Chris Liebing: DJ, Producer, Techno Traveler

His sets are legendary, from Europe’s TimeWarp Festivals to New York City’s EZOO. And Frankfurt, Germany’s Chris Liebing is one of the most personable DJs out there — a big smile on his face as he steals the souls of the crowd.

Listening to Chris Liebing — in any number of ways — is extremely satisfying.

Delivering the darkest in mind-blowing techno music, Liebing puts the journey back into techno — and good luck finding yourself after. For those who truly understand that techno music is music for the brain, you’ll hear that the deep pulsation of the bass is laced, enticing eerie effects that tickle the back of your mind and make you wonder: “What is that sound? And where did it come from?”

What’s different about Liebing is that when he DJs, he transforms tracks together to create his own unique style of blending music, a constant mixture of layered sounds pushed and pinched to perfection. Liebing pulls the listener into an atmosphere of pure melodic hypnosis, and that is what I want in my DJ — he is a master of subtlety, suspense and space using the effects of delay and reverb to take technology to the limits.

And he’s certainly equipped: Spinning on two laptops run by the RME Fireface-UC he uses four decks of Traktor software, through the four channels of the Allen & Heath Xone:92 mixer, with two Allen & Heath Xone: K2 controllers on each side mapped to the four decks. The other laptop is dedicated for effects using Ableton software with the Native Instruments Maschine and Faderfox controller.

Chris Liebing and his record label of 13 years CLR is leading the future of techno music. CLR has a solid foundation of allied artists such as Tommy Four Seven, Monoloc, Black Asteroid, Terence Fixmer, Brian Sanhaji, DJ Emerson and Rebekah, along with some heavyweight release artists such as Marcel Dettman, Robert Hood, Lucy and Speedy J. Somehow he manages to play back-to-back shows across the globe while keeping his fans on their toes with his weekly CLR Podcasts.

Chris Liebing’s talent is definitely respected and demanded in New York: He played alongside Danny Tenaglia at Pacha just last November, and whenever he plays in North America he shows his support by spinning in a New York venue.

When Chris Liebing and CLR come to Cielo it’s a great time on the Funktion-One system so don’t miss his set there this Thursday February 7th alongside Tommy Four Seven. We got the chance to get multiple musical insights in an interview with this DJ great, en route to NYC.

Your remix of “One Night in New York City” by the Horrorist, is a classic club anthem– What is the meaning behind its production and can you describe your first DJ gig in NYC?

Well, my first DJ gig in New York City must have been at some point around `96 or `97, most likely in a small bar on a Monday night. It might have even been at Sullivan Room, but I can´t really tell you – maybe some of your readers remember that.

“One Night In New York City” was a track that I came across on a really odd vinyl here in Germany – that must have been in `99. It was a six track EP and “One Night In New York City” was only one of the tracks. All six tracks were pretty amazing, a little bit Hardcore-influenced with regard to the sounds and I was really curious to find out who produced that.

I immediately thought about doing a remix for this track, because I wanted to have a more playable version for myself. So when I was back in New York in the year 2000, I just got ahold of the phone number of this person and called him up. I said that my name was Chris Liebing and that he probably never heard of me, but that I was in New York at the moment and asked him if we could meet. So I met the guy somewhere in a studio in Chelsea and his name was Oliver Chesler. We got along very well and we made a deal. He gave me the parts of the record, I did a remix and we released it on the label Superstar Recordings here in Germany. We even managed to do a video and the track became quite famous.

Later on Oliver Chesler and his band The Horrorist were actually touring through Germany a little bit with me, which was quite fun. Even today I still like this record, and the story behind it – as far as I can trust Oliver – is a true story. It must be a true story, it surely happened hundreds of times at the Limelight, back in the days. It´s a great memory – it´s basically a part of New York pressed on vinyl. I am pretty happy and proud that I was able to do this back then.

At what point did you start to feel comfortable/satisfied producing? What was the turning point that made you follow the beat of your own drum and define your own sound? What was the first piece of gear you got your hands on?

The first piece of gear I got my hands on was probably an MS20, because I started to produce with a friend together in `95 and that was one of the synths he owned – amongst other really nice things like a Juno 106 for example, obviously a 303, a 909, 808 – we had all these nice things in the studio back in the days. I actually still have them – not the exact same machines, but new ones, as I believe that it´s just excellent, timeless gear.

For me, making music is always a struggle, until I get to the moment when it just comes out of me. I actually believe that to a certain extent it even has to be a struggle. I never had the feeling that I am in the studio and everything I do is just great. I am still trying to find this moment when I am doing the kind of music I am totally happy with, and maybe this unfulfilled feeling is also part of the passion behind it.

