Wankelmut: The Low Down

Stephen O'Brien

Wankelmut, A.K.A. Jacob Dilßner's life took a sudden and unexpected turn after a night of playing around with Abelton. Entering into the House circuit, with his remix of the uplifting folk song ‘One Day/Reckoning song’ by Asaf Avidan & The Mojos. In 2008 he made the decision to buy tow Technics 1210 turntables, not knowing that this decision was going to be at the epicentre of everything changing in his life; which was sparked by a night of playful mastery, cutting, filtering and adding a simple yet enticing 4/4 groove to Asaf Avidan’s chart topper. Coincidently during a road trip through the US, a friend of Wanklemuts made him aware of this song.

It was 2011, a time when Wankelmut was a Political Science and Philosophy student. Previously his DJ’ing expertise had reached out to electronic underground spots, such as Sisyphos and M.I.K.Z in his hometown of Berlin. Wankelmut’s remix of ‘One Day’ went viral upon upload to his Souncloud account. Clusters of record labels began enclosing, the questions began, and emails flowed, looking for answers about this mysterious conjurer of beats. Mere regional popularity playing local clubs was replaced by an ever escalating stardom of 120 million views on YouTube. The captivating vocal line that rand passionately, accompanied by a slick 4/4 groove and hypnotic hi-hats left the listener beguiling for more.

Wankelmut’s remix of ‘One Day’ would go on to not only become a mesmerising house beat but an international hit, sparking fervour across Europe and breaking the barriers for the next stage of his career.

Putting his college studies on the back burner, Wankelmut embarked on a European tour. The decision appears to have only given rise for the hype and admiration of critics and fans alike, as he followed up with another tantalising remix ‘My Head Is A Jungle,’ collaborating with Emma Louise and hitting platinum in Italy.

In January 2013, taking a break from two strenuous years of stardom during a holiday in Australia, Dilßner spontaneously played a free show to the crowd's delight, stating: "I’ve made enough money in Europe recently. I’ve had huge support from fans in Melbourne and I’d like to play a show for them. Get me two CDJs and a mixer and I’ll make a party."

The remainder of the year saw him at the forefront of festivals in Germany like Fusion, Sonne Mond Sterne and MELT. While previously known as an avid fan of these types of festivals, it really had a special place in his heart to now finally be playing in such big ranks. Logic and Abelton have been Wankelmut's right hand in his creation of most his tracks to date.

When asked about exciting, rising DJs, Wankelmut cited some of these as the hottest prospects on the market, “Dennis Horvath, Konstantin Sibold, German Brigante and Sidney Charles”. Wankelmut’s influences range from Rock to Techno. Citing that a certain feel for every individual sound on each track or remix really goes through a stringent set of changes as he tries hard to convey feeling, whilst utilising the technology. As far as advice goes for any wannabe DJ, Wanklemut suggested that one should take their time.

After his second successful gig in Dublin at the Button Factory, we are now left to see what dizzy heights this German will reach during his venture through stardom. What is certain is that it will be worth the wait!