FROM GERMANY - a country characterized in the US by hard techno and day-glo raves - Ralf GUM (discography, myspace, facebook) is one of the top Deep House producers in the world. Last year he released his first album, Uniting Music - a tour de force of soulful House which spawned a torrent of hits, including "Kissing Strangers" with Monique Bingham and "What I Like (About You)" with Inaya Day. Ralf's label, GOGO Music, is likewise a beacon of soulful House in Europe, with a consistency of releases representing the creme de la creme of today's top producers, from Raw Artistic Soul to South Africa's Blackcoffee to Andy Compton and Ralf's collaborations with Monique, Inaya, Diamondancer, Wunmi and other vocalists. His remixes have been released on labels from Defected to Peppermint Jam, and his DJ skills (honed by nearly 20 years of spinning records) have taken him around the world.

We interviewed Ralf in April 2009 - just after GOGO Music's latest release ("Above the Sky" by Andy Compton, featuring Chicago's Kafele) - hit the shops.

This might sound like a typically dumb American question, but so many folks think of techno, minimal, Tresor Records and the harder stuff when it comes to Germany. I'm curious about the first electronic music you were exposed to, and how you developed such a soulful sound?

Haha - the typical first question in an interview with me, but one with a good cause, as Germany is actually dominated by a harder sound. These days it is the electro and minimal music that is big, while the typical techno disappeared a bit.

I got into House when I heard tracks like Farley Jackmaster Funk's "Love Can't Turn Around", which I found on the famous Chicago Acid House samplers in the late '80s. I liked Acid at that time, but realized that the more soulful tracks in the genre were really my taste. It seems I simply have soul in my blood, as I was digging Disco, Funk and Soul since I was a teenager. From the early '90s I was constantly searching for House vinyl, which was a challenge in the very beginning. Not too many record shops in Germany offered a good selection in those days.

Do you remember the first record you bought specifically for playing on a turntable?

Not really. I purchased vinyl for a while before I had my first DJ gig and then of course played a lot of the records I already had. Maybe it was "I Know You, I Live You" by Rufus & Chaka Khan. I had the album, but was searching for the 12-inch to play during my first gig - and I still play it today.

What is it about Deep House that speaks to you as a listener?

It is hard to explain. You just have to experience it and you will hardly get away from it again. At least it was like that for me. I was into House Music already, but an initial experience was my first New York visit in 1991. Of course I went to clubs like Soundfactory, Jackie 60 and others and since then was hooked completely. As a producer I love the freedom that this genre offers me, as you can combine so many musical influences, such as Gospel, Jazz, Soul, Afro, Latin, Disco, which I all like.

You started playing out in 1990. Can you tell me something about the scene in Germany in those days and your early days DJing?

The soulful House scene is very small in Germany. There has never been a big difference when I look back. The House sound had a little hype in the late '90s, when the Disco/House sound took over. That style made it to some of the bigger clubs, but after about two years it disappeared from the commercial floors again.

It's funny, but a lot of clubs advertise with House Music these days, but what you get is mostly a mix of electro, euro dance and minimal. The same applies for the music press and other media here. The mags write about what's considered to be hip and this is mainly techy stuff. The bigger radio stations only play commercial pop music. In the last 19 years I played in countless venues and as well a few raves, but often had to experience that soulful music is only understood by a minority in Germany. Nevertheless there are a few places where good music is played and where you'll find an open minded crowd. Happily I had (and have) residencies or gigs at some of them, but unfortunately these venues are the exception.

You started DJing in 1990, producing in 1993, and GOGO was founded in 2001. Was this your first record imprint, and why the long time coming?

GOGO Music is my first label. The name has no deeper meaning. When I was searching for a label name it was a coincidence that I saw a funny car from the '70s called "Gogo Mobile". I thought GOGO Music sounds good and is memorable.

Before I started the label I released music on various others. I launched the label because of frustrating experiences with them. I often had the impression that the artist and his music isn't the most important matter. Only fast money counted and something like artist development was a foreign word to them. My aim was to establish a label that first of all stands for quality music and which cares about its artists. The output of GOGO Music concentrates on timeless songs instead of putting out a huge quantity of records following the latest ephemeral trend.

Gotta ask about "Kissing Strangers," which wasn't just your biggest song to date but on everyone's list for one of the best of 2008. Did that one sound like a hit from the studio? Could you hear the "magic" then or did you think a different track from Uniting Music would be the signature track from the album?

When I received the vocals from Monique I was in love with the song immediately. The playback was already one of my favorite tracks from the album, but it was the combination with her vocal that made it really special. Of course I couldn't predict that this would be the signature track for the listener. It's just as you can not plan a hit - you have to have a bit of luck as well.

Uniting Music is technically flawless and there's not a single weak track in there. Can you tell me about the album, how you conceived it and the concept behind it?

In the beginning I only knew that I wanted to do something special as it was my first album. Finally the idea came up to do the whole composition without any breaks between the songs. It had to be one musical journey for the whole length of the CD.

At first I composed the music, which took quite a while. After the harmonic structures had been done, I started to search for the right singers. I contacted those I wanted to feature and luckily every vocalist liked what I sent. After the vocals had been recorded, I started to tweak each track in its own direction to make sure it matched with the vocal perfectly.

While doing this I always kept my eye on the track before and after, so that the songs still fit together as one. I decided to make the album that way because I think the home-listener isn't interested in listening to an endless beat intro or outro in each song. I also wanted to do something different than the usual collection of "club tools". The whole concept of the album is reflected in the title Uniting Music. I wanted to bring together my favorite vocalists in one musical work.

I've been really excited by the sounds I've been hearing from House producers from Africa lately. Can you tell me about your trip there in 2008?

The trip to South Africa was one of the highlights of my career since I began DJing. It seems to be one of the few countries where House Music is really, really big nowadays. I have seldom seen such an enthusiasm, especially regarding Deep House. This is the merit of a community of skilled DJs supporting each other, but also the major support from radio and TV. House Music is played not only on small stations, but on the big national ones, too. And I'm not only talking about a few hits, but a good selection of real deep stuff.

There is definitely a lot of great talent in South Africa, which is not known worldwide yet. The tracks or artists that received international recognition already are only the tip of the iceberg. Luckily I made the connection to some producers while I was there and I will continue to release music from South Africa for sure.