We have the pleasure of speaking with Austrian composer and techno tastemaker Stefan Obermaier to celebrate his new LP on Universal! We find out more about his musical upbringings and what inspires his sound…
How was your Christmas and New Year? Do you have a break away from music?
It was very nice, I spent some days with my family on the countryside and was also doing music a lot. Last year was quite busy until the end – beside my album-release I did lots of remixes and collaborations, it was a good year!
Tell us about your new album – why was now the right time for one?
I don’t know if it was, but I felt like I had to bring it out now.
Was there a plan or concept for it from the start, did you want it to all be written in a short time frame or only using certain gear or anything like that?
None of that, actually it contains tracks from the near beginning of my musical career to the now – so it is more about a retrospective for me.
How different is writing an album from writing a club 12’?
An album from my point of view gives me the possibility to go abroad the club-functionality and allows me to put in all the musical genres I do – that makes it very interesting for me.
Did you have an audience in mind when you write it, a certain place it should be heard?
I think it’s quite an eclectic selection that hopefully reaches a broader audience. The places in my mind reach from the beachside to a club and back to a zen-garden.
You play all the instruments yourself, is that right, or are they sampled? How long have you been playing instruments?
I started to play piano in very young years and soon went over to the synthesizer, so I played and recorded it all via the keys.
Tell us about the vocal contributions on the album – where did you find the singers? Did you write the lyrics or did they?
The two tracks with Don Abi and Sista Sadie I already did some years ago, Tania (Sadie) already sang on my very first EP on ‚Vienna Scientists Rec.‘. Apart from the melodies the lyrics have mainly been written by them because that’s what I’m not really good at. Beside that the voice in ‚Sun And Rain‘ is actually mine, honestly I just wanted to record the melody i had in mind.
Do you think house music should be socially and politically aware or is it just about releasing and forgetting the real world?
I think it can make sense to place a message when it’s possible and appropriate, but I want to put my music on the positive side of life where it can take minds off all the negativity in this world a bit.
What else have you got coming up/are you looking forward to?
Right now we have released a collaboration-album called ‚The Exchange‘ (https://www.beatport.com/release/the-exchange/2173786). It is initiated by Richard Dorfmeister and teamed up with some well known artists. I feel really honored to be a part of every track on it.
Do you have hopes, goals and dreams for 2018? Anything you really want to achieve?
I just try to make lots of good music and see where it brings me.
This Vibe is out now! Grab it her:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Vibe-Stefan-Obermaier/dp/B074JQDPXF
