Hannes Bieger continues to push the envelope of what he can do in the world of electronic music, his expanding catalog will show listeners his musical mastery. The Berlin-based talent primes himself as an artist to watch as he continues to refine his sound with each subsequent release. Hannes Bieger has been dedicating himself to his craft and technique for the past few years, taking fans to his vivid and enthralling soundscapes. As a follow-up to his last release ‘The Heart’ EP on Poker Flat, the German powerhouse talent reveals a new infectious EP, ‘Droids’ via John Digweed’s Bedrock Records. We got a chance to sit down and talk about his unique skills unfold in this EP.
THE INTERVIEW
CR: Hello Hannes, Glad to have you in Canadianravers how are you doing?
HB: Hey! A pleasure to talk to you. All is good here, how are you?
CR: Growing up were there any artists who inspired you into becoming a Producer/DJ?
HB: This is a fairly long story, but to cut it short – I started playing guitar when I was ten years old because of Keith Richards. I always wanted to be a musician, and in the 90s I got really interested in electronic music. First I was into Trip Hop: Portishead, Kruder & Dorfmeister and the likes, and I started to get interested in Deep House in the late 90s, with St Germain, Metro Area, Masters at Work etc.
CR: Tell us a little bit about your EP 'Droids’, did you create the plugin from scratch or were they pre-sets created beforehand?
HB: I mostly used hardware synths on this track. There is a 16th note bass from the Moog Modular, a TB-303 bassline, the main lead is a layer from the DSI Prophet 6 and the Moog Matriarch, there is a line I created with the super weird Motor Synth from Gamechanger Audio, etc. So all in all it’s a very analogue track!
CR: For your tracks is there a method you follow or just create based on playing around with the instruments to get that right sound?
HB: I don’t have a method I’m always applying. Sometimes I just play around with my synths until I find something interesting, which is the “Keith Richards method”. He once described songwriting as putting a finger up in the air and waiting until something wraps around it. Sometimes I start with a drum groove, and sometimes I already have a melody or a musical concept in my head before I go to the studio.
CR: This is a three-part question, your first instrument, your recent instrument, and your favourite instrument.
HB: As far as synths go: The Moog Rogue, The Moog Model 10, and the Minimoog. What can I say, I just love them…?
CR: How long did it take you to create your studio the way you imagined it?
HB: It’s an ongoing project and it probably will never stop. I have a setup which you can call a studio since probably 1998 or so. Since then I have been developing and refining it. My
current studio is my third studio in Berlin and the second one I have is purpose-built. My dream is to build my next studio on an island…!
CR: How has your music/producing style developed from when you started to where it is right now?
HB: When I started with the straight bassdrum around 1999/2000, I was making very jazzy Deep House, along the lines of the influences I have just mentioned. From 2006 to 2017 I took a break from producing, to focus only on my mixing business. When I started again I pretty much skipped the jazz, the acoustic percussions, the Fender Rhodes and the Fender Bass. It’s a lot more techno now. Although I have the feeling, I often aim to make Melodic Techno, and the result turns out to be more like Progressive House… ;)
CR: If you had to choose between a Digital and Analog EQ, which would you choose?
HB: It depends on what I have to do. When I need to clean up a recording, I absolutely love digital EQ for its versatility and precision and transparency. However, when I want to paint with a thicker brush, when I want to create a sound, ultimately nothing beats a great analogue EQ.
CR: What do you like to do during your downtime when you are not producing music?
HB: I like food and cooking, I’m a good chef. And I also like to hang out in nature, preferably on or close to water. Riding boats, wake surfing, snorkelling, scuba diving, just relaxing on an island….
CR: What are some of your goals for 2021, anything our followers should know about?
HB: I hope I can play as often as possible, now that our scene is slowly waking up again. I am working on an exciting album project which I have to finish by the end of the year. Can’t wait to share all the details, but it’s too early for now!
Lighting Round
Texting or talking? Talking
Coffee or tea? Coffee
Hard liquor or Wine? First wine, then hard liquor – but no beer
Cake or pie? Cake
Hot dogs or hamburgers? Hamburgers
Xbox or PlayStation? None
Movie theatre or arcade? None
Guitar or piano? Both
Marvel or DC Comics? None
Dog or cat? Cat
Hot weather or cold weather? Hot weather
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