Press Info:
Charlotte de Witte mints her new KNTXT label with a suitably epic collaboration, joining forces with techno royalty Chris Liebing for ‘Liquid Slow’, due for release on 27th September.
CLR boss and German techno pioneer Liebing has been a regular at KNTXT parties over the years, not least at the sold-out stadium event at Antwerp’s Sportpaleis last year where he will be returning to once again this November, alongside de Witte, just after the release of this new EP.
The influential pair spent time hanging out together at Awakenings Festival last year when they had the idea to collaborate. “I field-recorded the sound of a crane that was already taking stuff down next to us and thought it would be a good starting point“ says Chris. Whilst he admits the sample didn’t made it on to this release, he teased a future collaboration saying “who knows, maybe there is more in the pipeline, I still have the recording”.
Current BBC Radio 1 resident Charlotte de Witte is once again in the midst of a non-stop summer that finds her taking her dark, stripped and powerful sounds to the biggest clubs and festivals in the world. She adds, “we have shared a lot of laughs, a couple of beers and a million different mixdown versions of both tracks. I consider Chris to be my friend and I’m very proud and honoured to have worked with him on this EP”.
Opener ‘Liquid Slow’ is seven minutes of heavy and hypnotic techno. It is stripped back to an acid bassline and earth rumbling kicks, with a meandering lead synth line and a darkly absorbing spoken word vocal over the top sure to lock in the dance floor for the duration. ‘In Memory’ ups the pressure with rumbling drums and bass sweeping you up as more acid twitches and tough hits nail down the groove. It is another powerful and compelling piece of techno from this vital pair.
This is the latest fascinating development in the story of Charlotte de Witte and her KNTXT brand. Now a label as well as a radio show and event series, KNTXT strives to be a progressive player within the vibrant techno scene.
Full Track Streaming:
Video:
“Liquid Slow”
Specials:
Chris Liebing – “am/fm | 231”
Charlotte de Witte – “…. presents KNTXT: Charlotte de Witte (27.04.2019)”
Tracklist: 01. And All Went Dark (Goldfrapp Remix)
Press Info:
Chris Liebing launched the Burn Slow project with a series of remixes, including one for Goldfrapp’s Everything Is Never Enough and Goldfrapp have returned the honour with this remix of ‘And All Went Dark’, an epic reimaging of some of the themes on Liebing’s album which include the concept of presence – the idea that everything is happening in this moment, and that everything in the past is mere memory. It’s something Liebing got in touch with via the philosopher Alan Watts, not to mention decades of getting entire dancefloors lost in the present.
Liebing describes his reaction to hearing the remix: “Oh my god, those strings. Goosebumps all the way through. This is a monster remix and it comes from Goldfrapp. Someone pinch me…”
08. Polished Chrome (The Friend Pt. 1) [feat. Gary Numan]
09. Trilogy
10. No Regrets (The Friend Pt. 2) [feat. Aleen]
Press Info (English):
Chris Liebing has announced details of his first album release for Mute, Burn Slow, out on 7 September 2018 and shared ‘Polished Chrome (The Friend Pt. 1)’ featuring vocals from Gary Numan (listen below).
This, and ‘Novembergrey’ are the first taste of what to expect from Burn Slow, a 10-track album with vocal contributions from a diverse range of artists: Miles Cooper Seaton (Akron / Family), Mute labelmate Polly Scattergood (onDeadWaves), Cold Cave, Aleen and, of course Gary Numan.
Burn Slow is a minimalist electronic epic and start of a new chapter for one of techno’s leading authorities. It might not be what you expect for a DJ synonymous with fast, hard, and heavy techno, but according to Chris Liebing, he’s always been something of a slow starter. “I’ve wanted to do something like Burn Slow all my life,” he says.
