With the ‘09 and ‘10 installments having focused on new dance republics in North America, 2011 sees Markus Schulz’s city-hopping compilation series make its return to mainland Europe.
Last visiting in 2008 with ‘Amsterdam’, this new outing sends the series in the opposite direction and homes in on one of Eastern Europe’s most awe-inspiring capitals…
Just over a month ago, during the final stages of his set at Transmission – Future Cities, Markus Schulz held a poster up to the audience. Caught by the cameras feeding the O2 arena’s video screens the image went stage to ceiling. That poster bore the front cover of ‘Prague’11’ and in holding it aloft Schulz had announced that the Czech capital would be the destination for his 2011 city compilation.
Having played there twice a year, every year for the last five, it’s certainly a place he’s developed a strong association with. His regular visits over the period have positioned him well to see the explosion in the popularity of trance and progressive – a rise Markus gauges visit-on-visit has being “close to exponential”…
He continues: “seeing music scenes expand, no matter what style they are, isn’t something a DJ ever tires of. Going to and from Prague in particular, but also to other Eastern European countries – Poland, The Ukraine for example – over the course of five years, and witnessing what’s happened with the music there, has made for an incredible collective experience for me.
Personally ‘Prague’11’ is designed to reflect not only what’s happening in the city in the hear-&-now, but also my many musical experiences in the Czech Republic at large. Underground spots like Mecca, multitier super-clubs like SaSaZu & world-class arena events like Transmission have all cumulatively played their part. The clubbing population has embraced trance & progressive music on a grand scale and this is me holding a mirror up to it.”