We caught up with Dj Caltrop prior to the release of Good To See You, available on Monday April 26.

Who are you?
Christoph T. Caominh

Where are you from, and how did you get to where you are today?
I am originally from Munich, Germany and moved to the Bay Area in 1997 for college.

How did you first get interested in electronic dance music?
My interest in electronic music began when I grew fond of synthesizer-based songs played on the radio as jingles or chart hits during the 80s, i.e. Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Kraftwerk and so on. It was also around the time when MTV became more popular and I remember seeing the video clips to 808 State – In Yer Face and LFO – LFO for the first time. Can imagine Lil’ Louis – French Kiss with all the moaning was actually in European charts? In the beginning, I was listening to really anything electronic dance music: Breakbeat, Gabba, Tekkno, Rave. But years later, my taste became more tuned to the underground sounds thanks to a few like-minded kids I met who frequented the Utraschall parties in Munich (run by the same folks at
Disko B).

Who or what are you biggest influences?
Right know, my biggest influence is Tim Sweeney’s Beats In Space show. It always surprises me how many great tracks get played in every show, whether old or new. In retrospect, I also owe it to Disko B for
running such an incredible record shop – Optimal – , and supplying me with their best recommendations in Techno at that time. During 1994 or so it was all about Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Cristian Vogel, Cheap
Records and Dance Mania essentially.

Name some artists and/or labels that you like.
Artists that I like are Tensnake, Carl Craig, Drexciya, JDilla, Theo Parrish, Moodymann, Maurice Fulton, the various incarnations of Legowelt and Tadd Mullinix both as Dabrye and James T. Cotton. I heard some really interesting stuff coming from the Wagon Repair, Permanent Vacation and Mule Music labels as well.

What music projects are you working on right now?
I am hatching out some ideas of what a Nude Photo Music track would sound like if it is actually taking its cues from the name bearing track. I just borrowed an 808 and need to dust off my Yamaha DX100. Of course, it might turn into something else which I will explain later.

What is your music process like?
Usually, I pick out the samples and create synth patches first and then start out writing a pattern or two in Renoise or Ableton Live with a certain style in mind. After are few tries tinkering with the pattern, it starts becoming something else almost accidentally. For example, that Fleeting Moments track was intended to be a Minimal Techno track because i was trying to work out some interesting patterns with the shaker sound first. But after I added more percussive sounds and figured out a chord progression, it became more
of a house track.

What technology has shaped your music the most?
The technology that got me started was the Fast Tracker. Renoise Tracker is the more modern take on it. In my opinion, this is the best and fastest tool to chop and play with samples and throw together patterns with its built in sequencer. I still haven’t explored its routing and automation capabilities yet, but I heard amazing things made with it. Venetian Snares, a breakcore artist, has put up his screen shot video on YouTube to demonstrate that. I am also totally impressed by what Dabrye has created with an even more rudimentary
version of the tracker. And Ableton Live helps me a lot with the arrangement. I would just build the track live and then go back to make adjustments.

Can you describe if there is a theme or concept behind your music?
There is no real concept behind my music except that I always have it in my mind to make it groove, have a strong melodic sense most of the time and keep it simple. In that regard, Theo Parrish is someone I
really look up to because he makes all of his tracks do those things.

Electronic music in general has found a greater audience in Europe and the UK than in America ‚ why would you say that is?
It is probably parts marketing with a heavy bias on the Rock and Hip Hop audience in the US. It’s not like people are not ready for electronic sounds because some of the Hip Hop songs are pretty edgy. And the club culture is not as common in the US as in Europe to hear more electronic music.

Do you have any other creative outlets besides music? Hobbies, interests, etc.
I love to spent time with my family outdoors hiking. I like big landscapes. Another creative outlet would be cooking. Not quite there yet to make a Schweine Haxn or Bun Rieu, but I’ll be there…one day.

How did “Good To See You” come about?
Good To See You’ came about when I heard the track ‘Mystery of Nazerus’ by Marco Bernardi. I liked the vibe of that song so that I tried to create something similar. As I was playing back some parts in a loop, I started to jam on my Juno-60 and recorded several different melodic phrases, of which the main one stuck. The other smaller 4-5 phrases and the arpeggiated bassline followed in a similar way.  On the day I finished the first session, I ran into a some old friends I hadn’t seen in years – the name is a tribute to them.

What can we expect from you in the future?
More inspiration to make more music. The positive feedback so far is really encouraging me to keep going.