Interviews

SASH! is a German DJ / producer team, fronted by Sascha Lappessen (born 10 June 1970, Nettetal, Germany), who works in the recording studio with Ralf Kappmeier and Thomas “Alisson” Lüdke. They have sold over 18 million albums worldwide and earned more than 65 Gold and Platinum awards.

Ink was lucky enough to have a little chit-chat with the DJ recently.

Q1) Do you ever wonder what your life would have been like had you chosen football as a career instead of music?

Well of course I did wonder…for sure the career would be at an end by now as I am 40 years now and maybe only goalkeepers play that long.

Q2) What is it like working with production partners Thomas Alisson and Ralf Kappmeier? What sort of experience and talent have they offered to the group?

Well we are all 3 a perfect team. Each person has his own special input to the group and all 3 together work out the secret of the success I guess.

Q3) After minor recognition towards your first song, you took a year long break in your career. What did the members of the group do around this time?

Well I was all the time still touring around the world and did dj-ing and live shows, and in the studio we did as well never stop working. We produced many remixes and new SASH! Songs.

Q4) You recently released a track with multiple mixes for ‘All is Love’. What is different about this song and what sort of feedback have you received for it?

It was a hard thing to do…..and at the end the success was not that great for the song…but we will not give up and have produced already a new single that has come out this year.

Q5) ‘SASH! The Best of UK’ went gold and then platinum in the UK in 2008. Did you ever think that it would receive such recognition when compiling and producing this mix?

Yes I thought so because I see every weekend that people still love the classical tracks of SASH! and go wild on the dance floors around the world.

Q6) Tell us about the awards you have received from radio stations? Do radio station awards really hold a lot of significance for you as a group?

Of course. The radio stations mean a lot to us as it spreads the music to the people .

Q7) You performed in Estonia and Belgium in January 2011. What other countries do you plan on performing in for the rest of the year? Would South Asia be on your list?

I have been to Thailand last year and played again in many countries in the world in 2011. Let’s see if there are any south Asian countries involved.

Q8 ) What do you feel you have contributed to the genre of electronic music over the years, as an artist?

I think we have produced some of the best dance-pop anthems in the last 15 years…so that is great.

Q9) You have remixed tracks for many prominent artists including, Kylie Minogue. What are some of your most prized remixes with legendary artists?

Haha……I loved Kylie !!! and Jean Michelle Jarre.

Q10) What message would you like to send your fans in South Asia and readers of Ink?

I want to say keep dance music alive and supporting the great artists in this genre.

-          UPDATES  !SASH

SASH! feat. Jean Pearl / Mirror Mirror

Edited by Zehra Ali

How did you decide to become a DJ?
I have been deeply interested in music since I was a child. I have learnt to play the keyboard and guitar. I also happen to have a keen interest in singing and dancing.
While growing up, it was intriguing to notice how the mere press of the “Play” button had the power to make people move and sway. Since then I have wanted to have the same impact on people; to make them move the way I want them to. The job of a DJ helps me achieve just that.

What is the significance of your name DJ Bobby? How did you get that name?
My grandmother loves the name Bobby. When I was born she started calling me Bobby and over the years the name grew on me. Since I adore my grandmother, this name given to me by her was the name I chose to keep in my profession as a DJ.

What has been your biggest gig yet?
A gig I performed at Trilogy and Zinc club in Dubai in 2007.

Who has influenced you the most throughout your life?
My parents. It is the fact that they continue to pray for my success and welfare that I have had such success.

How would you describe your sound?
My music can simply be described as a fusion of club mixes. It contains a variety of house, progressive & tribal house, electro, hip hop and RnB and Desi mixes. I also play several popular club mixes and remixes.

What images and emotions do you want your music to evoke in the listener?
My aim has always been to try and make my audience forget about all their problems and worries and get trapped in a state of complete bliss. I wish to take my listeners, with the help of my music, on a journey across the galaxy. A journey free from trouble and far from the harsh realities of this world into the oblivion where they are at peace.

Do you like to play for big events or in-house parties?
Looking back into my history, you may find a number of small and big events, as well as many national and international gigs that I have played at.I am a music lover as well as an artist hence, I want to cater to my audience without making any discriminations whatsoever.

What genres do you enjoy playing the most?
My personal favorites are house, tribal and hip hop.

How was your experience playing in Dubai and how would analyze the Pakistani audience as compared to your International audience?
It was awesome. Trilogy and Zinc holds a very strong position in the international market and many popular DJs played there. They own top of the line equipment, they provide an excellent service, the environment is great and the even management is very continuously helpful. I don’t want to sound biased here but there is definitely a huge difference between the Pakistani and international crowd. Having said that, I still love my country and playing for my audience here in Pakistan.

Do you think your music can act like a Universal Language?
Yes definitely! I play all genres of music from every part of the world and I have noticed that no matter where I play, the audience’s reaction to it is instantaneous. Everywhere in the world, people love to dance and enjoy. The funny thing is they lip-synch even when they don’t know the exact words to the song and their meaning. They can’t understand the lyrics but they love to dance on my tunes nonetheless.

Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?
Well, I have been a DJ on earth for the past ten years and now I feel it is time to expand my horizons and perform on the moon. Just kidding! I just hope for the best when it comes to my future. Presently, I am working on some projects which will be out in the market soon. I have played with Akcent and am also doing a Live TV show on the channel Aag, so my future seems promising.

Courtesy:

IRONLINE GROUP
IRONLINE EVENT MANAGEMENT

In’s CEO, Fariha Rashed, was recently interviewed by popular online social magazine called PARTYLICIOUS.
To read go here:  < Link >

Check out the latest interview of Ink’s CEO on Radio1 91 FM, (Karachi / Lahore / Islamabad) – Pakistan.

Part 1 – Interview with CEO of Ink Magazine

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Part 2 – Interview with CEO of Ink Magazine

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Special Interview with Hugh Jackman in the Oct – Dec 09 issue of Ink – he talks about, amongst other things, his character Wolverine in ‘X-Men Origins – Wolverine’.

Ink ‘The Peace Issue’ comes out October 28th, 2009.

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A down-to-earth and simple person, Justin was a delight to talk to!

1. You have come a long way since you started out in Hollywood. You seem to be picking up a variety of roles from playing a young, geeky, energetic Eric in Twilight, to playing a more serious role in Crossing Over. What kind of roles can we expect from you in the near future? Continue

100% -Beverley Knight

www.beverleyknight.com

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It has been shaped primarily by the audiences, who are quite disparate. Those who read my political columns in The News have no idea about my anti-intellectual radio show, and vice versa. A holistic impression is not out there. At one point all I was known for was in relation to music, and because of distance from it with the political satire show News Views and Confused, that has abated. Continue

Tamer Youssef – talented Egyptian Cartoonist, Illustrator and Graphic Designer, living & working in the States, talks to Ink candidly.

What made you want to become a cartoonist?

I did not want to become a cartoonist … really. My plans were to study cinema and work as a filmmaker! I did not choose my career, my career chose me. I was just a student at school when I started working in the late eighties for the daily French newspaper “Le Progrés Egyptian” as a professional illustrator. But later on comics attracted me, and I found myself in this type of art, so I became a cartoonist, caricaturist and illustrator. Continue