Albin Brezlan.
Energy needs character.
Albin Brezlan on the freedom of a warm-up, rebuilding Schall with Huebl and the different perspectives behind SIGNAL and NINE O NINE.
In conversation with Albin Brezlan
A warm-up can be a story in its own right. A raw sound can carry its history into a new production. And a booking decision does not have to follow a DJ’s personal taste. Albin Brezlan talks about the space between those perspectives: his own sets, his work with Huebl at NINE O NINE and a different approach to programming at SIGNAL.
Albin Brezlan is an Austrian DJ and producer based in Vienna. Together with Huebl, he runs the techno label and collective NINE O NINE; he also works on bookings for SIGNAL. He describes his own DJ sound as raw, driving techno and hardgroove. This written interview took place in October 2026, following a recommendation from Tomagan.
A warm-up with room to move
You play both at the beginning of a night and later on. What makes a good warm-up that really gets you excited about DJing?
For me, a good warm-up is definitely more than simply starting slowly. It’s about getting a feel for the room, connecting with people and building the energy over the course of the set.
What I find exciting about warm-ups is that you often have much more musical freedom than you might think. I can play with different grooves, become a little more hypnotic and create a certain tension without giving everything away straight away.
Ultimately, it’s about telling a story and preparing the floor for what comes next. When I notice people gradually getting into it and that energy developing in the room, I enjoy it at least as much as a peak-time set.
Rebuilding Schall
You made a Schranz rebuild of Schall with Huebl. What drew you to revisit the track together?
I think with tracks like that, it’s the combination of nostalgia and the opportunity to make something of your own out of them. We both have a great passion for harder, classic techno, and that is exactly the energy we wanted to capture with our rebuild.
We weren’t interested in simply making the original faster or harder, but in giving it our own character. Combining that raw, uncompromising Schranz sound with contemporary production was the most exciting part for us.
And of course, working together in the studio on a track where you both immediately know which direction it should take is simply a lot of fun.
A good DJ and a good booker do not necessarily have to make the same musical decisions.
Character before trends
What does someone need to bring musically for you to think they would be a good fit for NINE O NINE?
For me, an artist needs a musical character of their own above all else. I find it much more interesting when someone pursues their own sound consistently rather than chasing every current trend.
At NINE O NINE, Huebl and I want to support music and artists we really believe in. We have already worked with artists such as Uncertain, Linear System and Fhase 87, and have further exciting projects in preparation with DLV, D.A.V.E. The Drummer and Specific Objects, among others.
It’s not exclusively about one particular style of techno. Of course we have a clear musical direction, but there is an incredible amount of room within it. What matters to me is that the music brings energy, character and a recognisable identity.
And honestly, the human side matters too. Especially when you want to build something together, it has to work personally as well as musically.
A DJ’s ear, a booker’s perspective
Was there a night when you learned something about a room during your own set that later influenced a booking decision?
To be honest, I would tend to separate my own sets from my booking decisions. As a DJ, I mainly play raw, driving techno and hardgroove. That is my personal sound and the music I most enjoy playing myself.
At SIGNAL, however, we follow a somewhat different concept. Our bookings are much more driven by headliners and, musically, are sometimes more commercial too. It’s not necessarily about which artist I would personally most like to hear or play, but about who fits the event, its audience and the overall concept.
At NINE O NINE, I am naturally much closer musically to my own preferences. Even there, though, I try not to think exclusively from a DJ’s perspective.
What DJing has definitely taught me is to understand a room and its audience better. But a good DJ and a good booker do not necessarily have to make the same musical decisions. I find that change of perspective particularly interesting.
Outside the usual structures
If you could choose your next musical experiment, independently of the next club date, what would you like to try?
I’m particularly drawn to the connection between classic, raw techno and modern production. I think older sounds in particular have an incredible amount of character, and I would like to experiment more with placing those elements in a new context.
I’m also interested in deliberately breaking out of familiar musical structures. Not every track has to follow the same pattern, and not every production necessarily has to be made for peak time.
I think the most interesting things happen when you don’t set yourself too many musical limits. And that is exactly the freedom I want to keep for future productions.
Albin Brezlan
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. © Pascal Riesinger · SCENE:ID Farbgestaltung · © Tim Walker · SCENE:ID Farbgestaltung