Tocadisco "Solo" – The Album
( Text by IHOUSEU.COM - The UK's No. 1 Dance Music Mailing List Supplier )
With "Nobody Likes The Records That I Play" the electronic scene, in matter of fact the entire world took notice of Tocadisco alias Roman Böer. Standard proceeding, no way. After releasing “You..re No Good For Me” and finishing remixes for big boys such as Moby, Tiga, Mylo, Bob Sinclair, New Order, Axwell & Ingrosso, the Egg, Sono, M.A.N.D.Y vs. Booka Shade and many more, he surely has to be considered as one of the top electronics acts around at the moment. Superstar Recordings, the label which discovered him in 2003, will finally release his first album “Solo” on January 25. With this record Tocadisco once again showcases his undeniable talent and also displays various musical aspects so far hidden to us. A longplayer which will undoubtedly surprise most of his fans and followers.
"Self made man" is the credo of this knack. Within a very short period of time the in Berlin born artist taught everything himself about studio production and all that goes with it. “No mentor, no musical education and no annoying guidelines to stick to”, Roman proudly proclaims. 2003 “Nobody Likes The Records That I Play” is released on Superstar Recordings. This somewhat unconventional club-track is the long awaited breakthrough anthem for Tocadisco.
All the commotion about Tocadisco didn't keep him from banging out another Dancefloor Burner, "You..re No Good For Me" was another huge step to the top.
"The phone didn..t stop ringing from then on. Numerous remixes for God knows who came dropping in like bombs", Roman reports. "Axwell & Ingrosso, Mylo, the Egg, A..Studio, ATB, Hi-Track, Philippe B. and many more".
Simultaneously he was busy working on remixes for New Order, Deep Dish, Pet Shop Boys, Mylo, Linus Love, Sono, Etienne Daho (in Cooperation with Fisherspooner), Flatpack, Boosta, Funkwerkstatt, M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade, Enigma, Sharam from Deep Dish, Moby and various others. All these remixes finally gained him international recognition and deep respect from his fellow peers. Numerous tracks basically dominated the global club-scene. But nonetheless the fine tuning of the Egg..s “Walking Away” has to be the pinnacle of the last year. MIXMAG proclaimed it to be the biggest Dance-Single of 2006! David Guetta even used an instrumental version of the song for an official bootleg of his first single “Love Don..t Let Me Go”. Even the industry picked up on the track: Citroen used the remix for a worldwide TV-campaign.
Parallel to his career as a studio wizard, Tocadisco established himself as one of the biggest House- and Electro-DJs around. Why put out such an unconventional album after being a big time Electro-DJ for so long, Roman replies somewhat astonished: "Who ever claimed that I was a Electro-DJ? No, I am not....I am a lover of good music, an artist, a producer, an entertainer and a DJ". "Solo" gives you a brief glimpse into his personal view of music, his taste of music, music he himself wants to hear. Longplayers that he approves of: full of ups and downs, surprising, simply different. A CD he can live with for the rest of his life. General opinions or marketing strategies put aside, an absolutely self-centered record. One reason why the title of the debut is "Solo". "I wanted to dedicate the first album to myself."
Tocadisco is willing to accept the probability of being labeled a narcissist, this record is solely about fulfilling his desires, his dreams and his passions. "When I was 15 years old my dad bought me my first drum-kit und paid for the drum lessons. Since then it has always been my dream to become a musician and to live of it", Roman explains thoughtfully. “All my impressions and emotions have been jammed into this record. This is the first true highlight of my career.”
Some people just don`t mix with the in-crowd. These, let us call them outsiders, prefer paving their own path to Easy Street. Often just loners with an unique vision, simply set to make difference in a somewhat unconventional way. Of course this “detour” might cause a slight delay, but nonconformists are usually not in a great hurry to get anywhere special. Their sole purpose is to get the job done exactly in the manner they intended to. Maybe this is one of the reasons why Tocadisco chose to live in Cologne, Germany. Well-known for its underground minimal sound, yet far from being the axis of modern day contemporary culture. Perfect for an artist to silently work in solitude, not facing the daily distractions of the overwhelming opulence of a boom town such as New York, London, Madrid.
Here near the Rhine river Tocadisco started his prosperous musical career at a very young age. Based on the immediate success in the closer region, Tocadisco chose to turn his passion into his profession. Learning by doing is certainly this mans motto. Within an extremely short period of time the studio wizard taught himself how to record and produce tracks. No teachers, no musical education and no annoying guidelines. Soon after the prodigy already released his first single “Nobody Likes The Records That I Play” on Superstar Records. This more than unusual club-hit was his breakthrough anthem. A worldwide tour ensued, which led to an even more auspicious year 2005. His remix for the Mylo 12 inch “In Your Arms” became one of the most played records during the summer of 2005. From then on his phone didn`t stop ringing, stupendous remixes for various artists succeeded. Axwell & Ingrosso, the Egg, A`Studio, ATB, Hi-Track, Philippe B. and many many more. But that didn`t keep this workaholic from banging out another killer track. “You`re No Good For Me” was another step for yet bigger things to come. Tocadisco`s wide musical taste somehow had to be expressed through other outputs. Logically AC/OT was born, his underground pseudonym. During 2005 he released 3 four-track EP`s containing remixes by John Dahlbäck and Martinez. It was time for another single, “Music Loud/Crazy Cursor” hit the air-waves. Simultaneously laboring on red hot remixes for New Order, Deep Dish, Pet Shop Boys, Mylo, Linus Love, Sono, Etienne Daho (in cooperation with Fishersponner), Flatpack, Boosta, Funkwerkstatt, M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade, Enigma, Sharam from Deep Dish, Moby and the list goes on and on! Numerous outputs dominated the club scene globally, but Tocadisco`s the Egg rework of “Walking Away” has to be considered as one of the biggest releases of that year. MIXMAG called it the “biggest Dance Single of 2006”. David Guetta even used the instrumental version of the remix for an official bootleg version of his first hit “Love Don`t Let Me Go”. Automobile Industrie even picked up on the track, "Citroen" used the remix for one of its worldwide car add. But everybody is probably wondering by now: When will this man release his first album?! Well, let me tell you, soon! He has just finished putting the final touches on his full-length LP. “Solo” will finally be available by January 2008. The first single “Better Begin” will showcase the Sono vocalist Lennart A. Salomon. That not being enough, Tocadisco launched a new underground series: The Black Series”, expect numerous outputs under this anonym in your local record store. Self-evidently he is also still more than busy remixing artists such as Tiga, Bob Sinclar, Tommie Sunshine, Amo & Navas, Axwell, DY10, Mighty Dub Katz (Fatboy Slim),Culcha Candela, Junkie XL, Nicolette and Sebastian Heerhorst. Tocadisco also helped out David Guetta on his new album, co-producing the piece “Tomorrow Can Wait” with him wich will be released in late 2007.
Does this man ever take a break? I guess not, but living in Cologne, this hack has got all the time in the world to work himself to the top of the mountain. This is just the beginning...
Meine Liebe... weißt Du was? Ich mag kein Glas zwischen uns. ich wollte es zerbrechen und mit Dir ins Flugzeug steigen! Nathizinha denkt an Dich und vermisst Dich sehr!!!!!x
