About
the passion for music, gear and sounds
the passion for music, gear and sounds
My passion for elctronic music and synth sounds grew in my early years. At the age of 11, I discovered the british radio stations BBC and BFBS. Back in 1985 and the following years, they regular played the british Top 40 on weekends. Besides that typical Pop music of the 80s, they also played a lot of Synth Pop, which was completely different from the german music I have listened before. These Synth Pop sounds (like beats, pads, synths, keys and effects) sounded so different, and I always tried to figure out, which instruments have been used to create these fresh sounds. From the inspirational side, I am musically very influenced by acts of that epoche like Pet Shop Boys, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, Soft Cell and Yazoo, because I always felt some kind of magic about the sounds they used.
1988, at the age of 14, I came in touch with more electronic music, when I discovered EBM and the Belgium New Beat in a local record store, where I used to buy Acid- and House vinyls. EBM and New Beat felt very new and innovative and revolutionary at this time, and I was addicted at once. 2 years later, that Techno and Rave thing appeared, which was very energetic and extraordinary. I bought tons of that stuff by R&S Records, Djax Up, MusicMan, 80Aum, Overdrive or Harthouse on vinyls, but one day in 1991, I visited my first rave party and watched the DJs: They took the needles from the vinyls, but the music kept playing on. At this time, I recognised the topic "mixing" and was straight on fire. I spent my complete money for 2 Technics SL-1210 turntables and a Vestax mixer, and learned the technical side of mixing, and the musical side as well. After first small gigs on secret parties, I played at bigger events. It was a great experience, to let the people feel the energy of that machine music called Techno, and I learned a lot about electronic music while playing and listening to that stuff. Around 1994, I started first tracks using just my Home computer, an Amiga 500. After 2 years of researching and producing, in 1996, I released my first 12-Inch on the german label "Draft Records" and several follow-ups. In 1997, the game changed completely for me: I bought my first synthesizer, a Roland Juno-6. It felt very different to work on real synthesis instead of moving blocks on a computer screen. With the years, I dived deeper into the sound universe and it changed the way, that I consumed or listened to music, extremely. And also, I became more and more interested about sound design. Overall, producing music and sounds became more fascinating to me than "just" playing music.
Since I have been involved into electronic music, I always have been interested in the process and the technical side of creating sound and synthesis very much. As I started producing Techno and House, which is essentially "machine music", it was very exciting to explore and to discover all the opportunities to create sounds from scratch, but also to deal with the technical challenge. Techno as unconventional, technological and reduced form of music, based on less musical rules than other conventional musical styles, gave me pure freedom to discover sound design in a more intuitive and unaffected way.
The first gear I bought was that classical cheap and used equipment with lots of technical restrictions and reductions, but it have been exactly these machines which forced me to be creative or to try things I never would have tried with all this mighty, expensive synthesizers or samplers. For example, not one single synthesizer I used offered any storage of settings, so I had to decide right away to use or not to use a created sound. The same thing on samplers back in these days: With a total of 1 MB or 2 MB storage for sampling, you had to be very creative to use every single bit of that machines. I think, starting and working this way influences me still today. In times of total recall, nearly unlimited options or molecular sound design opportunities, I prefer using uncomplicated machines because I like to stay close to the sound without having too much alternative options. Within the last years, the idea of creating a sample library grew constantly, but it always ended up using the created sounds directly and spontaneously for new tracks or on new releases. I am very critical about sound on my own productions, and lately I thought, if my sound creations inspire me that much, they also will have a chance to inspire or to support other musicians.
I still work primary using hardware, because hardware offers me are more spontaneously and direct access to the parameters of sounds, and it lets me act in a more musically way than in a technically way. On producing a library, I have some kind of specific sound already in mind, but not that specific that I would say it has exactly to sound like this or that. If so, I just would reproduce something which already exists. So I always try to evolve myself a little bit further or to look beyond the musical horizon, but I always like to stay within a context to give it all a sense. Spending time on sound design is worth every single second. I define that as musical signature.