One thing I knew pretty early, was that whatever kind of music I am going to do, I will not copy anything, instead I will do whatever I feel like doing. I was totally convinced from the beginning on, that just doing something that was popular is not the way I want to go. I wanted to produce what I think is great for playing out and what suits my soul – and I am still trying to find that.

The German Influence

You are heard around the world as an innovator and titan of techno — how has German Electronic Music influenced you in creating your own sound design and sonic adventure? Was your musical background shaped by bands such as Kluster and Kraftwerk? Or did you draw inspiration from Detroit techno?

From the beginning on I wasn´t very influenced by anything really. Of course I did and do enjoy the music of Kraftwerk, but I would not say that it was a major influence on my way to become a DJ or a producer, neither was Detroit Techno.

Actually Detroit Techno was sometimes a bit too trancy for me and still is. I could not really deal with that. I was more the groove-guy and I needed the beats. That´s what I have always been trying and what I am still trying, just to have the right amount of vocals and the right amount of melody in there. Trying to find the right balance is something I have been looking for throughout all of my career so far.

Music that pushed me into electronic music was all of the British Synth-Pop that was around, music I am actually still listening to today. In general I would say that I did not look for role models, but I rather tried to find my own way.

Embracing Creative Challenges

CLR consists of a serious team of talented international DJs and producers, yet each one stands out as an individual artist. Why is it important as a musician to be surrounded and challenged by creativity?

The interesting part of this is, that the group of people that could be considered the core artists of CLR were not put together because of the amount of creativity or a certain musical idea they had.

In the first place we came together because we got to know each other, got along really well and shared the same philosophy. What then comes out of each individual artist is their very own approach to music and their own approach to what they want to do. And this is quite versatile, something I really like about this growing group of people.

Everybody gets along with each other, but nobody tries to copy someone else. Everybody tries to find and define one´s own sound, but there is exchange and interaction going on. There are collaborations, people are learning from each other, and I think that this is the most important thing.

The result, the productions we put out, the albums we put out are basically just the products of this being and doing, but not the main focus. The albums and EPs we release are basically byproducts of these people doing their thing and it does not come from a “we-have-to-do-this-or-that-attitude”. The great thing is that everybody just tries to evolve in their own personality, ideas and philosophy, and whenever there was a finished output, it was never the case that I had to act as a label-head and say that I don´t like it and that it´s not going to be released. Somehow it always works out and I really could not tell you why.

The Korg MS20 provided early excitement for Liebing.

I don´t know if it´s important to be constantly surrounded and challenged by creativity, as I believe that creativity happens naturally when you stop asking for it. You just start doing something without forcing it, and that´s the way we also deal with it in the label. We are obviously not forcing anybody to be creative. There are moments when you are in a creative state of mind and moments when you are not. I think realizing and accepting this is a good part of the key to a peaceful life.

Creativity and Technology

You have previously worked with Allen & Heath and Native Instruments on developing audio technology — how do you stay on top of new technology? And where do you see DJ technology advancing?

Yeah, I am staying on top of this, as I am still working together with these companies and other companies. I don´t only get informed by those companies, but also DJ friends tell me what´s happening, what is new and what I should check out. There is a nice exchange going on and I think that´s how you keep up with the rapid development of new technologies.

By now, the amount of things you can do is so large, that it´s very much about picking what suits you, so I don´t even have the feeling that I necessarily need to be on top of the technological development all of the time. I just want to feel comfortable with whatever I use and I don´t necessarily need to have the latest piece of equipment – unless it suits my goal of making real-time-music. I can´t speak for others and how they approach it, but in my case I just want to have a setup that allows me to react and act in real-time on whatever idea I might have in my head and whatever I want to do – and I want to be able to do it as quickly as possible.

That´s where the interfaces play a role – how quickly can I process a thought, with what kind of gear and equipment? Maybe one day we just throw things in the air and beats come out, but maybe not – that´s something that prevents this job from being boring at all times. There are always new ideas or someone, somewhere in the world comes up with a new piece of equipment, which might be great for you and which might completely change your whole setup and approach of DJ-ing.

What is the creation process like for you in your studio? What are the pieces of software/hardware equipment that you find particularly enhancing when recording?

I have to admit that I haven´t recorded own material in over one and a half years now. Talking about a lack of creativity, yes, maybe I was lacking it, I admitted it and I stopped for a while. I haven´t even done any remixes for over a year and I feel good with it.