While retaining the framework of the techno beats that Chris Liebing has dedicated his life to for the past 25 years, here he also seeks out new harmonic territories, taking aim at the heart rather than the feet, in order to tackle some deep themes. The key concept of presence – the idea that everything is happening in this moment, and that everything in the past is mere memory – form the thematic backbone of the record. It’s something Liebing got in touch with via the philosopher Alan Watts, not to mention decades of getting entire dancefloors lost in the present. “If people would stay in the now, everything in the world would just have a bit more harmony,” explains Liebing.
Liebing has teamed up with Ralf Hildenbeutel for Burn Slow (a key part of the long since defunct Eye Q family), and at his Hildenbeutel’s Frankfurt studio Liebing began drifting into new territory with his new musical ‘enabler’.
The Burn Slow project began its evolution with two remixes, for Depeche Mode’s Going Backwards and Goldfrapp’s Everything Is Never Enough – both artists associated with his new label, which has been an inspiration for Chris Liebing since a young age: “Without realising, a lot of the music I was into came from just one label, Mute. I vividly remember dancing around at my neighbour’s house in the early ‘80s to songs by Depeche Mode and Yazoo. Banging my head in dark basements to the likes of DAF, Laibach and Nitzer Ebb to name but a few.”
Chris has channeled his passion to the performance, production, distribution and broadcasting of music on a global level. His DJ sets are sonic journeys between darkness and light, always far from the beaten tracks of the musical mainstream.
Press Info (German):
Chris Liebing veröffentlicht Details seines Album-Debüts für Mute: Burn Slow erscheint am 07.09. Zudem gibt es mit Polished Chrome (The Friend Pt. 1) feat. Gary Numan als Gastsänger einen Vorgeschmack auf das Album zu hören (siehe unten).
Es folgt dem Stück Novembergrey, das bereits vor einer Weile veröffentlicht wurde. Burn Slow ist ein 10 Stücke umfassendes Album, das mit Miles Cooper Seaton (Akron / Family), Mute-Labelmate Polly Scattergood (onDeadWaves), Cold Cave, Aleen und natürlich Gary Numan eine ganze Reihe an Gastsänger*innen bietet.
Das Album ist ein minimalistisches elektronisches Epos und zugleich der Beginn eines neuen Kapitels für Liebing, der als DJ eine langjährige Autorität vor allem in den Bereichen schneller, harter Techno ist. Doch offenbar war er schon immer ein slow Starter: „Mein ganzes Leben lang wollte ich schon immer so etwas wie Burn Slow machen“, sagt er. Während er den Beat, dem er sich seit 25 Jahren in Techno verschrieben hat, beibehält, sucht er nach neuen harmonischen Territorien und zielt diesmal, wenn man so will, weniger auf die Füße als vielmehr nach dem Herzen. Das Rückgrat des Albums folgt dem Konzept einer reinen Gegenwart: Alles was passiert, passiert genau Jetzt, in diesem Moment, alles, was der Vergangenheit angehört, ist bloße Erinnerung. Es folgt damit den Ideen des Philosophen Alan Watts – und natürlich Liebings Erfahrung, ganze Dancefloors in der Gegenwart verloren gehen zu sehen: „Blieben die Leute in der Gegenwart, würde die ganze Welt ein klein wenig harmonischer sein“, erklärt er.
