Oliver Lieb may be best known today for productions & remixes under his own name featuring in mixes by big-name Progressive DJs like Sasha & Seb Fontaine, as well as releases on Ministry of Sound’s Data label. Those who’ve been enchanted by the distinct & often timeless sound of these tracks may have scratched the surface a little deeper & come across his LSG project; but the diversity found in the six albums spanning a decade on Germany’s pioneering Superstition Records- ranging from early live Trance, to his signature Tech-Trance emoting all seasons, to cumulonimbus Breakbeats, submariner Ambient & furious Techno from the abyss- is only the tip of the iceberg.
Once you take in the true scope & sheer volume of his discography, you’ll find examples of Oliver’s music in more subgenres- even in Deep Dish’s Yoshiesque series as Smoked, Snakemen & SOL- and elsewhere under any one of 35 other aliases. Not to mention having arguably the most formidable studio of analogue synthesizers in the world, collected over 15 years as an Electronic Musician, giving his songs a unique & prized character that others have sought to sample for their own releases- including Layo & Bushwacka’s Nightworks LP & more recently, the aptly-titled Sick by Norwegian D&B producer Teebee.
He frequently appears in lists of producers respected by peers right across the spectrum of Electronica, across the globe. His back-catalogue is the arsenal of secret weapons that DJs of the highest echelon have annihilated you with for many years past- and no doubt many years to come. Yet he still remains an unknown quantity to the average punter; possibly due to his refusal to be pinned down to a single style or psuedonym, or not taking the sell-out route of many of his contemporaries, and trading painstaking pad & percussion programming for ad nauseam repetition of presets.
Now on his highly-anticipated return to Australia, this native of Frankfurt is going to do something he hasn’t done in some time- perform live- and something that he’s noted for resisting- actually play some of his classic club tunes- at Hardware’s Belfast event on NYE. He has a few DJ dates around the country to boot; though like Sven Väth who also rose to prominence in the First wave of Trance in the mid-90s, he’s keen to distance himself the Second wave at the turn of the century, and you can expect him to mix modern Techno. (Read: don’t ask him to play anything that is more than 12 months old, or sounds derivative- especially any T-R-A-N-C-E.)
Unabashed Lieb devotee fireSprite recently got the opportunity to ask some questions of his idol for ITM:
You’re noted for your prolific musical output, but 2004 seems to have been a quiet one for you. There have been few productions released this year aside from The Best of LSG: The Singles Reworked, what have you been up to?
In late 2002 I started to work on music for movies- the first was House of the Dead, a splatter-flick based on the arcade game- I did another at the beginning of this year as well, and that was the main reason why there wasn’t that much vinyl out by me….. I almost moved to Los Angeles for more work, but only decided a couple of months ago not to.
With a few movie soundtracks now under your belt, is there one film from any period in history you’d like to re-score?
Oh….. maybe a couple? I’ve done something like this (Koyaanisqatsi) years ago with Dr. Atmo….. it would be great to do Blade Runner or [Ridley Scott’s] Alien!
This is the first time you’re playing live in what, 5 years? I know that you stopped because your equipment was often getting lost or damaged in transit, and that you’ve since gained a following as a Techno DJ including a residency at The Gallery in Turnmills. What’s prompted the return to live performance?
It’s not really a return….. first of all, the equipment that you need to perform live has changed in that time; I don’t have to travel with another person now, it was a bit of problem before because I had so much baggage- I only have two arms & can only lift two or three bags! Now with Ableton Live, I only need a laptop & I’m using one to DJ anyway [with FinalScratch]. Belfast in Melbourne is a one-off show- it’s a retro party, and I’m going to do a live retrospective set of my work. We’ll see- maybe in the future, but I wouldn’t say that I’m a live act again.
What kind of sound can we expect you to DJ at other dates while you’re in Australia?
The stuff I have now is groovy, funky Techno, and a slower, new kind of style- I don’t know what to call it?
Is there any artist or genre of music that you’re excited about at the moment?
I’d say all the stuff I buy or play as a DJ- I don’t play Techno that much anymore because good releases are hard to find- most of the time it’s just the same sound being done over & over again, like it did with Trance before. Border Community is one of the labels that I think is doing something good- y’know, James Holden- and some music like his, maybe a bit harder….. I can’t think of any other names right now, I’d have to look through my collection!
