Good day Alexander,
first of all let me thank you for this interview and let me tell you that “Sleepless Nights” is an excellent work.

So, what does GummiHz mean? And why this H in capital letter?

Gummi stands for “elastic” in German and Hz is the unit for measuring frequencies (that’s why H is in capital). Put it together and it stands for elastic frequencies.

You're coming from Edessa, north of Greece. What did you do before you became a dj-producer?

Actually I started out pretty young with djing (at the age of 15) and before that I was a guitarist in a couple of teenage rock bands.

Then, you moved to England. What can you tell me about that period and how important has it been in shaping your musical personality?

My move to London was of great importance in broadening my musical horizons. I lived there for 10 years so I was exposed to a large variety of different cultures, which really helped me shape up my sounds and develop as a musician and a person.

You're now living in Berlin. When and why did you move there?

Berlin is maybe the most relaxed capital in Europe at the moment. Life is not so expensive and there is less stress on the streets.  If you know what I mean. It was also important for me to move here and be around people who I share similar interests and passions with. Like the mobilee guys and many more. So I did it for both lifestyle and career reasons.

Do you ever miss the warm sun of Greece?

Of course I do. That’s why every summer I take a week holiday to recharge my batteries.

How did you get in touch with Mobilee?

It was around 3 years ago when I started buying music from the label and I instantly thought that it could be a label that I could start to release my own music on soon. So after sending them a demo aptly named “What Shakira Wouldn’t Sing On”, we started working together on releasing my music. Now after around 8 releases with the guys I must say I feel very happy to have done so.

What is the music you grew up with? And what are the records that have influenced you the most?

I grew up listening to various styles of music. Samba, jazz and early house being my greatest influences. Songs like Antonio Carlos Jobim’s – Samba De Uma Nota, Larry Levan’s  – Weekend and Aphrohead’s – What is House Music, are a few that stand out.

"Sleepless Nights" sounds different from what heard from you before on Mobilee: more personal, more melodic and with more pathos.

Can we consider the album as a change in your musical direction?

I wouldn’t say it’s a change in my musical direction, as I am always trying to produce whichever style of dance music I feel like making. I would say it’s a broader introduction to the spectrum of musical genres that I want to cover with my music.

How long did it take to be completed? Your lat release on Mobilee has been "Under The Sun", dated July 2008. Did you spent last winter working on it?

Exactly. It took my around 7 months to finish the whole album. Then we started discussing with the guys at mobilee the packaging, design and the track selection, which took a couple of months also. It’s important to cover all necessary aspects of such a release before its out in the market. My main aim was to show my influences and where I am coming from as far as dance music is concerned.

The "sleepless nights" of the title means that you have worked hard during the nights or that is to be referred to your nights spent as dj?

I am generally a night person. So I wanted to express that to the audience by naming the album like this. Aren’t we all really?! (laughs)

The Voice in "Love Call" is yours and the same should be for "I Lose My". Why did you choose to sing yourself and is it your first time? In any case, congratulations for the use of the voice! But why did you choose the name Emena?

Emena in Greek means myself. So if you translate it it’s like GummiHz feat. Myself. I recorded these tracks while in a very sad personal period coming out of a relationship. Didn’t plan it a lot, it was just the need to take this feeling out of my soul that pushed me into singing on these two tracks.

Let's talk about the collaborations of the album, if any. And what about the collaboration with Malena Perez?

Most of the track are my own productions. There is only one collaboration on there with Malena Perez. I noticed Malena’s voice after a song she worked on with Dennis Ferrer. I must say she is a very talented singer and a pleasure to work with.

"Sunshine Dub" and "Bang" seem to be a tribute to the French house. Isn't it? Do you like that sound?

Of course. In the nineties I was really into the sound of Daft Punk (Homework is still one of the greatest house albums of all times for me), Alan Braxe and generally most releases on Roule music - a French label that blossomed in the mid to late 90s.

I found the extraordinary "Moments In Early Night" (by the way: that's a lovely title for a track) influenced by either balearic sounds or Manuel Gottsching's "E2E4". Where was it born and from where does that beautiful title come from?

Well initially I wanted to produce a track to “connect” this album release to my previous one. So I started making this track on a similar producing line to “Under the sun”, one track from my previous ep on mobilee. Then I realized that it’s one of those tracks which is perfect for closing a set and we usually close a set in the morning. So Moments In Early Night is made for those moments.

I saw you playing at the Mobilee rooftop party during Sonar in Barcelona and I liked your performance. What is your best souvenir of this year’s party?

As always my best souvenir was the moments shared with all my friends and the mobilee crew in Barcelona. I must say this year it was pretty special.

What is the main inspiration of your life and your music?

My main sources of inspiration are: life, family, friends and beautiful ladies. Aaaaah and some rhum