Guest
Known for his prominence on Frankfurt's dance music scene since the early '90s, Chris Liebing is a German techno producer, DJ, and label owner. He helped establish a hard minimal techno sound with his Audio imprint during the late '90s, then formed his influential CLR label and released the raucous and eerie 2003 full-length Evolution (co-produced by frequent collaborator André Walter) as well as 2005's Collabs 3000: Metalism (with Speedy J). Liebing's sound gradually became more spacious and atmospheric, and he worked with co-producer Ralf Hildenbeutel on two eclectic, guest-heavy full-lengths for Mute, 2018's Burn Slow and 2021's Another Day. Chris Liebing landed his first DJ residency at the Red Brick club in the town of Giessen in 1991. He formed his own Spinclub in 1994, and went on to work for Eye-Q Records in Frankfurt, where he became friends with André Walter, and the pair soon got to work building their own studio to record their own material. Liebing launched his Audio imprint in 1997 and issued 1997's Dandu Groove and 1998's Drumcook, additionally releasing material on Primate and Molecular Recordings. After Michael Burkat took over Audio in 1999 and renamed it Fine Audio Recordings, Liebing launched CLR, which soon became one of the most respected purist techno labels. 2003 saw the release of Liebing's first full-length, the philosophy-heavy Evolution, which also featured Walter on production. He promoted the material through sporadic DJ spots around Europe while working on further material. Liebing won the trophy for Best National DJ at the German Dance Awards in 2003. Two years later, he worked with Speedy J on Collabs 3000: Metalism, which was released on Novamute. Liebing focused on DJing and running CLR, issuing the occasional single and collaborations with Ben Sims and Tommy Four Seven. In 2009, he launched his own podcast, also titled CLR, which saw Liebing present a number of his own mixes as well as guest sets from the likes of Drumcell, Marcel Dettmann, and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode. Remaining busy with the podcast and DJing internationally, Liebing collaborated with Loco Dice on the 2015 single “Keep It Low,“ then surfaced on Mute with the 2018 full-length Burn Slow. Co-produced by German techno/trance veteran and film composer Ralf Hildenbeutel, the set featured guests such as Cold Cave, Polly Scattergood, Miles Cooper Seaton, and Gary Numan. Liebing and Charlotte de Witte collaborated on the 2019 single “Liquid Slow.“ A second Hildenbeutel-produced album for Mute, Another Day, appeared in 2021, with guests including Maria Uzor, Ladan (formerly known as Cold Specks), and Tom Adams.
