Introducing... Suol vocalist, DJ and producer Meggy

Berlin-raised Meggy has taken a rather unconventional path into her city’s ever-inspiring clubbing scene. Starting with some cheeky underage adventures to the legendary Tresor for a taste of techno at a young age, and later promoting events at the grimy den of hedonistic fun that is Goldengate, she discovered eventually she had a knack for vocals that gelled perfectly with club tracks.

It’s a discovery that’s led to an impressive range of collaborations so far that’s included Ruede Hagelstein, Fritz Kalkbrenner and beyond.

More and more since her debut with Hagelstein in 2011, Meggy has moved in leaps and bounds herself as a DJ and producer. It led to her debut Hide 4 Love EP earlier this year on Suol Records, which included some particularly soulful vocals, a collaboration with label owners Chopstick & Johnjon, as well as an exquisite track out of Fritz Kalkbrenner’s studio. It’s the combination of singing, songwriting, DJing and producing via which she’s forged her identity.

Meggy tells I Voice it’s been a great year so far. “Recording and producing my first own EP with the boys, touring with Fritz Kalkbrenner, and being part of a label. I can say that I’ve settled in very well, and feel comfortable with the situation. Everything feels more professional now. I also started going to school again, that makes for a good balance I think”.

Meggy tells us more about her own journey towards becoming a vocalist, DJ and producer.

To start with, you’ve made a fairly unique path into the Berlin clubbing scene, in terms of being both a vocalist and a DJ. You’ve already worked with some very impressive talent. Was this always the path you envisioned for yourself as an artist?No, not at all. I was always into singing and music, but when I started mixing records at a friend's place I never took it seriously. I mean, which teenage girl's dream is it to be a DJ? At least when I was one, it wasn't. So one thing led to another and playing in front of an audience helped me to let go of my insecurities when it came to performing and I realized that the combination of all of my qualities is kind of unique, so I try to take advantage of that.

Your collaboration with Ruede Hagelstein Embezzle Me was a great way to kick off your discography, as one of your early releases. How did you come to work with him?In the beginning it was a huge deal for me to sing in front of people, but the constant work and recordings helped me break away from my nervousness...He was actually playing a Channel X track from time to time on which I sang on. I remember sitting behind the DJ booth at bar25 with my brother, hearing Ruede playing that song. My brother took the opportunity and told him that I was the singer. After that he came up to me the same night. We talked and then joined up at his studio later on.

Tell us about the songwriting process of working with a producer like that. Are you working with existing ideas, and how much are these ideas then tailored for a track?Mostly I start writing while hearing the track. Sometimes it's even just a short loop. If a snip contains a little bit of a melody, it'll be quite easy for me to sing on it. I also got tons of ideas up my sleeve, often lyrics or melodies that come into my mind when I'm asleep. Almost every lyric I write contains something autobiographical. If an idea already exists and I believe it could be suitable, I'll try to customize or even develop it so that it matches the music.

What are some of your other important studio collaborations so far?All the studio work I’ve done was important to me. In the beginning it was a huge deal for me to sing in front of people, but the constant work and recordings helped me break away from my nervousness. Of course, I have to say that Embezzle Me was kind of my kick off, as well as Everything with Rampa last year and the rerelease on Defected also took me a whole lot further, internationally speaking.

You’ve also this year released your own debut solo EP Hide 4 Love, which brings a very strong house flavor. Tell us about how you’ve found the creative process so far.First of all I have an idea in my mind. That can be a melody or a certain groove I wanna create. When we produced Hide 4 Love, I shared my imaginations with the boys and started writing. As I was done we sat down and worked on some beats that would fit. Except for Better, which Fritz produced some time ago.

Fritz Kalkbrenner was one of your collaborators on the EP, and you’ve performed live with him too. Is it ever intimidating working with such talent, while you’re still in the process of crafting your own musical identify?Not really. I was happy to experience a concert production by being part of it. The whole procedure was so interesting to me, and I could figure out where I am standing right now and what it takes to do a whole live show. Of course I have a lot of respect for the boys, not just because of their talent, but also cause they're working very hard to improve.

There’s a nice story in your bio about your first clubbing experience being when you sneaked into Tresor while still underage. Tell us a little bit more about your experiences with dance music while growing up, and how did the scene in Berlin inspire you?Dance music was not that popular among teenagers at that time. So for us it was pretty cool to dip into that scene. The old Tresor venue, Maria and Polar TV were basically the three clubs we always went to underage, and therefore it was mainly techno that I listened to.

The scene was older (at least to me), and the music was harder and faster. Whenever I listen back to some of the first DJ sets I recorded, I'm always shocked how fast I was playing. When they closed down Tresor, I felt there was kind of an era ending in Berlin. But it inspired me a lot and I'm glad we witnessed a little of this old spirit.

You’ve mentioned your work promoting at Golden Gate as one of the things that got you started in the Berlin scene. Tell us a little bit about the events you were involved with.
We just did Sunday night parties. I always invited one headliner, mostly people I was friends with, and one or two residents and me were DJing. I remember that in the wintertime I had to sit outside while I was working at the door, and I was literally freezing my ass off… that's when I realized I’ll never ever become a bouncer!

Since then, you’ve stepped it up in terms of your live vocal performances. Tell us a little bit about who you’ve been working with in a live setting.From time to time I do vocals over DJ sets, but I haven't got an ongoing partner yet. Once I gave a little concert, including a pianist and a drummer. Huge thing for me and was so much fun. But I know I have to improve when it comes to performing on stage, and somehow I need a setup that fits with my music. I try to work on that and surely in the future there will be more and better live performances.

What’s next for Meggy?There will be a feature by me on the next  Till von Sein EP, coming on Suol in January.  I do features here and there, only if I'm really convinced that it's going to be awesome. And beside all that I am collecting ideas for my first own album, which will be released in the next few years, and I’ll continue to work on my production skills.