The producer with a million names returns with a stunning new EP
Electronique are a label with serious house and techno vibes going on right now. The innovative global label and events brand based in Manchester, England goes from strength to strength adding to an already high quality roster of artists and remixers including Vince Watson, Detlef, Carlos Sanchez, Tigerskin, Inxec, Hot Since 82, JEF K, Jordan Peak, Cera Alba among many others. Moving forward again and fresh on the label is Berlin’s uber tech houser TIGERSKIN.
His Sticky Cow EP has 3 very different cuts that manage to fuse a plethora of styles together starting with the slammin’ groove and harsh twisted basslines of lead track Sticky Cow to the more classical and deeper undertones on Jankowski finishing the EP with the laid back more soulful house sounds with Kord. From Ibiza to beyond the buzz is growing with premier league DJ support and heavy rotations on this serious piece of club kit. Dan Prince gets the world exclusive with one of our favourite producers who still has his feet firmly on the ground even after all his success…:
Alex welcome to DMCWORLD…where on Planet Earth are you today?
“Actually Dan I just woke up, I am at my Berlin home and in my bed.”
Well you have done it again, ensured more dancefloor chaos thanks to your music. This time around it’s thanks to your Sticky Cow EP which has already smashed into the world famous Buzz Chart. Three very different cuts, please talk us through each of the tracks…
“’Sticky Cow’ happened when I was playing around with some Moogerfooger fx pedals at the studio. After I recorded the main Synth just as one long audio track I felt the rest of the thing should be dark and raw. It’s a very simple club track and due to the ‘session’ character I didn’t really plan much here.
With ‘Jankowski’ it was the opposite. I was listening to Tschaikowski’s 1st symphony. When the final starts there’s that part, kind of a rising melancholy in strings, which I like a lot. First I tried to find sheet music for it and do something with it, but I was too lazy. So I ended up playing something close to the original part of the composition on a keyboard. I knew before where I wanted to go with it. wen you follow my work you will have noticed that I have a crush on ‘epic’ built-ups…
‘Kord’ was to come up with a classic House track, in the early 90s Strictly Rhythm vein, when it was almost finished I didn’t like it much. It was just another old school track. That was when I started adding baseline and the chords…”
You are without doubt one of the hardest working producers in the world with more aliases than Sean Combs. Each of your new names gives you the opportunity to make music in a different genre so you don’t get pigeon holed, what other areas of music are on the horizon for Alex Krüger that will soon enable you to dream up new monikers?
“I might be doing Progressive Trance next year or maybe Death Metal. Haven’t decided yet. My different monikers are a result of the fact that people don’t seem to get the idea of a ‘Techno Musician’ much. Techno people are called ‘Producers’ because we produce working tools for DJs. People love following ‘artists’ who keep on repeating the same idea all over again, mostly the stuff artists realized they are successful with, advertised as a certain ‘style’. Truth is, most of them are simply unable to do anything else, they lack imagination. That’s why for most ‘artists’ it’s game over after a couple of years. People and press get bored as fast as they find someone to be ‘hip’. When I record something and it doesn’t fit into the ‘hot shit category’ even though I’d like to see it released to receive a reaction, that’s when I look up my phones notes for another name or go back to older monikers. And of course I’ll keep on being the ‘Ghost Producer’ for a bunch of different DJs. Some House, some Techno, some Pop…”
I love your honesty when it comes to doing interviews or not doing interviews as may be the case! “Most magazines like to have features where musicians are shown doing things they do apart from music, in my case there is nothing such as poker, tank driving or bungee jumping. Just music.” So what happens when you hit the wall or get writers block in the studio, what is your release?
“When the German Slices Magazine asked me to do a feature a couple of years ago, they wanted me to do something apart from music. Something crazy I do, like car racing or as you mentioned, bungee jumping. I told them I wouldn’t be interested, because I personally find information about a bungee jumping techno artist not very interesting. In the end they did a studio report. Maybe I’m a little boring when it comes to my other interests. I read a fair bit, I’m interested in history and archaeology. I go mushrooming in Autumn. I bicycle. That’s definitely not what lifestyle mags wanna write about. As long as I don’t read about that totally unknown author from Chile that everybody will talk about in a year or so. Or how about psilocybin mushrooms? Or a crazy super expensive brand of bikes. Nah. I’m a musician. That’s what I do. When I run out of ideas, or better to say ‘finished music’, I just focus on a different approach to it. I play guitar, leave the computer off and/or start with some hardware only stuff. It never gets boring at all.”
