Westbam | |
|---|---|
 Westbam in 2004 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Maximilian Lenz |
| Also known as | Frank Xerox, It's 2 Hard, Mr. Y, Professor Taub-Karcher, Von Sternhagel, WB Loops |
| Born | 4 March 1965 Münster, Westphalia, Germany |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | DJ, producer, remixer, label owner |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | Low Spirit |
| Website | Westbam.de |
Maximilian Lenz (born 4 March 1965), known by his stage name WestBam, is a German DJ and musician. [1] He is the co-founder of the record label Low Spirit.
Lenz started his musical career in 1978 in the punk scene of his birth town Münster under the moniker Frank Xerox. [2] He then played bass, drums and synthesizer. [2] Together with Andreas Bleckmann (alias Sally), he founded the band Anormal Null in 1979. Afterwards he founded Kriegsschauplatz, who were active until 1983. [2]
The origin of his DJ moniker Westbam is a homage to Afrika Bambaataa, thus Westphalia Bambaataa. He started his career as a DJ in 1983 in the Odeon club in Münster. [3] In 1984, he moved to his friend and mentor William Röttger in Berlin, where he released his first record called "17 – This Is Not a Boris Becker Song", which was co-produced by Klaus Jankuhn. WestBam, his brother Fabian Lenz, William Röttger, Klaus Jankuhn and Sandra Molzahn later founded their own label Low Spirit. [3]
In 1985 Westbam published his influential text "What is Record-Art?", in which he described DJ techniques and characterized the DJ as a musician, that composes tracks with records. [4] In 1988, the Goethe-Institut sent Westbam as part of the German art show Kunstdisco to the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.
He played at the first Love Parade rave party in 1989 at Kurfürstendamm, Berlin, and also wrote the Love Parade Anthems from 1997–2008. He was the only DJ, who played at all Love Parades from 1989 to 2008 and planned to perform for a last time at the Loveparade 2010, [5] but cancelled his performance in response to the Love Parade disaster. He later heavily criticized the decision to continue the event despite the death of 21 visitors. [6]
In 1991, he organised the first Mayday rave in Berlin. With over 5000 people, it was the biggest techno party in Germany at the time. Since then, Mayday has been vital to the German techno scene. Westbam was involved in the planning of the events, and also produced the annual Mayday anthems together with Klaus Jankuhn, in the project Members of Mayday until 2013. In February 2014, Westbam announced that he will not perform any longer at Mayday and the Members of Mayday project will disband. [7]
After several single records he released his first album named The Cabinet. In 1993, he played a number of rave events in the United Kingdom including Obsession Passion at the Sanctuary in Milton Keynes. In 1997, he released his first book, titled Mixes, Cuts & Scratches. It dealt with the art, the work and the life of a DJ.
In 2005, he released an album Do You Believe in the Westworld, with the first single being "Bang The Loop". Westbam presented this album live with a band, which consisted of a drummer, a bass player, Klaus Jankuhn on keyboards and a laptop for programming and Westbam performing as MC.
Westbam released his triple album A Love Story 89-10 in 2010 on Bass Planet / Kontor Records. [8]
2013 saw the release of his double album Götterstraße, on which Westbam collaborated with artists such as Richard Butler, Lil Wayne, Rockell, Iggy Pop, Bernard Sumner, Inga Humpe, Brian Molko, Kanye West, Afrika Baby Bam and Hugh Cornwell.
Westbam has three siblings. His brother is Fabian Lenz, also known as DJ Dick. His sister Seraphina Lenz is an artist. [9]
He is father of two sons and lives in Berlin-Prenzlauer Berg.
Scooter mentions WestBam in their 1994 song Hyper Hyper, during which lead singer H.P. Baxxter reads out the name of numerous DJs.
The Love Parade was an electronic dance music festival and technoparade that originated in 1989 in West Berlin, Germany. It was held annually in Berlin from 1989 to 2003 and in 2006, then from 2007 to 2010 in the Ruhr region. Events scheduled for 2004 and 2005 in Berlin and for 2009 in Bochum were canceled.
