The ever-reliable Lumberjacks in Hell is run by one of the nicest men in house! Marcel Vogel has been putting out wonky leftfield disco on his off-center imprint, at the same time making dance floors pop with his energetic and dynamic disco house sets. Here we get the chance to talk to our favourite Dutchman and get to know a little more about what makes him tick.
LHM: It’s great to talk to you today Marcel. Thank you for stopping by. It seems like you’ve been around forever, and I don’t mean you look old. You look great! What was your first step into the music scene tell us?
MV: In my mind I’ll be forever the next generation I think. I am a rural club kid who caught the DJ bug at age 16 and most of my decisions in life follow that passion. Leaving my home town was by and large dictated by the pursuit of access to better records. It was somewhat frustrating being stuck with 1.5 record stores in my home town and their meagre selections. In 2002 I bought an MPC 2000 XL, my first professional tool and attempt to make music and then in 2003 after relocating to Berlin, I started promoting my first parties.
LHM: How long have you actually been making music?
MV: In 2002 I bought the MPC 2000 XL, so since then I have owned a tool to do so. I have owned Ableton since 2004 or 2005 I reckon. Went to SAE in Amsterdam in 2010 to learn Audio engineering with limited success but it opened me up to work with other musicians to achieve my goal, creating music.
LHM: What came first Djing or production?
MV: DJing and the pursuit of music is what dictates everything I do.
LHM: What was your first ever release Marcel?
MV: I think my first proper release was Intimate Friends 001. A cover version of Body to Body that was created during my studies at SAE. The release was in 2014 I think.
The result was somewhat chaotic, a botched band session that I simply couldn’t make sound right and a lot of compromising towards “a result.” In the end Jordan from Juju & Jordash mixed it for me and Ruf Dug remixed it for the very limited 7”.
LHM: How long has the label been doing now?
MV: We actually will be celebrating 15 years of Lumberjacks in Hell this year.
Did you have any or were you involved in any other labels prior to LJIH?
MV: Not prior but I used to run a second label called Intimate Friends after the Eddie Kendricks song. I used it to explore other sounds that didn’t quite fit to Lumberjacks. It’s currently on hiatus.
LHM: What was the catalyst for the label in the beginning? What made you start it?
MV: Mike Huckaby once said, people do these things because they wanna get involved in the scene. And I always wanted to get involved. It was an easy way in with the edits and from there it just developed.
LHM: What were and what have been some of the challenges you have faced in running a label over the years?
MV: All of them, from time and money issues to problems and delays with pressing plants, ongoing deadline issues with designers and artists. We had one release where part of the run but not all of it had issues in the pressing. I had run in’s regarding uncleared samples which is why I have gotten very peculiar not to use samples at all anymore….
LHM: What is the ethos of LJIH? What is at the heart and DNA of the label?
MV: I am greatly inspired by the music from Detroit, Chicago, and New York. Disco, House, and R&B. And then some.
LHM: How do you go about choosing the music for the label? What are the elements of an essential LJIH release?
MV: The label is for the people for the people. With myself being the people too. The question always is: does this excite me? Is it fresh? Is it something new for the label? Can we get as close to the best moments of Disco and House with this as possible? It’s just a matter of taste I guess and that’s being shaped by everything I’ve listened to and experienced so far.
LHM: You are working a lot with LYMA.. tell us about this relationship?
MV: I love LYMA. One of the most talented and kindest people I know. Very soulful, very deep. Never say no. Always up for anything. But super hard working and as I said talented. My daughter and his son are of similar age, so we also connect through that. But I just love his soul.
LHM: Tell us about the current release with LYMA.
MV: I think he’s sent me a bunch of things at some point, but they weren’t labelled properly. And then I found myself gravitating increasingly to The Fool Ain’t Me and I started playing it. And then it started to drive me crazy because I couldn’t figure out who send me the tune, because it’s quite different to the way LYMA usually sounds and sings. I had been convinced it was two other people before I circled back to him and then I signed it. But I also felt like as great as the original is in my opinion, and obviously I like to play quirky things, the majority of DJ’s would need something a bit more streamlined that’s not breaking their flow too much. And being a big fan of Ray Mang’s work, I reached out to him, also because it felt like something he would do a homerun with. The other track “Mist” was chosen as a counterweight to it, in order to complement it without taking anything away from it. Also, I love it because it reminds me of Jai Paul.
LHM: Who are the artists that you follow right now outside of your label? Who have you got your eyes on for future releases?
MV: I am working with loooooads of people: Jerkyboy and Million Miles, Oliver Night, James Alexander Bright, and others…. For the next 12” I have commissioned remixes by Stefan Ringer and Floyd Vader … I’d say Stefan Ringer is one of the most interesting and forward-thinking producers right now? But yeah there is an endless stream of talented artists.
LHM: Are you still playing out on plenty of gigs Marcel?
MV: I am trying my best. Just did 5 shows in Australia which was very enjoyable. I took a break with the label after Covid in order to get my studio going and take care of the kids and now in 2025 I think everything is in place for a wild year.
LHM: I know you are a big family man these days. How do you manage and balance things out?
MV: I don’t. There is no balance, just chaos. Naturally, I prioritize my family, but you learn to get into auto pilot when you have to. The gigs know what they need. So, it’s almost as if I zone out for certain amounts of time just looking and listening to new music and making sure I have everything in order to have fun.
I spent a lot of time fine tuning my studio over the last two years or so, which probably stressed me out a bit, as actually I just wanted to work on music and not the means to make music. Now that I feel everything is somewhat in place, there certainly is more of a balance Nothing that a weekend full of gigs can’t ruin quite quickly though.
Family and a career in music is certainly an adventurous combination and I am blessed my wife is there to support me.
LHM: What is the most recent record you purchased?
MV: Another Taste remixes of Arp Frique and Perpetual Singers. It’s stellar!
LHM: What are you working on next that you can share?
MV: The next release for Lumberjacks in Hell is planned in April. It’s a 12” release of myself and Tim Jules feat Javonntte – Just Because that had been released on From Hell With Love 2 during the pandemic which wasn’t the best moment for it. This time around it comes with remixes by LYMA, Stefan Ringer and Floyd Vader.
The next one after that is Jerkboy & Marcel Vogel feat Million Miles – Real Love with remixes by Oliver Night & Oliver Dollar. A massive Disco Diva house tune.
LHM: We will see you soon in London.
MV: I am always working on it but usually I am over a bunch of times per year..
The forthcoming release from LYMA – THAT FOOL AIN’T ME (RAY MANG REMIX) on LUMBERJACKS IN HELL is out on 21 February and you can preorder here.
