Michael Mayer. Credited by many as one of the leading tastemakers in dance music, his DJ sets have influenced a generation (or two) of musicians and fans out there today. An artist that has never allowed time or age to slow him down ? Michael Mayer remains tirelessly motivated behind the DJ decks, in the studio or behind his desk at Kompakt, the company he co-owns.
Last year's full-length LP, ‘&’, was Michael's fourth, a departure that saw him extensively collaborate with an impressive host of contemporaries and friends, including Joe Goddard, Prins Thomas and Agoria. Complimenting these excursions perfectly, Michael's long overdue contribution to the legendary DJ Kicks series finds the Cologne artist in just as generous of a mood, only rooted in his ever-expanding record collection, and above all, his defining instinct to share the beauty of music with others.
“On an abstract level, the approach was basically the same for both projects”, says Mayer. “For & I put together a group of people that are close to my heart. For Kicks it was a group of records that are like friends to me. All of the tracks I used went through heaven and hell with me. They've become true companions. Circling in on and bringing together these friends was the only criterion for the making of this mix. I wanted it to be as personal as possible.”
Perhaps unnervingly to some, fifteen years have passed since the debut edition to Mayer's breathtaking, scene defining mix trilogy, Immer. Not that it's legacy – Resident Advisor's #1 Mix of the 00s, one of Rolling Stone's 30 Greatest EDM Albums Of All Time – has disturbed Mayer's formidable workload. A catalogue of no less than 23 EPs, 4 albums and 170 remixes informs a near constant level of international touring. Exhausting as this can be, even after all these years, it's a ritual that informs the delicate construction of Mayer's contribution to the DJ Kicks series.