Mayday, like the former Love Parade, is one of the oldest and most reputed electronic music festivals in Germany, having its debut on 1991 and Katowice, Poland, having its debut on 2000. Despite the name, Mayday festivals date oscillates between April and December. Currently, the festival takes place only in around 30 April in Dortmund and 10 November in Katowice.
Mark Spoon was a disc jockey, musician and record producer from Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Together with Rolf Ellmer he recorded under several monikers, including Jam & Spoon, Tokyo Ghetto Pussy and Storm. He also produced and remixed many other artists as well as becoming a veteran performer many times at Berlin's Love Parade.
Deskee is the stage name for Derrick Crumpley, a German-American house music artist.
Marusha Aphrodite Gleiß, known by her stage name Marusha, is a German-Greek electronic music disc jockey, producer and television presenter who had hits in the mid-1990s including her 1994 single "Somewhere Over the Rainbow".
German electronic music is a broad musical genre encompassing specific styles such as Electroclash, trance, krautrock and schranz. It is widely considered to have emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming increasingly popular in subsequent decades. Originally minimalistic style of electronic music developed into psychedelic and prog rock aspects, techno and electronic dance music. Notable artists include Kraftwerk, Can, Tangerine Dream and Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft. German electronic music contributed to a global transition of electronic music from underground art to an international phenomenon, with festivals such as Love Parade, Winterworld and MayDay gaining prominence alongside raves and clubs.
Soulsonic Force is an American electro-funk and hip hop ensemble led by Afrika Bambaataa who helped establish hip-hop in the early 1980s with songs such as "Planet Rock." They were also influential in the birth of the electro movement in America and helped pave the way for modern dance music styles such as electro-funk as well as the entire Miami bass scene.
Jesse West, a.k.a.3rd Eye is a producer/rapper. Jesse grew up in the Bronx River Projects, where the Master/Teacher DJ Afrika Bambaataa founded the Universal Zulu Nation.
Low Spirit Recordings was a German techno record label.
Hands on Yello is a remix album by Swiss electronica band Yello, released in 1995.
Members of Mayday was a German techno project by Klaus Jankuhn and WestBam. From 1991 until 2013 the Members of Mayday created the official hymn of the annual Mayday Rave, which at the time was Germany's largest indoor rave. In February 2014 WestBam left the group.
On 24 July 2010, a crowd disaster at the 2010 Love Parade electronic dance music festival in Duisburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, caused the deaths of 21 people from suffocation as attendees sought to escape a ramp leading to the festival area. 652 people were injured.
Thomas Andrezak, better known as Tanith, is a German DJ and producer of electronic dance music. From 1990 to 1996 he was one of the most popular German Tekkno DJs.
"London" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released on 14 October 2002 as the third and final single from their eighth studio album, Release (2002). It was released exclusively in Germany and Europe and as a promotional-only release in the United Kingdom.
Fabian Lenz is a German DJ, Techno musician and events producer, who was also known before under the moniker DJ Dick.
This is the discography of German DJ WestBam.
Charles Andre Glenn, professionally known by his stage name Afrika Islam, is an American hip hop DJ and producer. He was one of the pioneers of hip hop culture and the hip hop radio station.
Klaus Jankuhn is a German record producer and musician, considered a pioneer in the early German techno scene. He mostly worked for the artists of the rave label Low Spirit, producing artists such as WestBam, Marusha or DJ Dick. Together with WestBam he also founded the project Members of Mayday.
"Celebration Generation" is a song by German DJ WestBam. It was released in December 1993 as the lead single from his sixth album, Bam Bam Bam (1994).
Wilhelm Christian "William" Röttger was a German label owner, music manager and gallery owner. Röttger co-founded the influential German techno label Low Spirit and managed the music festival Mayday.
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