1. Who is the Georg Levin? Is there a difference between Georg Levin (the artist) and Georg Levin (the one part of Wahoo)?

Not really. Georg Levin (the artist) is a person that is making music in a certain style that he developed for a long time and that fits to his voice as a singer.
Georg Levin (the one part of Wahoo) is that same person trying out various styles that he likes and where he and his partner Dixon choose the singers that fit to the songs. A track like ‘Make ‘em shake it’ could have never been a Georg Levin song. Wahoo is more heterogeneous and free in terms of versatility and has no real concept except that everything is allowed that Georg and Dixon like, Georg Levin is more homogenous and straight-forward and perhaps more personal.

1. Please tell us more about your musical journey? What lead to you taking that route than anything else?

   It started really early in my childhood, I wrote songs when I was ten or so.. I was pretty early in developing a certain taste in music, most of the songs I liked when I was ten I still like today. It has always been very important to me and I think I secretly wanted to become a recording artist since I was twelve. Not because I wanted to be on stage or so but because I literally wanted to ‘record’ something that is my own. However, I was very late in making this come true, I was already 27 when I released my first single.

2. Clearly this was all spawned from a love of music. It resonates from the music you make. What does music mean to you?

   To me; it’s the most immanent and emotional form of art and I couldn’t live without it. If it’s good it’s something more precious than anything else. However, if it’s bad it’s just something really horrible (lol)… let’s not forget that there’s also a lot of bad music out there ;)

3. How did you get into the whole music scene? How did you get started? Was it an easy road (considering your talent)? Is it as glamorous as most people tend to think it is?

   It was actually quite easy because I knew one of the Jazzanova guys through friends… I was pretty lucky back then because I only had a badly produced cassette tape; a demo like you would have produced it in the 80’s… But it was already the end of the 90s and most labels were already used to receive professionally produced tracks.

4. Glamorous? Well… I think these days are over… even with major label acts…I was in the audience of the MTV music awards last year and it was as glamorous as a trade show for used cars.

5. You have an eclectic taste in music. Which genre of music do you prefer and which is your personal favourite? How do you source music?

   I think in almost every genre there is good music… I am a soul and jazz lover but also think that there were hardly better song writers in pop music than the Beatles. I also like Schubert, Strauss, Fela Kuti, Carl Craig, Sly and Robbie, The Neptunes, Led Zeppelin or Snoop. I think this is nothing special, I think a lot of people become more open towards different genres. We haven’t had a major musical revolution in the past 15 years (to me drum and bass was the last real ‘new movement’) and maybe it’s because of that.

6. How do you manage being an artist and producer? Do you still find the time to relax?

   I find enough time. The result is that I don’t release that much like others do ;)

7. What is the biggest event you’ve ever performed at? What would be your ultimate performance and where?

   Can’t remember the name, but it was some festival over here in Germany together with Jazzanova.
   The ultimate performance? There could be so many ways… I would like to play with a tight string and horn section and have John Legend, Ledisi and Rahsaan Patterson as my backing singers ;) … but hang on, that wouldn’t be such a good idea… they would blow me offstage after two seconds.

8. Give us a breakdown a day or night in the life of Georg Levin? What’s the preparation like, leading up to an event or a “normal working day”, and what happens afterwards? What food you eat to keep you going?

   Can’t really answer that one… I don’t have a regular day…

9. Is the music industry your only source of income? Are there any other ventures that you are involved in?

   Music is my only income at the moment.

10. What about time with family and friends – How do you manage that?

    There’s enough time, fortunately I have a lot of friends living nearby.

11. Given your insight into what’s fresh on the music scene, what do you think the trend for New Year will be? Has the economic climate affected your pocket?

    Apparently acid will be the sound of this summer in the clubs (I’ve heard) … but don’t really care to be honest… Generally, I think there has been some kind of ‘anything goes’ at the moment, little trends within different scenes that co-exist next to each other.

12. How many groupies do you get?

    Just one. She is also going to revise this interview.

13. Have you had any awkward moments with fans? Have you performed at an event that made you go ”WTF???”

    One of those events was definitely a live PA I did with Dixon in New York at a Louie Vega Night at Club Shelter (hosted by a then relatively unknown Mr V). It was my third gig ever and I was scared to death and tired at the same time, because I didn’t sleep the night before… I heard that people there are real music connoisseurs and really into their stuff. I think we were the only white people there and some guys were surprised to see that I am white.
    Performance-wise I believe I screwed up, there was this big stage and me all alone (normally I’d sing behind a DJ booth), no experience whatsoever and a crowd that exactly knows what it likes… Surprisingly, people were very friendly afterwards, but I think that was because of the music, not the performance… I thought I got away with it until I read that blog which was pretty painful… the worst thing was: they were right. I wish that I could play there again one day to make up for that…

14. Did you always know you’d end up where you are today? Do you have any qualifications under your belt for any studies you may have completed?

    I did go to university but I didn’t study music there. I did communications and photography. I secretly wished that I would release my own music back then but didn’t feel ready until I was in my mid-twenties.

15. You’ve achieved so much, what’s in store from Georg Levin? What aspirations do you have?

    I don’t have any long-term aspirations at the moment, just that I’m still able and motivated to make music in the future.

16. We know that you are releasing an album. Tell us more about the new album. Can’t Hold Back was a collector’s item. How is the new album different to the old one? What artist and producers contributed to the album?

    To me, my last album was Wahoo “Take it personal” and I rather see my new album as a next step to that one. The Wahoo album was full with different guest singers, guest musicians and different music styles. I wanted to do exactly the opposite with Everything Must Change (my new album). I wanted it to sound like one piece and more organic, so I recorded most songs with my band and hardly had any guest singers apart from Clara Hill doing some backings. I did it really old school; wrote the songs, band rehearsal and recording session in the studio with a professional engineer. However, what I didn’t plan was the fact that it took quite some time to do the overdubs and mixing afterwards… that took longer than the whole process before; including the songwriting. All in all, the new album is perhaps a little more straight-forward than Can’t hold back and definitely better produced. But I made sure that there’s still some ‘dirt’ in it, that it doesn’t sound too clean and sterile.

17. Are you interested in any collaboration with South African artists?

    Most definitely, would love to! Would also love to come to SA this year to present my new album, but there are no confirmed dates yet.

18. Who do you regard (aside from yourself) as a producer or performer that’s making strides in the music industry?

    If you are asking about the last ten years, I can name you quite a lot. If you are asking about the last two or three years, it’s more difficult. To me, we are currently going through a weak phase when it comes to things like innovation and creativity. For instance, Pharell and Timbaland were phenomena’s at the beginning of the last decade, but at the moment I’m not too sure. The same goes for a lot of underground artists. The last underground album that really kicked me was by these two Danish guys called Owusu and Hannibal, but that was already 3 or 4 years ago… if you don’t know them you definitely have to check them out, they are great. I liked Grace Jones’ last album though, that was a great comeback.

19. How may budding producers or artists get in touch with you, should they be interested in working with you?

    There are quite a few people I have worked with, mostly as a singer. Every now and then someone asks me to do a vocal for a track and when I like it and have the time; I do it.

20. What is the secret to the success you’ve achieved so far?

    Success is a little bit too much of a big word for a rather unknown artist like me. Most important is a USP (Unique Selling Point) or individuality. I think for everyone it is important to find his or her ‘thing’ and to find his or her place in the music world. If you just want to take part but don’t have anything to say musically, then you shouldn’t do it. You don’t have start a revolution but you have to have some kind of musical ideology, no matter what genre.