Um Burn Slow aufzunehmen, tat sich Liebing mit Ralf Hildenbeutel (vormals Eye Q Family) zusammen um in dessen Frankfurter Studio das Album zu entwickeln und aufzunehmen…
Die Wurzeln des gesamten Projekts gehen jedoch viel weiter zurück. Alles begann mit zwei Remixen für Depeche Mode („Going Backwards“) und Goldfrapp („Everything Is Never Enough“) – beides Künstler*innen, die lange schon mit Mute assoziiert sind, einem Label, das Liebing ohnehin schon seit seiner Jugend verfolge: „Ohne es damals bemerkt zu haben, kam eine Menge der Musik, die ich mochte von nur einem Label, Mute. Ich erinnere mich lebhaft daran, in den Achtzigern im Haus unserer Nachbarn zu Depeche Mode und Yazoo herumgetanzt zu haben. Und in dunklen Kellern meinen Kopf zu DAF, Laibach und Nitzer Ebb geschüttelt zu haben – um nur ein paar wenige zu nennen.“
Weltbekannt für seine einzigartigen DJ-Sets, gehört Chris Liebing zur Speerspitze des deutschen Techno in Performance, Produktion, Distribution und Aufführung. Seine Sets wurden an anderer Stelle als sonische Reisen zwischen Dunkelheit und Licht beschrieben, immer bleiben sie weit abseits des musikalischen Mainstreams.
Listen: soon
Videos:
“And All Went Dark” (feat. Polly Scattergood)
“Polished Chrome (The Friend Pt. 1)” (feat. Gary Numan)
Press Info (German):
Chris Liebing und Mute sind erfreut bekanntzugeben, dass Liebing bei Mute unterschrieben hat und veröffentlichen mit „Novembergrey“ gleich einen ersten Track, ein Vorgeschmack auf all das, was in Zukunft noch kommen wird
Seine Beziehung zum Label beschreibt Liebing so: “Without realising, a lot of the music I was into came from just one label, Mute. I vividly remember dancing around to songs by Depeche Mode and Yazoo and banging my head in dark basements to the likes of DAF, Laibach and Nitzer Ebb. Things came full circle when I found myself in the Mute office and I’m delighted to be working with Daniel Miller, someone I’ve known for years and Mute, a label I have known for longer still.”
Daniel Miller ergänzt: “After meeting up with Chris at numerous techno events, exchanging music and discussing ideas for many years, it was great to hear new music by him again and we’re delighted that he’s part of the Mute family.”
Chris Liebing hat zudem eine Reihe an Club Nights angekündigt – weitere Infos dazu auf chrisliebing.com
Weltbekannt für seine einzigartigen DJ-Sets, gehört Chris Liebing zur Speerspitze des deutschen Techno in Performance, Produktion, Distribution und Aufführung. Seine Sets wurden an anderer Stelle als sonische Reisen zwischen Dunkelheit und Licht beschrieben, immer weit abseits des musikalischen Mainstreams. „Novembergrey”, koproduziert von Ralf Hildenbeutel, zeigt eine neue, dynamische Facette seines Sounds.
Press Info (English):
Chris Liebing and Mute are delighted to announce his signing to the label and the release of a brand new track, ‘Novembergrey’.
Listen to ‘Novembergrey’, Liebing’s debut release on Mute and a taste of what to expect from future releases.
Liebing explains his relationship with the label: “Without realising, a lot of the music I was into came from just one label, Mute. I vividly remember dancing around to songs by Depeche Mode and Yazoo and banging my head in dark basements to the likes of DAF, Laibach and Nitzer Ebb. Things came full circle when I found myself in the Mute office and I’m delighted to be working with Daniel Miller, someone I’ve known for years and Mute, a label I have known for longer still.”
Daniel Miller, talking about the new signing, said: “After meeting up with Chris at numerous techno events, exchanging music and discussing ideas for many years, it was great to hear new music by him again and we’re delighted that he’s part of the Mute family.”
In addition, Chris Liebing has announced a series of very special club nights throughout May. For the latest information on dates & tickets, go to chrisliebing.com
Renowned worldwide for his unique DJ sets, Chris Liebing is a leading light in German techno and devoted to the performance, production, distribution and broadcasting of music on a global level. His DJ sets are sonic journeys between darkness and light, always far from the beaten tracks of the musical mainstream. ‘Novembergrey’, co-produced by Ralf Hildenbeutel, marks a new facet of Liebing’s dynamic sound, one that will certainly continue his own journey as an inspiration to DJs, artists, producers and music lovers worldwide.
