HANNES BIEGER X CANADIANRAVERS INTERVIEW [PLUGNS USED IN THE EP, SKILLS DEVELOPED, EQ ENJOYED THE MOST]

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

FOLLOW HANNES BIEGER

KILL THE NOISE, FAR OUT & SULTAN + SHEPARD REMIX SEVEN LIONS & ANDREW BAYER’S “RETURNING TO YOU”

"Returning To You" (Remixes) is the remix package for dance producer Seven Lions and trance producer Andrew Bayer's first official collaboration. The pack features an experimental/melodic bass remix from Kill The Noise, a melodic dubstep/chillstep remix from Far Out and a melodic/progressive house remix by Sultan + Shepard. The original hit #48 on Billboard's Dance & Electronic Chart and had massive support on editorial playlists (Power Hour, Dance Rising, Workout Beats, Bass Arcade, danceXL). Seven Lions and Kill The Noise will also be promoting the original and remixes on the upcoming Pantheon tour.

The music of Jake Stanczak, better known as American producer and DJ, Kill the Noise, was born out of an era where Ridley Scott imagined utopian futures on the silver screen, and artists like NIN and Aphex Twin rocked MTV. After channeling the influences of his youth through over a decades’ worth of forward driven electronic releases (Roots, Kill Kill Kill, Black Magic, Occult Classic), and charismatic live shows (Coachella, EDC Lollapalooza, Hardfest), the name “Kill the Noise” has become synonymous with some of the leading acts in dance music — getting creative in the studio with the likes of Dillon Francis, Deadmau5, AWOLNATION and Skrillex — and as 2020 unfolds, he’ll be unveiling even more material.

Far Out had a debut live performance at EDC Las Vegas, supported Illenium on his North America Tour, and was nominated as one of Your EDM's breakout artists to watch. Recent live show support for Jason Ross on his Insomniac's Atlas residency brought in big excitement, which saw over 20k concurrent viewers. Support from A list acts includes Illenium, Marshmello, Slander, Seven Lions, Alan Walker, Don Diablo, The Chainsmokers, Gryffin, Krewella and many more. Far Out's "Worlds Apart" has over 6 million streams across platforms since it's initial release, with heavy music score elements and “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Far Out Remix)” has accumulated over 100 Million views on Youtube & Soundcloud. In total, Far Out has seen 60 Million Spotify Streams, 200+ Million Youtube Views and 7.5 Million Soundcloud

Streams.

Ossama Al Sarraf and Ned Shepard quickly discovered natural musical chemistry after a chance meeting in Montreal’s mid-2000’s after-hours club scene. Since then, the two have established themselves as one of dance music’s leading partnerships through collaborations with revered EDM artists such as Dillon Francis, Tiësto, and Fedde Le Grand, and remixes for major pop acts like Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, and Madonna. The 2012 release of their anthemic single "Walls" vaulted them on tour across the globe with stops at Ultra Music Festival, Tomorrowland, Mysteryland, and a residency at the Wynn in Las Vegas. Their remix of Bruno Mars’s “Locked Out Of Heaven” earned them a Grammy nomination in 2013. In the summer of 2017, Sultan and Ned reunited with singer Nadia Ali to release the folk inspired dance anthem "Almost Home" also featuring NYC based songwriter Iro. Almost Home went to #1 on the Billboard Dance Charts and was nominated for a Juno Award for Best Dance Recording.

WOLFPACK X MAKASI & FATMAN SCOOP’ BLOW THE HOUSE DOWN’ ON GENERATION SMASH

Wolfpack and Makasi team up on ‘Blow The House Down’ and draft in the unmissable tones of US rap legend Fatman Scoop for a special release on Generation Smash.

A grizzling intro segues into a fuzzy melodic lead unleashing a dose of high-octane energy that is set to explode across the airwaves upon release. ‘Blow The House Down’ utilises Fatman Scoop’s rugged voice to sublime effect saddling it alongside a female vocal sample, triggering a perfect complement to the tracks driven instrumental.

Wolfpack has spent the past six years in the DJ MAG TOP 100 poll, a renowned force in the dance world. Card-carrying members of the Smash The House family with multiple releases on the imprint. Which include ‘By My Side’ with Jonathan Mendelsohn and Jerry Davila, to label heads Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike producing their edit of ‘Kalinka’, they have grown to become firm favourites with fans across the globe.

Building his sound in the clubs of Antwerp and now carrying that to the world, Makasi has had multiple releases under the Smash banner with artists like Richie Loop, DJ Pelos and Marc Joef.

American rapper/promoter and radio presenter Fatman Scoop is a figure who needs no introduction. An internationally acclaimed artist with a famed raw voice, Fatman Scoop has worked with artists such as Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Hardwell, Skrillex and Pitbull.