Chris Liebing Interview: How I Play

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[@ilprofessore79]

He's one of the true, last, orginal, f****ing Techno Gods out there

[@bass808]

Chris killed it at the Techno stage last saturday at Welcome To The Future. Bangin set!

[@ulajdavid2513]

the best techno dj, big fan off them

[@ingevanetten9489]

😄😚...

[@karakta2262]

inspiring chris is a wonderfull person

[@DeeJayEndo]

Techno is like jazz. Its all about improvising and making new music out of your existing music collection. Don't say its not that technical. He has one of the top 5 most technical DJ setups out of all of the top DJs in the world.

[@noahtorres7761]

I have to say , this was the most amazing advise that was given ... I really respect you as a dj and a producer .... rock on .... from a humble guy ...

[@simongarrettmusic]

seemed like a thoroughly nice bloke to me and shared his way of working with us.

[@sheatheman]

i use almost the exact set up! except mine is just an iphone and an ipad into a 4 channel mixer

[@MichelD123321]

holly shiit his equipment is awesome

[@Phi-musicDe]

one of the best tutorials!

[@WhiteVarnish]

Interview is good

[@VigoDJ]

Amazing!

[@MinimalSessionsRecords]

Bomb!

[@charlisports]

Maestro

[@sunnykataria23]

how many analogue in outs is he using with rme ?

[@CamilaCamaleon]

I love you

[@HazirEmir]

09:48 dislike = Avicii & David Guetta

[@CazuHD]

A legit dj ! not mickey mouse guetta...

[@Gridscape]

With this setup he is also a legit live act though...

[@AllAboutJailbreak]

I watch this way too often haha

[@maaaaaaaaarcel]

still going strong? :D

[@rosslowder1300]

Producers hate him!

[@nothingleft777]

When someone says "Haha DJs got no talent. They only push the play button bla bla", show them this. I bet they will start crying after seeing 3 or 4 decks are online at the same time. Chris is the man.

[@alvarojneto]

To be fair, there is DJing, and then there is Chris Liebing.

[@kallo182]

Bro... I make Dj-ing since 1996-97. The real Shit, with Vinyl. Not that modern Auto-Sync-Computer-Bullshit. And i Play Elektro Guitar to. And belive me... Dj-ing is NOTHING compared to Play an Instrument. Dj-ing is maybe not that easy like some People think. But Play an Instrument is a COMPLETTE differend League. If you have a good Teacher/Mentor. You can mix Vinyls after ... maybe 2 weeks. To Play a Guitar you Need Minimum 2 Years. And even than, you are not good. You are just Abele to Play a few Songs.

[@nothingleft777]

Karl S. I guess we both agree that using the sync button takes away the fun of mixing. But if you're gonna play a live-set using ableton/multiple decks, the sync button helps a lot as it makes sure that your tracks/samples/STEMs are tight and in time. That way, you can concentrate more on creating great sounds on stage.

[@alvarojneto]

DJing isn't just about mixing two beats together. You don't know what you're talking about. Did you even watch the video?

[@RuiPalmeira]

+Al Bundy, the technology is here to help the artists out, not because it's easier, lol. if you're a shit DJ on Vinyl you won't be suddenly good with CDJs just because they have more features and are overall more reliable than turntables...

[@leonvalkass7291]

No other DJ has inspired me as much as Chris when it comes to gear and strategy of gigs. Like some others have said here in the comments, this is a video I re-visit from time to time... Great guy!

[@TequilasWeb]

CDJ as laptop-stand :D Now we are talking, lovely interview btw - very useful!

[@SN2D]

i mean ok, he may be good (I dont know him) but you do not put things onto the jogwheels, it slightly damages the ball bearings

[@Eugguy190722]

A true humble dj. Good.

[@BarryLeonhard]

You guys bring the best content for DJ's. Thanks so much! I've learned so much.

[@DJCouchKing]

Awesome break down of his set up. I am currently working with Traktor S4, F1 and Maschine and this gave me lots of good ideas on how to not overload myself with the possibilities. Thanks for the video!

[@vitormatias1983]

a lot of tools, a great producer and dj, but I´ve heard manny dj´s spinning proper techno with just a mixer and two turntables. it´s very cool to do this kind of new shit, all the fx´s the samples and loops and white noises, with minimal techouse, but I still enjoy some proper techno, two or three tracks, banging, with some help of this tools, but not to much. this new techouse-ish hype with its tools and techniques looks very pretty but it gets boring to me. it´s good to ear two fucking records mixed properly, just with the use of faders, knob and fx´s. I love all this tools. and I plan on using them one day, but sometimes it´s too much. besides, it doesn´t always translates good mixing.

