Curator: Manfred Genther

 

Håkan Lidbo is without doubt one of the more prolific and diverse producers the electronic music scene has ever witnessed, having released more than 100 records in a career spanning just under fifteen years. From early experiments in the studio and original homemade releases through to becoming one of the most creative and sought after producers the worlds of Techno, Electro and House have ever seen, he has notched up varied releases across a wide spectrum of the globes labels, including the likes of Feis, Chalant, Force Tracks, Frogman, Pokerflat, Plastic City, Lasergun and countless more. One explanation for this spread is the sheer breadth of music his range encompasses, composing everything from Latin Techno through Electro, Synth-pop, Soul, Disco, Click-House and Minimal Dub, imbibing everything with a unique quirkiness and twisted production style. He is also renowned for his live sets, and has spent a great deal of the last year touring the worlds clubs showcasing his eclectic sound.

Macc is a producer who is equally interested in both the programmed and live aspect of modern music. As a programmer he looks to create live-sounding drums and other instruments, while as a drummer he seeks to play in a way that could be thought of as 'programmed'. To this end he will program tracks using a computer, then learn to play them the same as they were programmed. Macc does not DJ, he instead prefers to play his own music as a continuous and flowing live performance, with the drums being his main instrument. These live shows have been causing people to go crazy all over, including Belgium, Holland, Ireland, London, and several incendiary shows in Germany. Expect to hear live versions of releases on labels such as Paradox's Outsider Music label, Subtle Audio, and Dutch label Counter Intelligence amongst others. Macc says there's something about live performance that people seem to enjoy... Seeing someone really putting their blood, sweat and tears into their music seems to get people involved in a different way to the average DJ.

KiloWatts & Vanek share an innate talent for concocting seemingly capricious melodies, coming together almost seamlessly. Each individual brings a unique sound which gives this duo a fresh, inviting sound in which the listener luxuriates. Mr. Watt's well seasoned electronics, enriched with the warm vocals of van Ewijk, are perfected with a balance of modest guitar arrangements. Comparisons may be drawn to such acts as The Postal Service, Styrofoam, or The Alpha Conspiracy. Nevertheless, this pair is difficult to class to genre, as if to defiantly stand out from the conventional contrivances of appellation. After 3 ½ years they will finally be together on a stage again at lab30. www.kilowattsandvanek.org

Slick Rogers started with dj-ing in 1987. He was resident at some New Wave/EBM/Industrial clubs in his hometown Augsburg (South-Germany) back in those days. In the 1990s he got into Electro and was one of the resident DJs at the legendary party series Elektrik Nacht. Today he still spins records at various clubs and bars in Augsburg. Besides, he occasionally produces his own tracks, which he exclusively released on Kommando 6. »The Driver« EP was a compilation of his best tracks. At this year’s lab30 Slick Rogers will perform live for the first time ever.

www.myspace.com/andreastilliander

Mikkel Metal aka Mikkel Meldgaard, born 1973, lives and works in Copenhagen. Completing a degree in Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen 2001, he now works with web programming, besides making music. His musical career started 12 years ago as a guitarist. Equally interested in the introspective sound of the British shoe gazer-scene and the looser low-fi aesthetic of American slacker bands, he played in various bands and developed as a guitarist. By the mid-nineties he had grown an interest in electronic music, and bought a sampler. At first the focus laid on break beat music and melodic stuff. Later the direction changed towards a sound inspired by dub, techno, and click sensibilities. While the indierock is still apparent, this is the sound that characterised Mikkel’s music today. Things kicked off in 2000, with the release a 7-inch on the label Hal9000, that topped the magazine de:bug’s monthly chart (no. 42). Afterwards came an appearance on the net label datamusik, and a series of 12" on the Danish label Echocord. Mikkel developed and refined his sound, and also started issuing work to German label Kompakt. So far this has thrown off three 12’ inches. These works still continuing click-aesthetic and dub-influence, but take a slightly different path, and go from shuffle techno to slow melodic 4/4-based tracks. www.mikkelmetal.dk/news.asp