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Thomas Gold’s Guide to Spinning at Sea, Playing Different Clubs, and How to Connect with Fans Worldwide [WRR Exclusive Interview]

February 19, 2015 By Young Park

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Originally hailing from Germany, the globe-trotting DJ and producer, Thomas Gold, has taken the dance music world by storm with his energetic, signature big room sounds and his powerful performances. No stranger to festival main stages, prestigious clubs, and exclusive parties, Gold truly encompasses the “Golden Standard” with each unique edit and live performance.

Since the last time we talked to him two years ago, he’s sold out major shows worldwide, released a massive banger on Hardwell’s coveted Revealed Recordings, and yet remains as humble as ever. In this updated interview before his Valentine’s Day weekend show at Proof Rooftop Lounge, we reveal Gold’s Guide to spinning at sea, playing different clubs, and how to stay connected with fans all over the world.

Your 2015 U.S. Tour started off with a bang, just finishing Groove Cruise, but tell us about other current projects you’re working on.

I had the whole month of January off, so I didn’t travel at all. I stuck to my studio at home and did a lot of work, and I got a bunch of tracks started. At the moment, I’m working on three vocal projects, tracks, and I’m actually about to finish one which might be the follow-up to my last track on Revealed, “Colourblind.” It’s kind of the same style. It has nice vocals, and is very melodic, and then I have a couple of other things that are more instrumental tracks. One of them is super percussion-driven, just big drums – the old Thomas Gold style actually. And then I’m working on a more chill track. I wouldn’t call it deep house, but it’s a more housey-thing. Yeah, there’s a lot of stuff going on and I can’t wait to get back to the studio after this tour and finish them.

Did you have any interesting adventures out at sea on Groove Cruise?

It was fun. I mean, I was only there for like three hours because we had to go in and out, but it was fun. It was my second time and I must say, it’s always a pleasure to play there. It’s a great crowd, great vibe, and it’s just awesome to be in the Bahamas on the Groove Boat under the sun. Funny thing is, when the sun comes up, it gets in your eyes. But then they just turn the whole boat. So you can’t actually move the stage, but they told the captain to move the boat and they did, and it’s easy for them. So we got back into the shadow with the stage and it was a funny thing (laughs).

How did you come up with your radio show name, Fanfare?

I came up with the idea when I did a track called “Fanfare,” which was actually the first basic track I played, and then I was like “why not call my radio show Fanfare as a kind of concept?” I mean, we played around with the words, fan, and fan fare, but of course it’s for the fans. It’s a way to connect with fans on a weekly schedule, and it’s cool to see when I travel – for example – I remember in India last time, there was a guy that came up to me at the hotel reception saying, “hey man, I’m a big fan of Fanfare and I listen to it every week,” and it’s nice to know that all over the world there are people regularly listening to the show that I’m doing, and it’s a really cool thing.

You show your love to NYC a lot. Do you miss Roseland Ballroom? Any favorite memories?

Roseland – I certainly do miss it, and it’s a shame they had to shut it down. The vibe – it’s such a beautiful place. For me, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever played, and it was one of my best shows ever. We sold out, and it was just an amazing vibe. The whole thing felt unreal. And I got so much great feedback from the people…I’m actually proud to be part of the history of Roseland Ballroom in New York (laughs).

Do you play different types of sets in Germany/Europe compared to U.S. shows, and if so, how are they different?

I adapt myself to the people, to the crowd of course. It doesn’t matter if it’s Europe or U.S., it really matters about the club or the crowd. For example, if you’re playing Ibiza, you might play a little bit of a different set than at a festival in the States. Or if I play Space Miami, I can go way more underground, more deeper, more tech house than other venues. So it depends. I certainly have my signature tracks which I play, sometimes in different versions, but a big part of the set is my own stuff.