Markus Schulz, Transmission Netherlands Set Will Be Spectacular

Ask any Trance and Progressive music fan to name his or her favorite artists to see live, and the name Markus Schulz will usually come up as one of them. Ask the same fans whom some of their favorite Trance and Progressive music producers are – not only as of late but over the course of many years – and the name Markus Schulz will again most likely be mentioned. There is a passionate cohort of Electronic Dance Music fans who are unabashed in describing their favorite music as ‘Trance’ and/or ‘Progressive,’ and it’s those fans who pay good money to travel to see Markus Schulz, night after night, every week of the year, at the most relevant indoor and outdoor venues and events the world over. It comes as absolutely no surprise that Markus Schulz is the only DJ to have won DJ Times’ “America’s Best DJ” poll (presented by Pioneer DJ) a record three times.

Following his performance at Transmission festival in Gdansk, Poland, and on the eve of Transmission Netherlands – set to take place on December 2nd, 2023 – Electro Wow stole a moment with Markus Schulz to pick his brain about what it takes for him to stay on top of the Dance music game for well over three decades.

1 — Please tell us about your performance at Transmission Poland… what made it memorable? Can you name some stand-alone moments that struck you in a special way, as if to say, “Wow, I’m going to remember this moment…”?

Yeah, my recent performance at Transmission in Poland was amazing for me. First of all, it was great to reunite with the Transmission crew. They always make me look good onstage. Secondly, I’ve really been focused on my extended open-to-close sets the last couple of years, so to take the vibe and the energy from my open-to-close sets and condense it down into a 90-minute set in a grand arena was challenging, but also super-cool to just focus on a shorter presentation. I think what really stuck-out to me was how people reacted to this hybrid, euphoric Techno sound that I have been pushing the last couple of years in a large arena setting. It was a great success for me.

2 — What can fans expect for your upcoming headlining spot at Transmission Netherlands on December 2nd?

Well, I think the next Transmission set in the Netherlands is going to be the largest one ever, so now the pressure is really on. The stakes are higher and my set is going to have to be even more spectacular. I’ve got a month of studio time planned so I can give the crowd something unique. Something they’ve never heard before. And of course, I’ve been working closely with my team and the event crew to coordinate details and make sure everything is synchronized. This is paramount. The stakes are high, and I’m looking forward to this challenge.

3 — The stage production for Transmission is really beautiful in an almost spiritual, mystical way. The atmosphere created with the lights, visuals, and effects really seems transcendent in a soulful way that’s just different from the other big music festivals. What emotions are coursing through your veins as you’re onstage performing? What emotions will you be trying to convey to your audience at Transmission Netherlands this year?

The one thing that I always say about Transmission is that it’s not like any other festivals where you have five different stages fighting for attention and a production budget that you have to split amongst five different stages. Everything goes into one spectacular stage. All of the attention is on the one stage. To me, that’s what makes this the most unique Trance festival in the world. The production has always been spectacular with all of the lasers and the props. There really is no other festival where I have this feeling, when I’m onstage, that I know I look and sound amazing and my job is to give the people the best set they’ve heard in their lives.

4 — How does Transmission’s stage design mesh with your own image, as an artist? Is there something special about the team behind Transmission that draws you to perform there, year after year?

I think I’ve grown as an artist in parallel with Transmission. I played at one of the very first additions over 10, 15 years ago. Gosh, I can’t even remember, now, how long it’s been, but as Transmission grew as an event, so has my own production in my own shows. I’ve always been interested in theater and I had a theater background growing-up, so when I started playing at the Transmission festivals, it was a perfect marriage of inspiration. I think just growing with the brand, year-after-year, show-after-show, has made this bond between me and Transmission special.

5 — Physically, as a performer, are you doing things to project yourself out toward the audience at Transmission that are different from how you usually perform in front of a large festival crowd?

When I’m onstage at Transmission, it’s still the same mindset of trying to connect with every single person out there. When I do my long open-to-close sets, you do have a whole warm-up [segment] where you can really see the people’s energy when they walk-in to the venue and I can build upon it. But, when you’re doing a one-hour or 90-minute set in a big arena, you have to try to connect with the audience right at the get-go, so for me, building a spectacular intro and captivating the people right at the very first beat is paramount. These shorter sets are well rehearsed and there’s not a lot of room for improvisation, so I guess having the show fine-tuned and executing it properly is what I judge my set on after I’m finished.

6 — You’re in the midst of your own, fully produced tour, ‘The Rabbit Hole Circus.’ Are there elements from the Transmission festival shows that you borrow and/or adapt for your own tour?

Yes, as I said, theater has always been a major influence in not just my live shows and events, but also in my productions. When I’m in the studio, I am making conscious decisions based on how these tracks are going to translate live. Transmission has had a big influence on me over the years when I’m in the studio. As a matter of fact, I have pictures and screensavers of Transmission events as a constant reminder when I’m in the studio working on what the goal is. It’s a great inspiration tapping into that feeling and the memories of standing in front of 20,000 and 30,000 people losing themselves in the moment.

7 — What excites you the most about Transmission Netherlands?

What excites me most about the next edition of Transmission in the Netherlands, is that it is another level up. Being the largest-ever Transmission event is special, indeed, but to have it happen in the Netherlands, where I have such a strong bond with the people as well as knowing that people will be flying in from all over the world to see the spectacular event has me very excited. I’m so looking forward to putting on an amazing show and giving people the best set they have ever heard from me. That is always the goal and the challenge.

Transmission Netherlands – Book your tickets today and be part of this epic festival!

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