Andre Tanneberger, known by his DJ alias, ATB, has been contributing to the world of electronic music since his days of working with dance music group Sequential One. Since going solo as ATB in the late 90s, he has only gotten bigger, blowing up the trance music genre and dance floors spanning from his hometown in Germany to Las Vegas, where he will be kicking off a residency at Rain this weekend. I recently caught up with ATB to find out more about his new Vegas residency and what he thinks of life in Sin City. Find out what he had to say below.
Marc Jay: How did you start as DJ?
ATB: My first gig in front of an audience was as a live act. I started playing as a DJ after a couple of live gigs, because I searched for a possibility to play more tracks than just the tracks I had programmed and prepared with my synthesisers.
Marc Jay: When was it you realised you were a “superstar DJ”?
ATB: I don’t think that there was “the one” special moment. Of course when I saw that “9 p.m.” entered the charts all around the globe, I was really happy to have had such a great start as a professional musician. But to work as a DJ is not just having one hit single. You have to work very hard every day to be constantly up to date with the current music, to always be able to offer the people new good tracks during your sets. There is so much creative output out there, the internet being a great factor in that.
Marc Jay: How dramatically different is living in Vegas to your home town in Germany?
ATB: Well, of course you can’t compare such a unique and glamorous city like Las Vegas to my home town Bochum in Germany. The four weeks in Vegas for me will be more of a combination of my work as a DJ and having holidays in the beautiful wonder world of entertainment.
Marc Jay: “Till I come” is one of your most popular tracks. Did you know this would be a worldwide hit when you made/produced this track?
ATB: No, I don’t think a producer can predict that a song will become a worldwide hit when he produces a track. There are so many factors that decide if a track will be a hit or not. There is no formula there.
Marc Jay: So what should people expect when they come to see your set at Rain at The Palms?
ATB: 100% ATB, meaning unforgettable nights with great music, good moods and people who love to celebrate.
Marc Jay: What is it you love about Vegas and what do you think separates Vegas form anywhere else in the world?
ATB: Las Vegas is a really unbelievable city. It’s not my first time in Vegas, so I have come to know the unique shine that emerges from within the city. I think that Vegas is the city with THE highest quality of entertainment all around the globe, and I am very proud to be a part of this for my four-week residency at Rain at The Palms.
Marc Jay: What can we expect to see in the future career of ATB? What’s in the pipeline?
ATB: Currently I am collecting new ideas for my next studio album. Playing for audiences around the globe is a huge creative input for me. I think I will intensify work on and finally produce the album in November/December of this year. Hopefully I will be able to release it at the beginning of next year, and I will then also start my next world tour to meet and celebrate with my fans all around the globe.
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