dig dis!cover with Sebastian Groth

How did you originally get into electronic music? Were there certain artists, events or releases that had a particular influence on you?
It started very early for me, when I was still at elementary school. I grew up in the 90s, when techno was new. The first Love Parades, Maydays and so on were on TV back then, so I came into contact with electronic music very early on. I wanted to become a DJ - everyone else wanted to play in a band, but I didn't want to do that. When I was 14, I bought my first turntables with my confirmation money. I was really working towards it - but of course I never expected it to actually work out one day.

You started out with the Auditionlabel and then launched your first release on Rewasted in May 2017. How did this development come about? What motivated you to found another label - and what was particularly important to you when launching Rewasted?
I already had another label before, but with a different distributor - and I was extremely dissatisfied with it. I wanted to make a new start with Audition, also because peak-time techno was on the rise at the time. I was even planning to start a new pseudonym, but that somehow got lost because hard techno suddenly came back and I was able to stick with what I actually prefer to do.
Before that I had the label Rewashed, which I then ended and basically did a complete reset - with Rewasted as a connection, then also via you. I still do the other project from time to time, but not in the way I had planned back then. It was actually intended for Peaktime Techno, but later I didn't pursue that direction at all. Now I only use it when I have too many releases for Rewasted - then I move my own output there so that there isn't too much overlap on Rewasted.
Rewasted is definitely my main thing, my baby. I really only release what represents my sound. I'm also very picky when it comes to choosing tracks. In the beginning, I put an incredible amount of advertising into it, but it paid off relatively quickly. In the meantime, most of it runs pretty well on its own.

How would you describe the sound of your label to someone who doesn't know you yet? Are there certain stylistic characteristics or an overarching vision that connects your releases?
I would say that a lot has changed in hard techno in the last three years. My impression is that many things have become more expensive than a few years ago - for example productions, promotion, everything around it. Of course, it's not easy to compete with these big major labels that pump out huge promotional budgets. But interestingly, these differences are not necessarily reflected in the sales figures. You notice it more in the chart positions - it's not as easy to get to the top as it used to be. Back then it was much easier, today the competition is simply much stronger.
As far as our sound is concerned: I would say that it definitely sounds like hard techno. It's become quite an independent style. And what has definitely changed is the platform landscape. Everything used to go through Beatport, that was the thing. Today, there's been a big shift towards streaming. Spotify is now much more important, also in terms of revenue. The streams now bring in more than the classic downloads - at least for us. That's why we're focusing much more on streaming releases these days.
I also find it exciting that the sound is no longer just for DJs. It has opened up. Many people listen to the tracks while doing sport, running or at the gym. I've heard that a lot - and in the past I would never have thought that people would voluntarily listen to such hard music at home. But that's exactly what's happening now. And so our catalog is also expanding because the sound fits into many more areas of life than before. That was very different in 2014 when we started.

What do you look for when you want to sign new artists for your label? Are there any musical criteria that you attach particular importance to?
I think we now have a really wide range of different artists. There used to be certain criteria, but not so much at the moment. There was a time when so many demos and inputs came in that I couldn't keep up with listening to new stuff - simply because we were completely full a year in advance.
Last year I took it a bit easier and as a result I've now started accepting a few demos again. Otherwise I did a kind of contest once a year for a compilation where we pushed newcomers. Funnily enough, there were some acts in there that are really big today. For example Carv, who made his first release with us back then - or Zeuz. They were both on that first compilation.
I think the reason why the label has filled up so quickly is simply because there are so many good producers today. Producing music has also become much easier than it was ten years ago - there are better tools, more tutorials and therefore simply an incredible amount of good music. Even from acts that are brand new.
Of course, I always like to have big names on the label, but if the music is good, I also really like to take stuff from "no names".

