The head honcho of Swedish based house and techno label Inside Records is coming down under to show why he is highly regarded as one of the most innovative producers doing the rounds. With a whole stack of achievements and accreditations including productions for Loop Recordings, Solarplexus and Underwater on top of some of the freshest techno beats and disco treats Joel Mull will be bringing his dynamic show back down under for the next instalment of Closer.

Sweden has a long legacy of underground music producers, what was it that first attracted you to production?
I have a classical music background and I also played in bands before I first got in touch with producing electronic music. Samplers, synthesizers, drum machines. It was the whole technical aspect around creating music in a studio that caught my attention. But also the search of something new, new sounds-capes and experimenting with synthetic sounds was the big puller I guess. I’m more interested in creating my own sounds then playing on original instruments such as guitars and the piano.

You grew up alongside others like Adam Beyer, Cari Lekebusch and Peter Benisch were you guys the music heads at your high school?
Peter Adam and I went to the same high school and we where definitely die hard ravers and did everything to spread the word.  I knew Peter since 5th grade and introduced him to Adam in high school. Adam was already DJing and we went to all the rave parties together.  We connected with Cari a bit later and he was already out on the DJ circuit and playing abroad.

Tell us a little about growing up in that culture as it appears it was the genesis of the Swedish techno scene?
It’s been a nice ride. And I’m happy to have seen the beginning of the young techno scene. Sweden’s electronic scene was like in any other country a guess. When I got into the scene in 1991 many of the parties were big illegal warehouse parties. It wasn’t that easy to find these parties and I guess that was part of the excitement. To be part of something different then the normal discos.

How inspiring was it to see early Swedish electronic artists like Robert Leiner do so well in the early days of R and S?
I consider Robert and Cari to be the godfathers of techno in Sweden. R & S was a very important record label and they definitely had a big impact on me they inspired me to pursue my own dreams of releasing records and touring as a DJ.  Both their technical skills in the studio were miles ahead of where I was at the time and I was just amazed what great music the boys could produce. Very inspiring indeed.

It has been said that in the past that despite an excellent production culture in Sweden there wasn't a very big electronic club and party scene in Sweden...is this still the case?
At the moment we have a very healthy scene and it has been at it’s peak the past five to seven years. I can’t really complain. A couple of new clubs and many artists and DJs are flying in to play every weekend. I recently started a monthly residency at club called ESQUE here in Stockholm, so I’m excited to play more in Sweden, it was not possible before due to more gigs abroad.  There is a whole new generation of clubbers and it feels that they are interested and hungry for the music.

Over the last couple of years techno has evolved to more minimal influences. Do you think this was a necessary rebirth for the genre?
For me techno has always been minimal music. But people always need to describe and label techno in styles. One year its acid-house, another year its electro-house and the next year its schrantz. It Feels like it’s a never ending cycle of trends. One thing I like with the minimal "trend" is that the bpm has decreased a bit and that the space is back.

In terms of producers, who is inspiring you right now?
So many young new talented names to watch and follow. It is hard to pick names, but to name a few worth checking out would be Mathew Dear, aka Audion, David K, Pär Grindvik and Radioslave.

You have been to Australia a few times now, do you have fond memories of the place?
Yes indeed. I really like Perth and the South West. I spend over a month over there back in 2001. Made good friends. Great living standard, great Wine and food and close to the beach. What more can you ask for? Perhaps that it was situated a bit closer to Europe?  Australia is a great country and I can’t wait to visit again.

Can you please give us a current Top 10 tunes ?

1. Zander VT - Dig your own rave (Memo 06)
2. Pär Grindvik - Do us part{Len Faki remix} (Drumcode)
3. Nihad Thule & Lasseman - Locomotion
4. James Preistly & Dan Berkson  - Chariots
5. The cat – Canvas (Rebel one)
6. Cobblestobe jazz - Hired Touch 
7. Dustin Zahn -  Joel Mull remixes (Enemy records)
8. Bart Skills - Runnig man {Adam Beyer remix 2} (100% pure)
9. Christian Burkhardt - Yard
10.Tom Pooks - WINK Edit (Ovum)

From a non-electronic standpoint what other music are you listening to at the moment?
In my i-pod I have a lot of different stuff. Jose Gonzales, Ullrich Schnauss, The Cure, Talking Heads and M83.

Adam Beyer & Joel Mull - Friday 30 Nov 2007 @ Ambar Nightclub