The inimitable guitar riff, the wistful voice and Robin Schulz' driving, passionate groove put music fans under a spell in the northern summer of 2014.
He packed dancefloors with his remix of Lilly Wood & The Prick's 'Prayer In C'. To date, the song has achieved #1 in the national sales charts in 18 countries and #1 in the the iTunes charts in over 40 countries.
For the 27-year-old DJ and producer, electronic beats have been a part of his life since he was a small kid - his father was active as a DJ in the '80s.
Can you start by telling us about growing up in Osnabruck and the music scene there?
I've been producing for many years; electronic music has been a part of my life since I was a kid. My father was a DJ in the '80s, so I grew up differently to other kids in Osnabruck. The music scene over here is thriving, friends of mine run a club called Dr. Vogel and my tour manager runs an event over here that hosts guest DJs like Andhim, Pan-Pot and more.
With your dad a DJ, is that how you got into electronic music?
Well, that was certainly a reason why I got into DJing, but not electronic music. I think my friends that I grew up with were a part of getting me interested in electronic music.
Tell us about the unexpected success of your 'Prayer In C' remix.
I really never expected a response like this, I feel very honoured by everything that is happening and very thankful to all my fans for supporting my music.
What do you like about playing for the home crowd in Osnabruck?
It’s always filled with family and friends, so I really love to play in my hometown in Osnabruck, especially Dr Vogel which is owned by good friends of mine.
Please talk about some of your festival experiences, how does playing a festival differ to playing a club?
Well, for sure it’s different. But I like both the same, on a festival to perform during the sunset is very exciting – performing in a club during the night time is powerful too.
Please tell us a little about your debut album 'Prayer' and some of the tracks that feature on it.
'Sun Goes Down feat. Jasmine Thompson': This song took me about two months to complete. I remember sitting there working on it last summer, watching the sun go down through my window every day. That’s how I came up with the title. I am really proud of this track. I spent so much time and energy on it, but it was all worth it.
Lilly Wood & The Prick - 'Prayer In C' (Robin Schlz Remix): “I found the original on YouTube by coincidence and instantly fell in love with it. I started remixing it straight away, wanting to make it danceable. People always ask me how I was able to turn such a sad tune into a club track. To be honest, I never really paid any attention to the lyrics, seeing the vocals as an instrument instead. That’s usually how I do it. In fact, the track has been working wonders in the clubs.
Mr. Probz - 'Waves' (Robin Schulz Radio Edit): 'Waves' was the breakthrough I never expected. Crazy! I’ve now been DJing for 12 years and producing for 4 years. I’ve had record deals before, one with a Columbian label, another with a French one. They had this strange deal, saying that they’d only pay out sums over 75 Euros. I never received any money, which pretty much says it all. Then all of a sudden everything changed. I uploaded 'Waves' to Soundcloud and the next time I checked it had one million plays. Ever since it feels like I’m living life in the fast lane at 200mph. Plus, I never get bored of 'Waves'. Everytime I play it the people go crazy to it, and I join in the fun!
Coldplay - 'A Sky Full of Stars' (Robin Schulz Edit): Coldplay, do I really need to spell this one out? What a huge honour to be able to do an official remix for this band. I was incredibly nervous! But in the end I think it turned out quite nicely. Obviously I hope the Coldplay boys feel the same way.
What are you looking forward to about playing Future Music Festival?
I've never been there before but [have] heard a lot about it, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s going to get crazy over there :)
Will you be watching any of the other artists' sets? Who are you keen to see?
For sure, I’m really looking forward to seeing Die Antwoord live; they’ll be touring in Germany soon but I’ll be unable to see them since I’m touring at the same time.
Future Music Festival 2015 Dates
Sat 28 Feb - Royal Randwick Racecourse (Sydney)Sun 1 Mar - Arena Joondalup (Perth)
Sat 7 Mar - Brisbane Showgrounds
Sun 8 Mar - Flemington Racecourse (Melbourne)
Mon 9 Mar - Adelaide Showground