Equipment Allen&Heath GL-2400-432 Analog Mixer, Apple MacMini 2019,
Apple MacBook Pro 2009, RME Fireface 802, Logic Pro X, Adobe Audition, Roland D-50, Roland JD-800, Roland JV-2080, Roland XV-88, EMU ESI-4000, Lexicon PCM-92, SPL Vitalizer MKII-T, Samson Headphone Amp, MOTU MIDI-Express 128, Emagic AMT-8, TC D-Two, TC M-One, Behringer Virtualizer Pro, Behringer TD-3, Arturia Keylab-61, Samson A8 Reference Monitors, M-Audio BX-10 Sub, 3x Furman Power Conditioner
1988, at the age of 14, I came in touch with more electronic music, when I discovered EBM and the Belgium New Beat in a local record store, where I used to buy Acid- and House vinyls. EBM and New Beat felt very new and innovative and revolutionary at this time, and I was addicted at once. 2 years later, that Techno and Rave thing appeared, which was very energetic and extraordinary. I bought tons of that stuff by R&S Records, Djax Up, MusicMan, 80Aum, Overdrive or Harthouse on vinyls, but one day in 1991, I visited my first rave party and watched the DJs: They took the needles from the vinyls, but the music kept playing on. At this time, I recognised the topic "mixing" and was straight on fire. I spent my complete money for 2 Technics SL-1210 turntables and a Vestax mixer, and learned the technical side of mixing, and the musical side as well. After first small gigs on secret parties, I played at bigger events. It was a great experience, to let the people feel the energy of that machine music called Techno, and I learned a lot about electronic music while playing and listening to that stuff. Around 1994, I started first tracks using just my Home computer, an Amiga 500. After 2 years of researching and producing, in 1996, I released my first 12-Inch on the german label "Draft Records" and several follow-ups. In 1997, the game changed completely for me: I bought my first synthesizer, a Roland Juno-6. It felt very different to work on real synthesis instead of moving blocks on a computer screen. With the years, I dived deeper into the sound universe and it changed the way, that I consumed or listened to music, extremely. And also, I became more and more interested about sound design. Overall, producing music and sounds became more fascinating to me than "just" playing music.
Since I have been involved into electronic music, I always have been interested in the process and the technical side of creating sound and synthesis very much. As I started producing Techno and House, which is essentially "machine music", it was very exciting to explore and to discover all the opportunities to create sounds from scratch, but also to deal with the technical challenge. Techno as unconventional, technological and reduced form of music, based on less musical rules than other conventional musical styles, gave me pure freedom to discover sound design in a more intuitive and unaffected way.
The first gear I bought was that classical cheap and used equipment with lots of technical restrictions and reductions, but it have been exactly these machines which forced me to be creative or to try things I never would have tried with all this mighty, expensive synthesizers or samplers. For example, not one single synthesizer I used offered any storage of settings, so I had to decide right away to use or not to use a created sound. The same thing on samplers back in these days: With a total of 1 MB or 2 MB storage for sampling, you had to be very creative to use every single bit of that machines. I think, starting and working this way influences me still today. In times of total recall, nearly unlimited options or molecular sound design opportunities, I prefer using uncomplicated machines because I like to stay close to the sound without having too much alternative options. Within the last years, the idea of creating a sample library grew constantly, but it always ended up using the created sounds directly and spontaneously for new tracks or on new releases. I am very critical about sound on my own productions, and lately I thought, if my sound creations inspire me that much, they also will have a chance to inspire or to support other musicians.
I still work primary using hardware, because hardware offers me are more spontaneously and direct access to the parameters of sounds, and it lets me act in a more musically way than in a technically way. On producing a library, I have some kind of specific sound already in mind, but not that specific that I would say it has exactly to sound like this or that. If so, I just would reproduce something which already exists. So I always try to evolve myself a little bit further or to look beyond the musical horizon, but I always like to stay within a context to give it all a sense. Spending time on sound design is worth every single second. I define that as musical signature.
Equipment Allen&Heath GL-2400-432 Analog Mixer, Apple MacMini 2019,
Apple MacBook Pro 2009, RME Fireface 802, Logic Pro X, Adobe Audition, Roland D-50, Roland JD-800, Roland JV-2080, Roland XV-88, EMU ESI-4000, Lexicon PCM-92, SPL Vitalizer MKII-T, Samson Headphone Amp, MOTU MIDI-Express 128, Emagic AMT-8, TC D-Two, TC M-One, Behringer Virtualizer Pro, Behringer TD-3, Arturia Keylab-61, Samson A8 Reference Monitors, M-Audio BX-10 Sub, 3x Furman Power Conditioner