Get Physical is Seven

We speak to the Get Physical family before they play at their Birthday Party at Cable in November with headliners such as Heidi who also has her own monthly show on Radio One, better known as one of the core members of Phonica, London's most respected electronic record store on Poland Street which was opened by Simon Rigg who manages the store to this day. Phonica themselves will also be hosting Room Two, celebrating their sixth anniversary to form a double birthday bash with the Berlin-based label. Also we meet Thomas Schumacher, who making music since 1996, is no newcomer to the scene. Whilst being DJ T's producer, he also ran his own label and has now recently released his EP 'Slow' on Get Physical.

Dazed Meet Heidi:
Dazed Digital: Do you consider Get Physical as an old or still a new label, seeing as big techno labels like BPitch, Turbo, etc are all celebrating their 10th birthdays?
Heidi: It's definitely getting older as labels go considering there's so many new ones popping up, but I feel a big part of it, Get Physical are my family. I don't really release on the label or play their music necessarily, but that's kind of what they like, keeping it different. I've tried to break away a little bit, doing other things... and I'm the only girl.

DD: There aren't many decent female electronic producers really are there...
Heidi: Yeah well like Magda, Anja Schneider, they're great- we all really support each other. Especially after being in London so long where it's like every man for himself. They get really catty, and they don't like anyone having success. Here it's very different, everyone's like 'yes!'

DD: So you're not in London anymore?
Heidi: No, I haven't lived there for a year and a half? I'm in Berlin now.

DD: So what about the Phonica stuff, you opened it right? Are you excited to play London again?
Heidi: Yeah I opened Phonica, it's also their birthday party so it should be great fun. In London I normally play Fabric, like once or twice a year, so it'll be dirtier and darker at Cable, I don't like it so polished.

DD: Are you still doing the Radio One show?
Heidi: Yeah I fly in to do it once a month. I don't really live anywhere, I'm kind of like the littlest hobo, just living out my suitcase!

DD: Who's the most exciting guest you've had?
Heidi: They've all been great, like Richie Hawton, Claude VonStroke, Dixon, Konrad Black. And it's good to get people who not everyone knows like we've got Solomun soon. The most exciting, or the funniest was definitely Andrew Weatherall, I just kept laughing the entire time...

DD: Are you still producing or just looking forward to DJing?
Heidi: Oh no no, I don't have time to produce anymore! I actually started this thing with Jesse Rose, and that was like last December, that's how long it takes me!

Dazed Meet Thomas Schumacher:
DD: So, GP's seventh birthday, are you excited about being one of the selected artists playing it?
Thomas Schumacher: Of course, they always have to make a choice so it's great when you find out they pick you. And I love London, but it's my first time at Cable, so it should be fun.

DD: Have you played London a lot then, what do you think about the music scene here compared to say being in Berlin?
Thomas Schumacher: Yeah there's a lot of great nights here, but I don't really know much about the London scene. It's a shame 'cause I always really enjoy drum'n'bass and grime which we don't have over here, but like the techno / house music, it's great, it's fun. Great line-ups every week.

DD: How would you describe your own work? Not the usual 'Berlin techno' sound?
Thomas Schumacher: No I don't think it's the Berghain, Panorama stuff... like Ben Klock, Marcel Dettmann, I really enjoy their sound and when I DJ I might drop in one or two of their tracks but generally it's house-ier. There's a specific new techno they play, and then again lot's of people really love it. But I'm a DJ who really likes the eclectic, it's more interesting for myself and hopefully for the people too.

DD: Do you feel really close to Get Physical?
Thomas Schumacher: I've worked with so many labels in the past but for they last two / three years, yeah I've been close to the GP family and of course we're not living far away from each other, and I've been producing DJ T's album, so it's like a dysfunctional family, we have our own careers but when we party together it's always for fun for sure.

DD: What's the best birthday present you've ever received?
Thomas Schumacher: Oh that's pretty easy, that was the late arrival of my daughter Stella. Two weeks after my birthday. Nothing will ever beat that!

DD: For GP's 17th birthday, where do you think you'll be?
Thomas Schumacher: The Betty Ford Clinic? Haha, well more production, but DJ wise- maybe less, fewer gigs. I used to run a label, 'Spiel-Zeug' but no future plans for anything new, we used to produce vinyl and these days there's so many labels, but everything's all digital. But I'll still be making music for sure.

Heidi and Thomas Schumacher will be playing alongside Patrick M.A.N.D.Y, and the Phonica team at Cable, London on the 28th November. Tickets can be purchased from Resident Advisor.