Up From the Underground With DJ Hell

Date 03 May 2019

You know you’ve made a name for yourself when you get sued by Arnold Schwarzenegger. But years before International DeeJay Gigolo Records put an unauthorized photo of Arnie on a record sleeve, the label’s founder and owner, DJ Hell—a.k.a. Helmut Josef Geier—couldn’t put a foot wrong. He organized one of the first acid house parties in Germany, sold over 100,000 copies of his first self-produced single, “My Definition of House Music,” and was a resident at Munich’s first techno club, located in a former airport. We caught up with him for a (very) brief word as part of our “Sound Travels” series.

Approximately how many gigs do you play a year?

120.

How many flights do you need to take for your annual bookings? 

150 flights.

What equipment do you typically use? What do you pack?

USB, CD-R, and vinyl.

What does traveling mean to you? Are you still able to enjoy it?

Travel is becoming more and more degrading!

How do you keep your life balanced?

Sport. Healthy food. Lots of sleep. Music. Country life. No alcohol. No cigarettes. No doping.

What do you miss most when you’re on the road?

Privacy.

What’s the best, weirdest, or craziest situation you’ve experienced on your journeys so far?

I’ll write a book about it!