With more than 250 releases since 2010 – on labels such as Nachtstrom Records, Naked Lunch, MB Elektronics and many more Austrian DJ, live-act and producer Peter Linsbergen aka Niereich is receiving more and more recognition worldwide. Fans could enjoy his deep and dark driven techno sets from Argentina and New-Mexico towards Italy, France, Spain, Germany and Hungary.
Still busy touring to numerous festivals and clubs, Niereich’ s name is proudly featured alongside established industry heroes such as Extrawelt, Sam Paganini, Nicole Moudaber, Format –B and Secret Cinema. His rising star seems to be unstoppable after his latest 3rd album release – Sequences which is released both on CD and digital on NonLinear Systems. His huge amounts of releases include both: many original own tracks as well as remixes from A. Paul, Hans Bouffmyhre, Piatto and Eric Sneo.
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Si Tew speaks about his latest album, 'Quietude' on Atjazz Record CompanyDutch writer and radio station owner Shirley Loth met up with Peter at the fully packed and sold out Musikbunker in Germany to find out more about this European superstar.
Hello Peter, thank you for taking the time to have this chat with us. How was your day today? What have you been up to?
Hello and thank you for having me. I’m doing very well. Today I did the final mix-down for 2 new tracks and in between some sport for decompression and recharging batteries for the upcoming gigs.
That sounds really great and we are noticing your schedule is really busy! Can you tell us, is there any difference playing abroad and playing in your home country?
Yes, last year was quiet busy, I did the usual stops around Europe, a lot of new festivals in Germany, Spain and France were also added to the schedule, plus a little Argentina tour. I don’t think there is a super big difference all in all. People in Argentina might be a bit less hectic and relaxed, there’s no real time pressure down there, you know?
We understand the Niereich project started in 2010, but how did you get inspired to start up DJing and who mainly inspired you musically?
Everything started back in school around 1992 in a tiny town in Austria, I was one the few digging electronic music back then. I remember listening to the “La Boum Deluxe” show on the radio late at night on fridays, they were mainly playing house and techno, and thinking to myself “this is my music”. So, I started recording my own cassette mix-tapes at home, as a natural progression I began buying records and the next thing I was throwing parties with my buddies at the local youth club. Djing was always kinda there, as a hobby, making a carrier out of it wasn’t even in my wildest dreams. If somebody had told me back in 2010 when I started Niereich I would make a living out of it I would have probably laughed. It went beyond any expectation for sure.
Were there any DJs who in your opinion stood out and when/where did you first perform in front of an audience?
Yeah, of course, there was Chris Liebing, Ilsa Gold, DJ Misjah, Secret Cinema, Miss Djax and so on. My first gigs where small, specially the ones at the youth club :D maybe 20-30 people. But everything has grown in a very natural way. I play some bigger venues, some smaller ones and the same is with festivals.
How did you feel playing your first public DJ set back then?
Nervous man! Imagine any young kid in the booth in front of a crowd.
HAHA! Has the feeling changed now?
No, I don’t think that’s ever going to change, I’m still excited right before I start playing, but I guess you gain more experience the more time passes, so it’s maybe a different kind of nervous. And of course there are the tech problems that never come handy.
We were lucky enough to catch your gig at Musikbunker in Germany, we noticed you were performing with a laptop. Can you tell us more about your current set up?
That’s right, I play with Live, I use the Akai APC40 as a controller and a UA Apollo Twin audio interface. Lately I’ve also been taking the TR-8 with me.
Whats your take on digital DJing and what other setups do you like to use?
For me it’s all about the possibilities. That’s why I chose my current setup. I sort of remix on the fly, creating more tension or maybe less and having much more control over the little details in my sets.
Can you talk us through the equipment in your studio?
My studio is my kingdom. My outboard gear consist of a couple of drum machines, the usual suspects an 808 & 909, I also have a 303, a couple of synth and a little modular system but hardware is mainly a source of inspiration for me, at the end of the day I’m more the “in the box” kinda guy. I use Ableton Live plus some great new plugins. Funny though, I never really work on ideas while on tour, I need to be in my studio; in my own walls in order to be creative… like I said, my studio is my kingdom.
Are there any things you wish to add to your kingdom?
I’ve tested a lot of stuff over the years but I must say I’m pretty happy at the moment. Never change a running system like they say.
Lets move on to your 3rd album – Sequences. Can you tell us how much time did you spend putting this album together?
Most of the time it’s just something inside me that’s need or wants to come out. I don’t know if there’s something specific that inspires me, it’s mainly a form of expression. But there’s a funny story behind Sequences: Somewhere in between the end of 2014 and early 2015 I had the first layouts for the album. Half way in I started having major back problems. I could barely move. Touring was nearly impossible. But I was so deep in the process of making the album that I couldn’t stop. I got a mattress and put it the studio and while laying belly down on this mattress with my equipment on the floor all around me I wrote the rest of the album. During those weeks I hardly left the room, sometimes I even used to wake up in the middle of the night continued working on ideas and then back to sleep.
That is a remarkable story Peter! Hope your back problems are solved, but without a doubt it tells us how dedicated you are and the album turned out to be an absolute banger! What new music projects are to be expected in this forthcoming year? Any exclusive news you want to share with us first?
There’s a ton in the pipeline, actually a lot of music coming out this year. I have some stuff coming out on FLASH Recordings & MOD, a Driving Forces EP with a 2000 and One Remix, DJ Emerson just picked some tracks for Micro.fon, I did a collab with Spiros Kaloumenos, that’s also scheduled for 2016 and a lot more to come. I also have a tour to Brazil that I’m working on.
In this current age, many artists need or have a good team built around them. How lucky are you when it comes to having back up and support in what you do? And who would you like to mention especially on doing what, which you appreciate the upmost?
Well, I have a great booking agency, the guys at abstract keep a lot off my back so I can focus on making music. Thank you so much for that! And I also have some good friends I go to for advice. That’s pretty much it.
Being on the road so much, how do you keep in touch with everyone?
Ha! Take a guess! Texting – Whatsapp does it most of the time.
To keep being successful digital marketing and an online lifestyle appear very important to a great many artists. How do you feel about the social networks such as Facebook and Twitter?
Yes, it has, nowadays almost everybody’s marketing is online, as an artist you have to sometimes spend countless hours promoting in the web. As for social media site, we are probably not going to become best friends, but it is a necessary evil when it comes to self promotion as an artist. To be honest I’d rather use my homepage, but the reach here is limited, and at some point you will be forced to use bigger platforms with more users in order to increase your reach. On the other hand in my private life it’s non-existent! Online the fat’s always in the fire!
It’s been fantastic to chat with you Peter, we look forward to seeing you again. Thank you very much for this interview and our all best wishes for you!
Me too. Thank you!
