Markus Schulz wears many hats. He has successfully redefined an entire genre. He is a master storyteller. His music and his sets – all follow a theme and all his works always tell a tale. One always finds Markus’ work at the intersection of trance and pop. Even with his newest album, he continues to explore how trance and pop music can merge beautifully. This intersection is more holistic and inclusive on this album – as some tracks also include a blend of house music as well as an anomaly track – which is very dub-trance- step, if we might say so.
‘Watch The World’ – the hotly anticipated album is out on Coldharbour Recordings. It’s a mammoth work, comprising 17 tracks. There’s a multitude of very real, very relatable lyrics interspersed throughout the songs. Schulz has collaborated with numerous, really good vocalists. As you start listening to the album from track 1, the entire album unfurls slowly and brilliantly like a multi- dimensional love story. It develops like a progressive trance ballad and you instantly find yourself on an immersive journey.
The introductory track, ‘Code 10-66′ is highly cinematic and lures the listener, while welcoming them into the universe of this album. It’s a very soothing composition, an ideal precursor/ opening track. The melody is on point. Sounds such as the ringing phone, the waves and the trains – make it very relevant to millennial dance music fans across the world.
The album is nothing short of a magnum opus. ‘In The Night’ featuring Brooke Tomlinson, is a pleasing, progressive trance track. It’s more pop than classic, immersive, heavier trance. One might even consider it to be house music at some points. Markus has been personally involved in co-writing the lyrics on all the tracks on the album. And we absolutely love that. The lyrics throughout this album have been supremely on point with respect to the progression of the theme and the story. Enticing, happy vocals, loud synths, bold kick drums – make this album very club friendly.
Soulful melodies and heartfelt breakdowns are an integral part of all 17 songs on the album. ‘Love Me Like You Never Did’ featuring Ethan Thompson is a testament to Schulz’s endless skills and his ability to channel unbridled emotions throughout this album. The guitar on this track adds a very pop, very happy vibe. There’s a great buildup and a big, unabashed, happy drop. Markus uses classic trance sounds such as even sirens, and uses them so very differently – that its impossible to recognize them at times.
Track 4 on the album ‘Destiny,’ is the first anomaly. It’s a departure from the rest of the album. It’s got a very Kaskade-esque beginning. It’s very bouncy and Markus beautifully amalgamates trance and house in his unique style, which makes the track immersive and bouncy at the same time. Once could call it ‘big room trance’.
‘A Better You’ is a killer track to listen to, when you’re at the gym. It consists of booming synths, percussion and hooks. The bass line is highly enticing. This track is slightly darker, heavier than the rest of the songs and even the duration is much longer than any other track. There are growling synths interspersed throughout this track, but Schulz has used them differently and they’re very mellowed out.
Tracks such as ‘I Hear You Calling’ and ‘Leaving LA,’ ‘Face Down’, ‘Waiting’, ‘You and I’, ‘Watch The World’, ‘Summer Dream’, ‘Favorite Nightmare’ and ‘Soldier’ – all are once again, at the intersection of pop music and trance: very groovy, very melodic with very catchy vocals and relatable lyrics. A love story unfurls throughout the album.
Two more stand out tracks that deserve special mentions are: ‘Let It Rain’ featuring Helen and ‘Fears’ – which is a brilliant collaboration with Kyau & Albert. ‘Let It Rain’ is very Seven Lions-esque. Very dub-trance- step. The Kyau & Albert collaboration comprises relatable lyrics that could even lead to catharsis. With a beautiful, melodic breakdown, unique percussion, arrangement and synths, this track is very groovy and a very happy song. You just can’t go wrong with a Kyau & Albert collab.
We also had the chance to catch up with the Unicorn Slayer for a short interview to discuss his album and it’s writing process. Check it out below!
TBB: As you’ve mentioned, the album looks to strengthen the bridge between the music and the song. So, in terms of creativity how different do you expect it to be from your previous LPs?
Markus: There was a different mentality overall with Watch the World, compared to, say the two Scream albums. The Scream series was very much made with the live setting in mind, where what you heard on the album is exactly what you would hear in my sets in the clubs, without any alterations to the tracks themselves.
However, with Watch the World, I’m hoping that people will approach listening to it as more of a one-to-one experience – where it’s a case of “this is me, this is who I am, and these are the stories I’d like to share with you if you are willing to lend an ear”.
