[Interview] Sleeparchive exclusive for MNML.nl

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Daniel Logikal
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[Interview] Sleeparchive exclusive for MNML.nl

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Sleeparchive, known to his mum as Stephan Metzger, has produced some stunning pieces of electronic music that cannot be pigeonholed in one particular genre of dance music. His label, Sleeparchive, distributed by Hardwax, is now four releases deep (Elephant Island EP, Recycle EP, Infrared Glow EP & Research EP) & with a storming remix of Monolake's Plumbicon Versions having just been released his style of minimal techno music is in much demand across the globe.

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Images courtesy of Albert Uriach @ www.salarazzmatazz.com

Your first release was Elephant Island in 2004, the latest one is the Infrared Glow EP in September 2005. During that year you became very popular, you played at SMS, Kozzmozz, Vollt, etc… What’s the secret of this success?

I really don’t know. Right time, right place....?

Where does the name Sleeparchive come from?

The word sleep was taken from minimal nation by Robert Hood. The word sleep sounds nice and everybody can associate something with it. Archive is just another nice sounding word I think.

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Image courtesy of www.beatfreax.nl

Nowadays everybody talks about minimal music, but what do you personally understand under the style Minimal?

Most of the stuff that is called minimal isn’t minimal in my opinion. Mika Vainio`s releases for Sähkö are my definition of what minimal is, and also stuff like Blir or Ikeda. But anyway I like some newer stuff from the so called minimal scene.

On Discogs.com we read something about Skanfrom. Could you tell us a bit more about him? What are the differences between Skanfrom & Sleeparchive?

Skanfrom is old stuff I did some years ago. The music isn’t interesting for people who like sleeparchive. I stopped Skanfrom in 2002. I have still some tracks left I’m going to release someday. But at the moment I have more fun with Sleeparchive. I’m a bit bored of melodies, robots and singing birds :-)

Galactic Blob is a title on ZZZ04, there’s also a link to an article about Galactic Blobs on your site. Tell us more about this mysterious interest of yours.

Galactic blob was recorded by a good friend of mine (so it is a lot of fun to hear people talking about that it sounds exactly like the first 3 releases). Galactic blob was just an ok name and I never heard about galactic blobs before until my friend came up with the idea for the EP. It’s very interesting, a good name, but not a special interest. The link was only for explanation, because some people thought it was just a funny name or something stupid…..Perhaps I should make a link for Elephant Island also.

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Monolake 017, Plumbicon Versions with a “Sleeparchive Interpretation” is the latest Sleeparchive conception. How did you guys get in contact and will there be further projects in the future?

We played together a show in London and we know us from Hardwax in Berlin. We don’t plan any projects for the future. I think Sleeparchive and Monolake sound very different and we couldn’t do anything together because we concentrate on different aspects in music. I really like the latest Monolake release and besides "axis", "Plumbicon" is one of my favourites so I spent a lot of time for making the rmx. Great guys with a vision.

I had the privilege hearing you play live in Ghent, (Kozzmozz party). It was imho a great Live PA, bit it missed a bit “punch”, some people found it too monotone, too clean and not very “shakeable” music. Is this something you are aware of? And are you going to adjust your live PA’s in the future?

In my opinion music can never be too minimal or too clean, because this is exactly what I like about music. What do you exactly mean with “punch” or “shakeable” music means but it sounds like music with shuffle grooves, which always bore me.

I think about a second set I will play if I’m not booked for dance clubs. This set will have some more tracks without straight bass drum but more bleeps and more noise. It’s not possible to do something like this at a "normal" party. The people just want to dance dance dance. They get confused if the beat stops for more than 30 seconds. Perhaps I’m wrong, but that’s how it feels when I play live.

Some people also say my set is boring because I look bored when I play live and because I have only a laptop with me. That makes me laugh from time to time. Because i`m really not bored just concentrated. If I would go and jump and scream etc... maybe this would be more fun for the audience, but I wouldn't be able to play my live set. :) I only use the laptop, because I do all my tracks with just that laptop.

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Images courtesy of www.groovetrackers.com

What can we expect from you in the future? Maybe a first Album coming up?

I don’t plan to release an album. A new 12” is planned for January. “Tape Recording”, a track I play live is going to be released later next year as an 12”. But perhaps I will skip my plans and will do something different. I have a lot of tracks but I don’t think there is a need to release all of them because not all of them are really good. Sometimes I think I did an ok tune but if I listen to the track 2 month later I think it is just boring crap :-)

I did a rmx for Modeselektor and I hope to finish my rmx for Areal soon. Both tracks are a bit harder than the normal Sleeparchive stuff and not that minimal. I also did some loops for Detroit Underground.

Imagine that you’re a promoter with an unlimited budget, how would your line-up look like? :-)

I would like to book Joy Division, but no money in the world can bring Ian Curtis back!

Related Links:
http://www.sleeparchive.de/
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Sleeparchive

--------------------
Interview conducted exclusively for mnml.nl by Ben Clement
Last edited by Daniel Logikal on Fri May 23, 2008 2:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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.kavo.
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Post by .kavo. »

thanks a lot for interview, nice reading :wink:
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Daniel Logikal
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Post by Daniel Logikal »

Yup, Ben actually did this one but hasn't had a chance to post it, so I did it for him :)
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Post by .kavo. »

Daniel Logikal wrote:Yup, Ben actually did this one but hasn't had a chance to post it, so I did it for him :)
good job :twisted:
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Post by d-rokc »

eheheheh, on the picture with the baloon, check out mr. robag wruhme in the back with the sonic youth t-shirt :P

ace :!:
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Post by harass »

I had the privilege hearing you play live in Ghent, (Kozzmozz party). It was imho a great Live PA, bit it missed a bit “punch”, some people found it too monotone, too clean and not very “shakeable” music. Is this something you are aware of? And are you going to adjust your live PA’s in the future?
stupid questions.
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Daniel Logikal
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Post by Daniel Logikal »

harass wrote:
I had the privilege hearing you play live in Ghent, (Kozzmozz party). It was imho a great Live PA, bit it missed a bit “punch”, some people found it too monotone, too clean and not very “shakeable” music. Is this something you are aware of? And are you going to adjust your live PA’s in the future?
stupid questions.
Thanks for the feedback, I'll pass that onto Ben. Almost as stupid as 99% of your posts on this board? :roll:
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Post by orphic »

I don't know about stupid. They are questions and discussions that have been brought up by many in the minimal community, why not address them to the man himself? It's not to say if they are right or wrong, they're just ideas...
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