You’re quoted in an interview at the beginning of this year saying that a number of label & distributors you’d previously had productions released through had recently gone bankrupt, and that you held little hope for the future of Electronic Music except for blatantly commercially-orientated material. Has your opinion changed after 12 months?
Uh….. I didn’t say that I didn’t see any future for Electronic Music, I think somebody asked me about the future of Trance & I said no way, it’s going to finish, and Techno is almost finished as well- the harder stuff, because there’s no development forward & that’s the main problem. How do people get into Electronic Music? Years ago, you had to go to a club & maybe there was something on the radio….. and today, in every stupid commercial you have some kind of Electronic song! There has to be something else- if you go to club, you want to hear something different than you hear everywhere else….. I think that’s why a lot of people stopped paying money for music because it doesn’t sound fresh & they don’t go out to clubs anymore- they don’t want to see a DJ that plays the same stuff as the last 100 they saw before….. but I’m a lot more enthusiastic now, because I can see & hear some genuinely new material coming through, and not just fusions of other genres.
If I read the correctly from the same interview, you mention there’s another completed LSG album yet to be released?
Superstition’s main distributor who did a really good job for many years closed down, so the label had to go to another….. when I heard the name I was like, OK, we have to test them out first & then see if they can handle a new product? The unreleased album was supposed to be out in late 2003, but we decided instead to release a Best of & I did these downbeat versions (The Singles Reworked)..... they didn’t do as expected & then Superstition shut down. One day it will be released….. next year I’m going to start some labels again- I feel like I have to, because I don’t want to deal with other guys & try to build up their labels again.
Are you reactivating your previous imprints like Phoolish, Testified & Methane, or are your going to start new labels?
I’m in the process of investigating this right now- there’s so much I want to do altogether! I want to have an internet site for these labels, as you might know there isn’t much on about me on the web aside from some fan pages- so I want to be a bit more present there & negotiate the details with the distributors. I’m not 100% how many labels there will be, but it won’t be the old names….. I dunno, it might be just one label on my own & another with somebody else, but at least two or three labels next year.
As an veteran Electronic Musician, what do you find most frustrating?
Labels & Distributors declaring themselves bankrupt & then having to chase down people to get paid. I also had a lot of problems with Apple this year & finally decided to get replace of all their equipment out of my studio- that was really frustrating because it stopped me from working.
What gives you the most satisfaction as an Electronic Musician?
Just being able to make music. Of course hearing that people like what you produce, but that comes after being able to create it.
You’re name-checked as inspiration for many producers. From what do you derive inspiration to produce?
I dunno, I have to produce! I don’t know why, I just have to? I want to write music 24 hours a day, and if I was able to I would. There’s nothing else in this world that I’d rather do…..
What does 2005 hold in store for Oliver Lieb?
Alone in the Dark, the film that I scored this year starring Christian Slater, Steven Dorff & Tara Reid will be released in the States- it’s a B-Movie adapted from a another game. [laughs] When I get back from Australia, I’ll concentrate on getting the labels & website running….. you know John “00” Fleming? We’re going to try out LSG on his J00F label- it will start with a re-release of Netherworld with remixes from both of us, Oliver Prime & the one I personally like most by Incolumis, from Black Tiger Records in the States- a double 12” out in late January!
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
I’m really looking forward to coming back to Australia to see what the scene is like? I haven’t been back for a while because there was some really strange stuff going on when I was last there….. I hope this time it will just be a regular tour & won’t involve too many stupid conspiracy nuts! [laughs]
OLIVER LIEB TOUR DATES
Fri 31st Dec – Old Skool LIVE set – Melbourne Belfast NYE @ QBH
Sat 1st Jan – Sunshine People – Melbourne Atlantic Southwharf (DJ set)
Sat 1st Jan – Sunshine People – Perth Mulberry Farm (DJ set)
Sat 15th Jan – Sydney Gas Nightclub (DJ set)
You can check out the extensive Discography maintained by his legion of fans at http://www.tursa.franken.de/OliverLieb_md.html