In terns of the nuts and bolts of the track composition, sometimes the music bed would be made first, with the vocal added on top, or vice versa. But with Watch the World, every single track on this album began with a pen, a blank piece of paper to write lyrics, and a guitar. What I have learned through this album process in particular is that if you have written a song that is great, then whatever music you surround it with, it will also sound great.
TBB: This is also the first time when you were actively a part of the song writing process for the album. How was the whole process like?
Markus: It was quite therapeutic, because not only did it provide me this platform to share stories inside of me I didn’t think I was capable of in the past, but it took me back to my childhood days also.
When I was in school, the one subject I excelled at above everything else was creative writing, and my teachers would encourage me to do it as often as possible. But in my mind, the only thing I was destined to do in the world was become a DJ, so that was a dream I eagerly chased at the expense of everything else.
Luckily for me, doors began to open to enter the DJ world, and the next challenge was to back up whatever skills I had with productions – tracks that I could not only play in my sets, but other people could in theirs as well. So all my creative energy went into that; and that’s normal – because when you’re young, you’re fascinated with synthesizers and twisting knobs in making the music. But I was at a point in my career where after completing five artist albums already, I had to evaluate and ask where to take the next step.
TBB: An expeditionary electronic album at its core, was there a specific vision for it?
Markus: At the outset there wasn’t, because going to the roots of creative writing I felt had an element of risk, because it had been that long, so there was some self-doubt on my end. But the catalyst towards everything in Watch the World becoming a reality was Destiny, featuring Delacey.
Many of the tracks you will hear on the album were the fruits of several writing camps I attended in Los Angeles, kindly arranged by my management, providing the opportunity to meet new singers and write with them. The first camp was where I met Delacey for the first time. We sat down and I explained the story that I wanted to write, a very personal story where you meet someone in your life that inspires you to the point that you feel it was meant to happen. She understood and poured all her emotional energy into delivering such an incredible performance.
When listening to the demo, we had a feeling we were on to something special, but you just never know how it is going to react until you start playing it out live. But when I did, in solo sets in New York and Miami around Christmas and New Year’s Eve, people were going crazy, despite having no idea who was singing or who made the song.
I look back a year on and can’t quite believe how many people out there have taken such a personal attachment to it. So the reactions of Destiny definitely gave me more confidence to undertake more songwriting, and it became the pivotal ingredient of the entire album as a result.
TBB: How did the whole production journey of the album helped you grow as a musician?
Markus: Absolutely. Nowadays, because of all the travel involved with touring, you want your production setup to be as simple as possible. On the road I have a separate laptop with Logic and Ableton on it. Ableton is good for carving out loops and rough ideas, and Logic helps me get creative with the sounds and effects.
However, with the production of Watch the World, I consciously wanted to utilise more organic instruments like guitars. Even if you don’t hear it in the mix, there’s a guitar buried there, or a piano that’s buried in there because it just brings out a frequency that I feel is missing or has been missing in a lot of productions lately. It just warms it up so nice. From a production standpoint, this was the biggest aspect which I have taken appreciation from.
TBB: You have a massive fan base down here in India and around the world. Do you ever feel that extra pressure or like you need to prepare for the fans’ reactions to a new album?
Markus: Yeah for sure, always in fact. Everything I do, whether it’s a production, album, radio show or live set, it is driven by the passion and support of the fans. Because at the end of the day, nobody is obligated to support you, or pay their hard earned money to go to a club to see you perform, and that’s something I never forget. The people out there who take time out of their own lives, with whatever good or bad they have going on, and are still valuing my input as an important part of what they love and enjoy, I am forever grateful to them.
I should mention, there is one track on Watch the World that is dedicated to the people that are part of the online Schulz Army group, and that is a deeper piece called Soldier. The name is derived from my thoughts about what they do for me – these people are effectively the foot soldiers that are helping spread the word of what I am about and represent.
TBB: If you had to choose the most memorable track from the album, which one would it be?
Markus: I think it’s probably too early to say at the moment, because really you need to give the album time to let it sink in to peoples’ consciousness and absorb the melodies, the stories and their meaning.
For instance, I can look back on the first Scream album from four years ago and conclude that people will define it for Nothing Without Me, but for the second Scream album, only two years old, I’d maybe like some more time before diving a determinate answer.
If I had to make the call now, based on having a year for people to hear it, I guess Destiny will be one of those tracks people will feel played a very important role in my legacy in the scene. But I’m looking forward to seeing how everyone will react to all of the other songs contained within Watch the World.
There are many amazing stories waiting to be heard.
You can buy the album ‘Watch The World‘ from iTunes.
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