In 2007, Seattle-born DJ and producer Camea Hoffman finally heeded the eastward call of Germany's legendary underground dance culture and decamped to Berlin. The effects were transformational. Further immersing herself in sounds that she began exploring back home, she emerged fully formed as as DJ and producer fixated on darker techno. Though minimal in instrumentation, her take on the genre is full of warmth and flitting melodies that separate her from the usually straightlaced peddlers of vague moodiness. Her idiosyncratic approach has long fascinated those with an ear for the crepuscular, but recent moves have Camea, as she's known professionally, poised to step out of the shadows into a worldwide scene leader.
Although she's spent much of her career ensconced in Ellen Allien's BPitch Control camp, Camea has recently been checking out new environs, particularly that of essential Berlin label Get Physical. She's set to release a remix EP Edge of Infinity on Friday, February 5 and with turns from Kiki, Audiohell, Tania Vulcano, and Jose De Devina Kick, it'll be a welcome re-introduction to a stateside audience that has caught up to the dusky perspective Camea had to search abroad to develop. You can listen to the EP in full here, in advance of its release, and read a conversation with Camea herself about the lead-up to Edge of Infinity, and what's coming over the course of the rest of the year.
Even though your sets are quite variable, what would you say are the elements that always show up?
What I'm attracted to the most is a combination of dark techno and ethereal deep house. Depending on the vibe of the event, I can lean more in one direction or the other, but my favorite times are when I can ride the music right in between. I love mysterious, futuristic sounds and also classical music elements like strings. For me it's all about atmosphere and I like to try and tell a story when I'm playing, I never keep the same groove for a whole set.
Having moved to Berlin in 2007, you've had a lengthy, multifaceted view at the development of dance music over the past decade. If you came about in the US now, do you think you would have still moved away?
I'm in love with Berlin culture and the music scene, and even when I was buying records back in 1999 in Seattle, I was buying vinyl that was coming from Germany (I bought my first Perlon record 16 years ago!). So I think I would have found my way here no matter what. The US scene steadily continues to grow and impress me. I really enjoy going back and meeting people and exploring all of the new events and clubs popping up.
Walk us through the remixes. What did Kiki and Audiohell, Tania Vulcano, Jose De Devina Kick do with the original?
Kiki is a colleague of mine from my work with BPitch Control and we are good friends. I love his music and was super excited when he agreed to do a remix. He always has a lot of interesting layers in his tracks and somehow finds the perfect way to balance them and turn them into a big tune.
Audiohell, Tania Vulcano and Jose also did a great job of going in the opposite direction as Kiki and making a minimal club jam that works just about anywhere. The remixes are both really strong and I'm excited they are coming out. I wrote the original just after I returned from Burning Man and was processing everything I had experienced through my production, and I think both remixes capture the essence of that.
What big moves do you have approaching in the future?
After four years hiatus, I am going to finally relaunch Clink [Recordings] this year. I've had a lot of people asking me to bring it back and it's been something I've been thinking about for awhile, and I feel like there's a space in the market for the music that I am into and I would like to see more of it available. The first few releases will be of my own production to set the stage for the direction of Clink 2.0, and then we'll go from there.
Find Camea on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter
What I'm attracted to the most is a combination of dark techno and ethereal deep house. Depending on the vibe of the event, I can lean more in one direction or the other, but my favorite times are when I can ride the music right in between. I love mysterious, futuristic sounds and also classical music elements like strings. For me it's all about atmosphere and I like to try and tell a story when I'm playing, I never keep the same groove for a whole set.Having moved to Berlin in 2007, you've had a lengthy, multifaceted view at the development of dance music over the past decade. If you came about in the US now, do you think you would have still moved away?
I'm in love with Berlin culture and the music scene, and even when I was buying records back in 1999 in Seattle, I was buying vinyl that was coming from Germany (I bought my first Perlon record 16 years ago!). So I think I would have found my way here no matter what. The US scene steadily continues to grow and impress me. I really enjoy going back and meeting people and exploring all of the new events and clubs popping up.
Kiki is a colleague of mine from my work with BPitch Control and we are good friends. I love his music and was super excited when he agreed to do a remix. He always has a lot of interesting layers in his tracks and somehow finds the perfect way to balance them and turn them into a big tune.Audiohell, Tania Vulcano and Jose also did a great job of going in the opposite direction as Kiki and making a minimal club jam that works just about anywhere. The remixes are both really strong and I'm excited they are coming out. I wrote the original just after I returned from Burning Man and was processing everything I had experienced through my production, and I think both remixes capture the essence of that.What big moves do you have approaching in the future?
After four years hiatus, I am going to finally relaunch Clink [Recordings] this year. I've had a lot of people asking me to bring it back and it's been something I've been thinking about for awhile, and I feel like there's a space in the market for the music that I am into and I would like to see more of it available. The first few releases will be of my own production to set the stage for the direction of Clink 2.0, and then we'll go from there.Find Camea on Facebook // SoundCloud // Twitter