With our series “Co-pilots, naked”, we present you the pros behind our services – because we are thrilled about working together with them, and absolutely believe in the quality of their work.

Undressing for you today is: Matthias Schnarr of NewDEF.

PROFILE

Name: Matthias Schnarr
Age: 26
Lives in: Dresden
Favorite place: Couch
Hobbies: DJing, basketball
Favorite music: ONLY hip hop
Education/professional training: Trade manager (Handelsfachwirt) and TTT (train-the-trainer)
Which topic do you like to discuss the most? Music and food
Your life philosophy: Easy
What was the first record you ever bought, and what was the latest? Kool Savas – LMS and Kontrolliertes Kaos aka Sleepwalker & Nico Suave

INTERVIEW

Who are you and if so, how many?
I’m a co-founder of the Dresden-based hip hop label NewDEF, and I’ve also been active as DJ Access since 2004. I am still running the label together with our resident graphic artist, tagger and co-founder “Slider”. We’re a big community of more than 10 music lovers, in which our artists can actively participate – whether through the website, video editing or mastering.

What do you do on a long day? How and why did you found your label?
I always try to get up early (around 9 AM) so I can do some tasks which have accumulated since the previous night. This could be coordinating releases, social networking, taking care of artists’ scratch orders, or even doing bank transfers. At the end of 2006 we founded NewDEF, because there was no other relevant hip hop scene in Dresden. We combined forces and became known beyond the city limits. The connections grew fast, which is our advantage these days – everybody knows everybody in Germany.

What is special about your label?
We are totally dedicated to it, and we really live the “hip hop thing”. Our work is always fair and based on trust and loyalty. We are reliable and can basically make anything possible for our artists (if the budget allows for it). Our artists feel comfortable with us and don’t feel like they’re under any kind of pressure. Everyone can be creative and independent with us.

How did you become a recordJet co-pilot?
I met Jorin, who’s a really nice guy, through my older brother Martin. Since the early days of NewDEF, I noticed what great support Jorin and later recordJet gave us. I have been a client of recordJet since day 1. Back then, we lived in the same city. This, and mutual support, facilitated a strong cooperation. I am still very grateful for it.

Who is the most famous artist you worked with? How was it? Gossip, please!
Umm, there were plenty. Especially on our release “Bandits – The Mixtapes” – the entire German rap elite was there. Our own most famous artists are Antihelden (antiheroes) aka Dra-Q and Abroo – two very relaxed gentlemen. They just make music… and they work a lot. And I was very lucky in 2009 when I was invited to join the “Capone-N-Noreaga” tour as DJ Access. I was in charge of the two rappers from Queensbridge while they were in Dresden, and I also DJed before their gig. Apparently, they liked my work so much that they invited me to fly to Spain with them. The trip was like a good hip hop movie: casinos, booze and ladies.

What was the strangest thing you’ve experienced in your field of work, and what would you rather not have experienced?
I think all of our releases have been strange. We consistently face new challenges. The local support for our artists Scotch or Dissziplin is incredible. A song by Smart MC called “Das ist Dresden” (This is Dresden) was played in the Dynamo Dresden stadium. We stick together in the scene.
Strangely enough, we’ve also had bad experiences with our physical distributors. We never saw any invoices, the CD distribution went miserably and they never answered our questions. That’s why it was only a matter of time before we started using the full spectrum of recordJet’s services.

What is your ultimate tip for our passengers?
Please compare recordJet’s deal with other digital distributors – you will never find a better one. It is always the easiest way to push yourself into success. recordJet offers everything an artist needs: Production, promotion, release coordination and of course digital and physical distribution. All the while, you keep your full freedom.
Apart from that, I would like to recommend the “Du Darfst” apple and onion flavored liverwurst. I guess you can buy it in Kaufland stores across Germany.

Last words? Is there anything you really want to say that you haven’t yet been able to share?
Please buy good music, either digitally, on CD or better yet on vinyl. This is the only way we can make sure there will still be high-quality music in the future. And please don’t say I didn’t warn you…Also, please check out www.newdef.de, where you can find all the news about our artists and projects.

Matthias, thank you very much for the interview.

Click here to book NewDEF’s CD pressing service.