You work as a label manager - what does your typical working day look like? Which tasks do you do yourself every day and which tasks do you sometimes hand over?
I'm now relatively structured. I've made myself a table according to which I allocate myself fixed times every day - for example, two hours for label work, two hours for production and then everything else that comes up. Of course, this also includes bookkeeping and everything else that goes on behind the scenes. For many people, DJing always sounds like weekends and parties, but there's much more to it than that.
It often used to be chaotic - everything at the same time, all mixed up. Fortunately, I've now managed to bring a certain consistency to it. It's still quite a lot when you do everything yourself.
I actually do almost everything myself - from the artwork to the release. I only sometimes have colleagues pre-sort the demos, because there's just so much that goes into them. You can tell that some people have simply bought lists of demo addresses - then suddenly house, ambient or something completely different comes in that doesn't fit at all. It helps if it's filtered beforehand.
But I do the rest completely myself. Many people probably think you just have music, upload it and you're done. But there's a lot more to it than that: Release planning, communication with the artists, invoicing and everything that goes with it. It really is a full-time job.
To be honest, I'm quite happy that artificial intelligence has become so strong in recent years. It helps me enormously - with contracts, for example. You can often just enter the basic information and the rest is added automatically. That saves a lot of time.

How is it with your music productions? Precisely because it's creative work - does it happen spontaneously or do you follow a fixed plan?
No, not at all. That has never worked for me. If I sit down and say to myself: "I'm going to make music now", it never really works. It only works if I really feel like it spontaneously - but then I drop everything else.
If I'm really in the mood, then it works really well. Those are usually the tracks that are best received later on. I've almost completed many of them in a single session. They just came out of the flow - and that's exactly what you can hear in the tracks. As soon as I force myself or think to myself: "I have to do something today", even though I have no drive, nothing good comes out of it.
I've had my own studio at home again for five years now. Before that, the studio was in a different location, but that tended to slow me down - if only because I always had to drive there first. Shortly before Corona, I brought the studio back home - luckily.
Things have been better since then. When I get home and realize that the moment is right, I can get started straight away. I used to try that on the road - especially when I was touring a lot - but I realized that I need my fixed space. That's where my tracks are created. Sure, I sometimes write ideas into my cell phone while I'm on the road, but the real work happens in my studio at home.

How did the first contact with dig dis! come about? What convinced you to start working with us back then - and how do you think the collaboration is going today?
I don't remember exactly how the first contact came about. You were recommended to me by several other artists at the time and you already had a pretty good reputation. I think I then spoke to Chris - he already knew my work. It all felt good straight away.
I'd previously worked for two other distributors with different labels, but I was never really satisfied - mainly because there was hardly any decent support. It's completely different with you. I really can't complain at all. I always get an answer, everything runs reliably and I don't feel like I'm just one of many.
I've often recommended dig dis! to other artists, especially when they wanted to start a new label. For me, personal contact is the most important thing - and that's exactly what works really well with you. You can just tell that you have people who really want to do what they do. Compared to other distributors, where it's often just about making money, you really have a completely different energy.
Even if something goes wrong - correcting metadata or something - it's not an issue for you. With others it was sometimes a huge effort, but when I write to my label manager, it's solved quickly and easily. No matter what it's about - it just works really well with you.

Are there any goals that you would like to achieve with the label in the next year or two? Are there any specific events, projects or new artist collaborations planned?
We had a podcast until about a year ago, and we're starting it up again now - together with the artists. It will probably be launched again in the next few weeks. It will also give the label a new push.
We're also thinking about doing label parties - we've had a few requests for that recently. The only problem is that many artists are with different booking agencies. Just because you release on the same label doesn't automatically mean that you can get everyone to an event without further ado. But there are definitely ideas, even if the concept hasn't been fully worked out yet. I've actually had the idea for a while - even before Corona - but then of course things got in the way.
I would definitely like to do more label parties. And now that the summer is over, we're going back to our two-week rhythm, just like we used to: A new release every two weeks, either from a new or an existing artist. I think that's pretty cool.
Essentially, it's about healthy growth, continuous releases and expanding our reach. And of course, label events like this are also good for brand building - they don't have to be every weekend, but every now and then would definitely be exciting.

Thank you for talking to us, Sebastian! It was exciting to learn more about your career, the development of your labels and your look behind the scenes of the techno scene. We wish you continued success - and look forward to your next releases!