On cloud 4 for animal welfare - Marv in interview

Marvin Webb aka Marv is a successful DJ and music producer. His breakthrough came with his remix to the hit “Wolke 4” with Philipp Dittberner. From then on he works on many own works and collaborations and can be found regularly in the German chart, club & festival landscape.

Besides music, his heart also beats for animal welfare and veganism. In the interview he tells us how it came to this, how he feels since he lives vegan, how he integrates the topic into his everyday life and at the end he still reveals his top 5 tips, for all who want to eat vegan.

How did it come about that you live vegan?

Marvin Webb: Because my wife was a vegetarian at the time, we were always close to the subject, of course. But the real turning point for me was when I was in Hamburg a lot at ChaosCompressorClub mixing music in the studio. Many artists have their music mixed and mastered there. Especially many great psytrance acts, including Neelix. The guys from the CCC live vegan and sometimes I came up with them or even Neelix. Somehow, through the exchange, I realized that I can’t find a single argument for eating animal products. And as soon as you realize that the only argument you have is taste, you can’t justify it anymore. My wife was immediately on board with the change from vegetarian to vegan. And taking that step together was really fun.

What impact did the switch to a vegan diet have on you?

Marvin Webb: What I noticed right away was the difference after the meal. You don’t feel so “stuffed” and “heavy” anymore. Somehow you go through the day easier, also because you no longer have to carry around a suppressed bad and heavy conscience. In general, I can say we are never sick, have no headaches or anything else. All around we are fitter and healthier than before.

How do you integrate the topics of veganism, sustainability and environmental protection into your everyday life?

Marvin Webb: Apart from nutrition, people are suddenly paying attention to sustainability in many other areas as well. It is a constant optimization. You have the feeling that every day you are a little bit better than yesterday. And that is a beautiful feeling. We now buy super much used. Whether it’s clothes, furniture, or even houseplants, I used to feel like everything had to be new to be good. But of course, that’s complete nonsense.

We flew to Sao Miguel in early 2020 and even here you have the chance to give a meaning to your vacation that helps others. We volunteered to be flight sponsors and took 7 dogs on the return flight. Since we had our son with us, who was half a year old at the time, it was quite a tricky business. A dog, since it was still very small, flew with us in the cabin. And I am with a strange dog through the security check, had already a queasy feeling how he reacts there. In the end, however, it did not make any fuss. We had no additional work and of course no costs. Everything is clarified in advance by the animal welfare organization. Afterwards we even received photos of the dogs, from the meeting with their families. That was a beautiful experience.

This shows, you can actually always connect something “good” with the beautiful. You just have to think about it.

Did the catering at your shows always have vegan options or did you always have to bring your own?

Marvin Webb: There is generally no food in my DJ rider. I don’t know beforehand if I’m really hungry and I don’t want food to be thrown away because of me. Also, I don’t want to be in the predicament of having to pürfen if it’s really vegan.

At large festivals there is of course nevertheless a catering, if there are no other vegan options there, one often remains nevertheless e.g. fries. At one point, the only vegan option was a bowl of pickles- which of course was pretty meow.

What impact have you seen from artists around you in terms of veganism and sustainability?

Marvin Webb: When I’m in the studio with Philipp Dittberner in Berlin, it’s become a tradition that we go out to eat in vegan restaurants, even though he himself is not vegan. Of course, I am happy about that. When DJing, there is usually no time for deep conversations with my DJ colleagues. Haha

What wish do you have for the music landscape for the time after the pandemic?

Marvin Webb: I hope we all make it through this time and can pick up where we left off afterwards. Every person whether club owner, Dj, Lightjocky, mixer, bar people or organizer and many others that I have met in this industry, was there with heart and soul and it would be a shame to have to do without even one. And if there’s one additional thing I can wish for, it’s that every festival has at least one vegan burger stand. 🙂

How do you see the development in terms of sustainability and veganism in general?

Marvin Webb: Very positive. Every month new great products come on the market that make it easy for everyone to take a step further into plant-based nutrition. Those in the meat and dairy industries who don’t want to change their thinking are still resisting it, but I believe the vegan diet is the future. At this point, many thanks to every company that is willing to rethink and work on new vegan products.

"Going vegan makes it easier to get through the day, in part because you no longer have to carry around a repressed guilty and heavy conscience."

Marvin Webb Tweet

What are your top 5 tips for anyone looking to start vegan?

Marvin Webb:

When making the switch, don’t just look for new super fancy recipes that you don’t know half the ingredients of. Think about how you can veganize dishes you like. This is usually super easy.
Feel free to try your way through all the substitutes. There are so many great ones, you just have to find the right one for you. Everyone tastes something different. Take milk, for example. I’ve never liked soy milk, so I’ve tried them all and now oats is my absolute favorite.
If you’re totally craving non-vegan products, remember why you went vegan. Tip 1 also helps here: Simply do it yourself! For example, I had a huge craving for kebabs, so now I have a mega alternative. Cut smoked tofu with a peeler and fry until crispy.
Go to a vegan restaurant in the next bigger city and let yourself be cooked and inspired there, vegan fairs are also great for this.
If you can get your partner, a family member, or a friend to do it, that’s worth a lot. Together something like this is much easier and you can stimulate and support each other. If you don’t have anyone around you, search online. I find it helps a lot to follow some good vegan blogs for inspiration. Also vegan meme groups help to find like-minded people and you still have something to laugh about.

What new projects and music can we look forward to from you in 2021?

Marvin Webb: At the end of May comes a new single from me, I do not want to reveal too much yet, but I’m very excited about this feature and am curious how it will be received. Generally there will be a lot more songs from now on, because in these forced “downtime met many more people with whom I will work in the future.

I also threw myself into other projects for which one usually has less time. I started a youtube channel with a very good musician colleague, Stefan Nixdorf, where we publish music for content creators. Whether for streaming or for Youtube videos. We release a new Lofi song every Friday. The channel is called: “Cats In Bed“. Other than that, I’m currently creating a few club edits of old songs that I’ll play as soon as that’s possible again.

Is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest in closing?

Marvin Webb: I just want to thank everyone who is vegan for the animals, the planet and their health. Especially mothers who are told they are harming their children or men who are told they are unmanly because they don’t eat meat. You are not alone. Every day new products come on the market and we become more and more. One person can’t change anything, we do. Every day.

For all those who are not yet vegan: All beginnings are difficult. Later it becomes easier to change the habits and it is a lot of fun to try new things.