I have started to really get into mixing down other artists music, which I enjoy very much. I am learning a lot doing it and it also gives me new ideas in respect of my own music. The equipment I would use for making music now would probably be different from last time and I also think it should change all the time. You should try new approaches to keep it interesting and alive, because doing the same thing over and over again basically tends to result in the same outcome.

You always want to surprise yourself. Maybe you sit down with a 909 and an analogue synth, let it run, tweak it and record that, or maybe you want to open a digital VST synth, work with that and see what comes out. It´s not so much about what you use, but how you use it, and the approach should always stay fresh.

See Chris’ totally tasty setup, and get more creative inspiration and techniques in this sharp video from DJ Tech Tools.

This year, I’m personally trading in Miami’s Winter Music Conference for Montreal’s Igloofest — how does the atmosphere and environment of DJing festival’s all over the globe inspire you?

There is always something new, that´s the great thing about it. You think you played on all kinds of festivals worldwide, but every time you come to a festival there is always some kind of new setup, the stage is different, people are further away, people are closer, it´s a different time of day, it´s summer, it´s winter, it´s cold, it´s hot… The surroundings are always different and that is the challenge and the inspiration, because you gotta make it work. If you have the confidence to make it work it´s a lot of fun.

I am already looking forward to Montreal´s Igloofest. It´s outdoors, it´s gonna be cold, and even though I have done similar things like outdoor raves in wintertime in the Alps, I am still very curious how it will be up in Montreal. It´s definitely gonna be quite cold, so I will be wearing some warm shoes!

Living it: Create Learn Realize

Your sets are legendary for keeping you on your toes for hours, and you are also a super healthy vegan! I think its important for my generation to see past the hype of “club music” as a destructive out-of-control party and to promote techno as a positive rhythm and healthy way to greater self-realization — how do you incorporate CLR philosophy of Create Learn Realize into your lifestyle?

First of all: great question! It´s not even a question you have there, it´s a statement and I really like the statement – I totally agree. A positive rhythm and healthy way to greater self-realization, that is really well said. You´ve said it all!

Actually my lifestyle is like that. Of course I fail a lot, I fail a lot and I do pointless things. Sometimes I sit there and I don´t know how to do something, but I think you always have to get back to the point where you understand that this is it, that this is what it´s all about. It´s not like a magic carpet ride where everything is great, where it´s all colorful and funky around you and your life is just one flow. Ultimately that may be the goal you might reach one day, but the way to get there, that is the challenge and I think that this is what you should always be aware of.

Obstacles might come into your life and you might completely forget this philosophy. Then you might get down or depressed, but actually those obstacles are probably occurring to tell you something, something like – wait a minute – maybe this is good for something – maybe it challenges me to become a better human being. This is kind of my lifestyle, or at least I hope it is.

Sometimes I also still forget all that and I get very stubborn and have to find my way back. Because of that – maybe to remind me at all time – I put this philosophy into the label. I believe that Create Learn Realize is what it comes down to. You learn more by just doing things and you realize what was wrong or right. You learn what could be done better and it starts from the beginning again – like in a constant cycle – and it´s not about the outcome, it´s about how you do it.

CLR’s steady momentum; the weekly podcasts, hot parties, fresh releases and the creation of CLR X — are you working on something special at the moment, that you would like to share?

Yeah, currently I am mixing down Drumcell´s new album, which is going to be out on CLR hopefully in March, but latest in April. It´s by Drumcell from Los Angeles, who is running the label Droid Recordings and who is our new CLR artist. I am extremely excited about this work, as it´s such an amazing and fresh album. I could not tell you how it sounds like, because I did not find anything to compare it with, but it´s a lot of fun mixing it down and trying to get the best out of it. I am really looking forward to releasing this one.

Apart from that I am working on a compilation with ten or eleven exclusive tracks by some very fine Techno artists that are – let´s say loosely connected to CLR – and this is also a very exiting project. It took me quite a long time to assemble it, but now it is in the final stages.

Next to that there are some great EP releases coming up. One of them is by Rebekah, our new signing to the CLR DJ roster, then there is one by Terence Fixmer, which will be out very, very soon, and Lucy´s new EP is also on the way. And not to forget about Traversable Wormhole. You might remember that we already brought out the first 5 Traversable Wormhole volumes, so now we will complete the offering of the 10 existing, previously vinyl-only releases by bringing out number 6 – 10 as a mix and digitally.

There are many many things still in the pipeline, which I am very happy to get out in 2013.

— Jacqueline Smiley

Chris Liebing appears live at Cielo this Thursday February 7th alongside Tommy Four Seven.

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