What is your name and role within Django 3000?
I am Jan-Philipp and I’m the drummer.
How did you start?
The band started as a fun project, some of us played together in a very serious band and we just felt we’d like to try something danceable. These days you don’t need much to release a song so we recorded it on ourselves put a simple video on youtube and there it was. In just a few weeks we had thousands of clicks and so we decided to continue with that kind of music…
Where are you based?
We are based in the chiemsee area, this is about 100km southeast of munich, close to the austrian border.
Please give an example of your music writing process?
Usually someone comes up with some idea. This can be just a riff or a chorus or one sentence, sometimes it’s almost a full song. Then we talk about it and somebody records something to it, trying to develop it. We continue with that till the song feels ready. It’s not the classical rehearsal-room way of songwriting but it’s very exciting as nobody knows what the others have in mind…
What are you working on right now?
We just released a new album so everything feels very light. We are working on some songs, trying out some new ways of producing, but without any pressure. We just let things happen.
What is your gear setup?
I play DR custom drums, istanbul mehmet cymbals, evans drum heads and promark drumsticks.
Our guitarists plays ortega guitars and all the strings are d’addario.
What do you like to do outside of music and does it affect your music?
Everything you do affects your music. I like gardening and I’m interested in architecture very much.
How would you describe your music genre?
Our music is danceable, powerful, it has a clear rock attitude but is played on purely acoustic instruments.
Do you know any music theory?
Yes, most of us studied music so theory has been a big part of our education but the thing about music theory is – it helps but it can also limit you! You really have to learn it but then you have to forget it…
What are your plans for the future?
We are planning to arrange our songs for strings and hope we can tour with a small ensemble. That is something we always wanted to do.
How did you get into music?
I started with a classical education on the trumpet before I started playing the drums at the age of 13. From then on I concentrated on jazz and rock music.
What are you listening to at the moment?
Kendrick lamar, chris stapleton, peter gabriel and benni jud.
Who are your top 5 influences and icons?
– john bonham
– steve gadd
– michael jackson
– the beatles
– john mayer
When are you playing next?
We are playing on a small festival in southern tyrol next weekend.