You have produced for many DJs over the years. What is the percentage of people you work with who actually contribute to what you are doing on their prized asset compared to those who couldn’t give a flying fuck and just want the product out there to get them more gigs?
“I only produced one person who never really gave a flying fuck about the music itself – and who was absolutely annoying. I quit working with him after a short while because I started to hate him. He’s big in the DJ game now with a producer who doesn’t give a flying fuck as well. I never liked the idea of releasing something for the sake of bookings, girls, a hon circle status and bottle service. But maybe I’m too old school and too much involved with music instead of hipness. Most of my customers have been interested in contributing to the process of music making or at least brought in some ideas and didn’t just sit there checking their inbox. It does happen sometimes that you do something for one or two customers without them actually being in the studio. If I was him or her, I’d feel a bit stupid about that…but it’s their decision. I started being a ghost producer back in the day because I wanted to contribute to myself. Producing DJs as a non-DJ gives you the ability to understand what they do and how they need their built-up to be done. It automatically changes your way as well. I did DJ myself in the 90s, but kind of didn’t really feel pleasure doing it. I didn’t want to play music to people, I wanted to play it to myself. That’s why they DJ and I stay in the studio and only come out for live shows.”
The last GREAT album you listened to?
“Beck – ‘Morning Phase’. I guess it’s from last year already, but I just recently discovered it on a flight.”
There were no YouTube tutorials when you began in the studio, are you purely self taught production wise…do you think that was a benefit in the long run?
“Yes, learning by doing. I came purely from the instrumentalist side. I didn’t care much for a good production in the beginning, as long as the bassdrum did sound phat to me. But when I started an IDM project in the mid 90s, I had to record vocalists, bass players and drummers, I was forced to put some time into learning about mixing and the ‘right’ frequencies, but after all I’m still not capable of doing everything perfectly and from time to time some friends give me criticisms. But It all comes down to the song. If your original idea is great it doesn’t have to be ‘radio norm’ production wise. For some of my works I still wish I had recorded it with better quality, but then, when I listen to it again I remember why I didn’t do it. Then it makes sense again. Also I’m not a fan of the actual situation that most music seems to sound great but lacks personality. Everybody has professional tools nowadays, but also everybody seems to work in the same way. And where is the noise? I need that back!”
Where have some of the stand out live shows been for you this summer?
“Had a long tour during the Spring and early Summer; India, the US, China, the Phillipines, Panama, Costa Rica and others. I was sometimes surprised, especially in the places where I didn’t expect much to happen when things took off. I even played my fastest and hardest set in a very long time. Good fun.”
So your biography reads…“The best thing about Tigerskin is that he is this down to earth guy that you can have a beer with and chat about world politics.” Right then dude, you’ve got your beer in your hand, how are we going to sort out this bloody mess in Gaza then?
“Thanks! It’s not gonna be sorted out by us. We must simply stop thinking that we will be able to put our way of thinking on top of other cultures, especially those who get their laws and moral by old religious books…they’ll sort it out themselves or…not. Btw, once you’ve read their books you’ll understand why they will never learn to live together.”
The last piece of studio equipment you treated yourself to…
“Well, I hate to say it but I got myself a TR-8. I was disappointed as expected.”
So you invite us back to yours after a live show. What is the Alex Krüger Back To Mine 10 you spin us to chill the vibe or continue the party…
Lalo Schifrin – Theme from Medical Center
Return To Forever – Where Have I Known You Before (full album)
Johnny Pate – Shaft In Africa (full album)
Airto – Identity (full album)
Anything from Debussy
David Bowie – Low (only the b side)
D’Angelo – Voodoo (full album)
Gary Numan – Pleasure Principle (full album)
Josh Wink – Higher State of Consciousness (just in case you’re still there)
Pantera – Vulgar Display Of Power (full album)
And finally…what is coming out next from you studio wise…?
“There’s the 20 years Wiggle Compilation on Fabric with one of my works and we’re almost done with a single release on Wiggle as well. A great old school Till von Sein & Tigerskin release on Dirt Crew, a dub & acid techno Dub Taylor release (with a lot of noise) on Eintakt called ‘Propagation/Reflection’ and I’m already working on this and that to come out afterwards.”
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The ‘Sticky Cow’ EP is out on August 25th on Electronique…
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Tigerskin:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tigerskin/137852899594539
