Q&A: Seth Troxler

In the last eight years, Seth Troxler has gone from being a talked-about newcomer, keeping Detroit’s techno and house fires burning, to becoming arguably the most important and spoken about underground DJ of a generation. And while the 29-year-old’s larger than life personality, and willingness to speak out on subjects others remain coy on, gets him plenty of attention from the media, he’s got where he is today because of a steely drive that’s seen him sometimes take in nearly 200 gigs each year (including his famously captivating sets at clubs like DC10, Trouw and Fabric) alongside running several record labels. As he gears up for another summer that includes a residency at DC10, countless festivals and his very own party, Acid Future in London, we caught up to find out if he thinks acid house could ever happen again, why you should never trust journalists and why he’s scared of spending the summer in Ibiza.

You’re throwing a party called Acid Future in London this August. What’s the idea behind it?

Well, everyone seems to think it’s going to be some kind of acid house heritage party, but that’s not it really. We had a chance to work with London Warehouse Events on something and use the Tobacco Dock space, so we thought it would be cool to throw a proper underground rave, something that would really suit the space. Everyone who’s seen me play knows I play an eclectic mix of old acid house and 90s New York or Chicago house. I can’t claim to be an acid house DJ. I was born in the 80s, so certainly wasn’t going to raves then, but a lot of the music we stand for – the Martinez Brothers and I – stems from that scene. It’s about taking that idea and trying to push it forward and add more layers to it.

Acid house was a huge countercultural movement that went beyond just the music. Do you think a similar seismic change could take place today?

There is a sense that rave culture might have been the last big youth countercultural movement. Is there actually space in the future, with how governments and technology work now, to have a big countercultural movement again? I’m not sure. Right now there’s an explosion in people getting turned on to dance music culture so there could be a kind of second coming of mass raving, but it wouldn’t really be underground. Current technological trends and social media won’t allow anything to truly stay underground.

Do you think music might get more radical with the election of a majority Tory government in the UK?

There does seem to be a thing where when the socio-economic scale is at the lowest and things are really bad for the poorest in society, the most radical ideas and music come out. Like punk coming out of the UK in the 70s. People seem to have been stuck in such a commercial trend with music that kids are hungry for something with a bit more depth.

Ibiza and festival season is just about to really kick off. How do you feel about it now as the madness approaches?

I’m pretty afraid, actually! This year I’m sharing a building in Ibiza with Jackmaster, Skream and The Martinez Brothers. And it’s all happened by accident! When I got to number one in the RA poll a couple of years ago, I felt more pressure for a little while and then I just thought, ‘Ah, whatever, this is just stupid.’ So I just got on with my job of playing good music to people. Now I just enjoy it. I take it a bit slower but I don’t really feel any pressure now, which allows me to perform better.

Do you ever think about starting your own party in Ibiza?

Not at all. At DC10, I’m part of a family. I love it there. It’s the best club in Ibiza. I get to play with all the people I want to play with and I get good set times. You don’t really get paid that much there but it’s not all about money. All these DJs come to DC10, get big and then leave – but I want to be the guy who stays. They’ve helped me tremendously. And does Ibiza really need another underground tech house night?

Do you think you can take more chances with what you play now?

I do. I get this thing now though where people will criticise me online without ever having really heard me play. Right now, I’m playing some really out-there stuff but I get this “oh, he’s just another commercial house DJ playing vocal house records.” I don’t play that music! Someone came up to me the other day and was like, “You’re that guy who’s an internet meme”, so I guess it’s finding a balance between being lighthearted and funny and being taken seriously.

Are you starting to hold your tongue a bit more because of experiences you’ve had?

I am. Journalists will often take things out of context and mix your words up and really make you look like an asshole. I’m a really open guy and if you get talking to me for long enough I’ll say whatever’s on my mind. I’ll say some shit in between the questions being asked and that will be the headline. I’m dating a girl right now and I had to meet her parents the other day and they only knew me from videos they’d seen online. They were terrified I was dating their daughter! I’m nearly thirty now and that was one of the first times I realised that while it’s all a joke for us, when people in their sixties see it, they’re terrified for their life! Nothing goes away on the internet.

You won them over though, right?

Oh yeah, I killed it! They loved me in person.

A little while ago, you spoke out against ketamine use and called it “the heroin of our time”. Do you feel a responsibility to talk about some of the dangers that might come with going out?

I think I do. Drug culture and dance music are intrinsically linked so I think, as promoters of nightlife, it is our responsibility to point out some of the possible dangers of our culture. I got in trouble with people in Detroit when I said that because they were like, “Seth, we’re still dealing with a massive heroin problem here!” But I remember a few years ago we were losing a lot of people to ketamine. People would just completely lose the plot and you’d have a club full of zombies.

You’ve been really outspoken on the whole EDM explosion in the US. What’s your take on where that scene is now?

I spoke out about this stuff for so long but it seems my predictions are coming true. Other people, like Digweed, have come out and said “Enough’s enough!” Disclosure are really big over there now and I think they’re a gateway for a lot of people. It’s a bit deeper, they’re coming into our world. People are getting into more underground stuff. My girlfriend in America was into some quite questionable stuff to start with, and now she’s dating me!