Nowadays it’s hard to wait for, well, just about anything. You can order just about anything from your phone and have it delivered to your doorstep within days and sometimes even hours. Freaky fast. There’s instant gratification only a tap or click away. Music; however, is quite the opposite. In all of its aspects. Just ask Chris Liebing, a German techno legend, whose career spans more than 30 years and who sees himself doing it for another 10 years, at least. “Be patient, don’t expect any results really quickly. Not in this business. Sometimes it happens but not in the DJ field. Things always take a little longer…” The techno DJ and producer talks about the sense of delayed gratification within music, his sophomore album’s influences, and why creating career success isn’t always about relevancy.
“You put in a lot of work in albums. There are only a few people who, I think, cherish that and really take the time to listen to the album. I think you do this for this small group of people.”
Chris Liebing, a staple figure in German techno, does music for the passion not for the charts.
Another Day is the name of Chris Liebing’s sophomore album slated to come out this November on Mute Records. In a way, the 10-track LP picks up nicely where his 2018 album Burn Slow left off. “A body of work that consists of at least eight to ten tracks and has a nice a flow,” he says when talking about shifting focus from EPs and singles to a more complete project. “I really wanted to do that with the Burn Slow album, [and] I really enjoyed it and had a lot of fun making it and releasing it. Automatically the idea came that I need[ed] to continue this.” After three decades of working dancefloors with pummelling techno, he’s chosen a different avenue for storytelling that only albums can fully achieve. The build-up of dynamic tempo, melodies, harmonies, tension, and the release of it all. “I want to express more and tell a story somehow, even if nobody wants to hear it,” jokes Liebing.
“I know people listen to singles and life is going really fast and the attention spans are really, really short, but I don’t give up on the idea that there are maybe more and more people out there who might just want to take a little time out of that rush that you’re in. Especially like this year showed us how to take time off from the rush we’re in. Lean back and take that 55 minutes and listen to a whole album. See what happens inside their head by listening to it, and see how they feel.”
Chris Liebing shares what he hopes people can take away with his upcoming album Another Day.
Despite having some time off the road, he created his own routine and worked on a lot of music during the first half of the year. In addition to producing music he also used the better part of last year to round out the album’s completion. He also stayed connected with his fans via personal live streams and ones he considers “showcasing” opportunities. Most recently, he was a part of Beatport’s online series Game Changers. His 90-minute DJ set was broadcast from Teufelsberg, a decommissioned Cold War listening station, in West Berlin. The project between Beatport and Microsoft Surface features game-changing electronic performers whose passion for technology has propelled their creative endeavors to new heights.