack and experiencing it. Actually I like to play computer games but I don’t really have time to do so. The last game I played was in last year and since then I didn’t have time to do that.
Are there any future plans?
I am spending a lot of time in the studio right now, working with different artists. I have been in the studio with Goldfish in Cape Town. I am working on a new single, it is hopefully coming out in the summer. I am working on a lot of things right now but I am trying to conquer a new territory because I am kind of bored with house and techno right now. Yes, there was the same for the last 20 years but I am done with club music. I want to do something else, or at least a little bit different.
What is it exactly? A new music genre?
I think it is gonna be still four to the floor but I wanna go like more into songwriting. In a regular club track you have the drop, the break etc but what about the bridge? What about the second verse? Think outside the box, that’s what I am trying to do. I think maybe in the end there is not gonna be that different stuff than before but I am trying to do.