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Even at 72, he is still at the turntables in the region's festival tents. DJ Erwin's crazy career began 50 years ago. A look back at the anniversary.
Hofbieber – There is probably no village community center, no multi-purpose hall and no festival area where DJ Erwin has not played yet. The 72-year-old now has cult status in the region. “People keep telling me: 'I discovered the whole district thanks to you' or 'I met my wife at your party',” says DJ Erwin, whose real name is Erwin Trott. Today, the children and sometimes even the grandchildren of these couples come to his parties.
For his “outstanding services to disco culture in the Fulda district,” DJ Erwin even received the “Honorary District DJ” certificate from District Administrator Bernd Woide (CDU) on his 70th birthday.
50 years of DJ: How Erwin Trott became a party legend in East Hesse
But how did this career begin? In the 1970s, Trott was a member of a CB radio operator club in Neuhof. “We came up with the idea that we had to do something, a party for a good cause,” he says. At that time he had just bought a new stereo system and was setting it up and his record player in the “Zur Post” restaurant in Neuhof. “It was only then that I realized what I had gotten myself into,” he says and laughs because the speakers kept switching off for a few seconds due to the volume. “I'll never do that again,” Trott was sure, but as everyone knows, things turned out differently.
When the Hofbieber carnival company Ho-Bi-Fa was looking for a disc jockey for the Starry Nights, the Hofbieberer “Jong” came into play. He soon set the mood with his record players. But it wasn't just the starry nights – whether at strangers' meetings, Rose Monday or Shrove Tuesday, Trott remained loyal to Ho-Bi-Fa. This culminated in 1986 when he was crowned Prince Erwin XXVI. the hot rhythm led the crowd of fools.
In addition to his engagements for the Hofbieberer Verein, he began DJing more and more at parties in the region. He finally met Michael Seifert at a party organized by the Altenfeld bowling club. He had self-made boxes and suggested that Trott work together. He didn't actually want to do that, but then agreed to meet with Seifert. However, he didn't come alone, he had Stefan Otterbein with him. And so SEM acoustics was born.
The trio began in “Margots Saal” in Thalau. Entry cost two marks, and more people came week after week. S. E. M. needed more and more equipment and soon had to purchase a Ford Transit. From then on, five or six roadies were always there. “We had helpers who helped with a warm meal and a beer,” he remembers. SEM cost nothing. “We collected the entry fee and therefore took the risk,” describes the 72-year-old, who worked in a test center during the Corona period.
His employer at the time had gone bankrupt and could no longer pay him. But now he was able to make a living from music and played almost every evening. “In May 1988 I was on the road for 25 days,” he says. During this time he usually played from Thursday to Monday, and also on Wednesdays if Thursday was a holiday.
“One weekend we were in Hattenhof. There I was asked whether I could play in Löschenrod next Wednesday. I said that would only be possible if we could place an ad in the Fuldaer Zeitung beforehand,” he remembers. They were lucky, the ad appeared on Wednesday, the party was able to take place and 1,800 people were there. What was never missing from his parties were the rock rounds. And they always came promptly at 10:30 p.m.
Almost as many people as at the Pope's: DJ Erwin's legendary performance
He also remembers a performance on Hessentag 1990 in Fulda on the Uniplatz. This was packed. When the DJ left the place, an older woman came up to him and said: “I grew up here and I've only seen so many people here twice. When the Pope was there and today.”
By the way, it's not just the local events. He is even known in Ruhpolding, Bavaria, because he has been creating a great atmosphere at the Biathlon World Cup for several years now. Trott has three biological children and a stepchild. He has passed on his “mood gene” because his daughter Vanessa Klemens, alias DJane Vanny, also DJs. For example, she represented her father at the women's carnival at the vegetable market in Fulda.
At all of his parties, financial matters were never the focus of his attention. “It was always more important to me that the event was good and that I got a pat on the back at the end,” he says. “I think it would have been possible to earn more money, but for me fun and joy were always more important.”
As in 1990, DJ Erwin will also be at the event this year Hesse day be heard. He actually had the idea that this would be his last appearance. But a look at his calendar reveals: This autumn he will be attending numerous fair events in the district again, and bookings have already been made for 2027.