[@Yourveryowncarrot]

Just because some 1200's and a two channel is simple and kind of old school, doesn't mean it's necessarily better. Boring? You always have something to do and something going on with his style of mixing. It always seems like in between mixing two tracks, you reach a point where you have nothing to do except beat match the next track. With this new method it's both more fun for you and the audience.

[@vitormatias1983]

yeap you´re right, but there´s also a point where it´s too much. and not just that, techno used to be powerful, pounding, strong, now it´s this blend of techouse with too much noises and fx´s. not that it´s repetitive or monotonous, it just isn´t much fun, it doesn´t have the techno vibe that I like.

[@sidsakid77]

If by "techno use to be powerful, pounding, strong" you mean it was a lot faster, then yea you're right. But you can't possibly judge Chris from the tracks used in this clip here (except the last one, called Groove Mechanism). Listen to his sets at Time Warp, Berghain and Awakenings n tell me that's not the kinda techno you're looking for. Liebing is the last guy you look to if all you're looking for is tech-house. He's by far the best techno Dj out there today. He's found an amazing way of sticking to his old school roots, while keep seriously up to date with all that modern technology has to offer.

[@kixxalot]

vitormatias1983 I'm with you 100%. Going to a party for me should be fun! All too often these kinds of Ableton sets are polite, polished, and repetitive: boring and serious rather than fun and entertaining! Really I don't find adding some drums, delay and reverb by pressing pretty blinking buttons terribly entertaining.

[@vitormatias1983]

kixxalot exactly. some even leave track mixing beyond and keep playing loops, throughout the entire set, just making shit along, like it´s a live show. if well done it might be cool, but hearing full productions is necessary.

[@Samousamaster]

"its for the moment" love it

[@jsyjay]

What club is he being interviewed in, looks sick!

[@6249569234]

mah he can say whatever he wants fact is that he now play and produces minimal style techno , he was much better in old days just on decks and proper techno production, but i guess they all play shit today compared to old days

[@cautiontext]

"For the Moment", couldnt have been said any better. Music... its what feelings sound like!

[@bl3ck0ne]

this is not deejaying..its a facking science

[@nikolaiownz]

haha hes crazy... i will stick to beat matching :p

[@tonybucks5709]

Chris is one of my favorite dj since the 90s. Great producer as well.

[@fischkoppmusic]

Chris Liebing role model. In business for decades, embraces new technology and exploites it in his own way and still stays Mr. Nice Guy :-)

[@FLUONITE]

And now tell me that he isn't DJing cause he uses Autosync ;)

[@fischkoppmusic]

Maybe a little harsh but you're definitly right. ;-)

[@NoobPwnr000]

What club is he at in the beginning (cement, funktion1, etc)?

[@banaaninpyama]

Considering Chris has been in the techno-scene for such a long time, he was playing with vinyl for a very very very very long time and probably is still able to do so. This set up just takes it to a higher level. Gotta look at it as if it is an addition, not a replacement.

[@Yavor_B]

I use pretty much the same setup with maschine, but runnning as Standalone. If i'd use it inside of ableton, how would I go in order to output effects to my sends and returns on my mixer? it would be actually really helpful, having a reverb on my mixer, that way i'd have one more effect on my controller. Plus, I really dont like traktor's reverb, id love to use my Lexicon... anybody?

[@Westlake72]

Fucking complicated.

[@ms.pknowlege768]

Added beat creations while playing sets are so amazing. I've learned so much about me and my abilities. There's nothing like sharing your talent with the world. Your audience love it. Keep up the good work.

[@SlashnKashmir]

Chris Liebing says go easy on FX then there is Dave Clarke....

[@NicoVans16]

Lol there is a traktor audio interface, not a rme fireface

[@Dan-gn6gi]

+NicoVans16 thats the one for the machine on the ableton laptop. the rme lays underneath if you look closely

[@buccanan2]

Thanks man! Very professional!

[@alexgonzalezMI]

Wow, so much has changed since the 90's when I DJ'd.

[@1.2.3.4..5]

Alex G wow What style were you playing

[@technodubai]

"HOW I PLAY" SPEEDY J THAT WOULD BE GREAT

[@SN2D]

i love the fact that there is a function one sound system, even for the booth!

[@DeeJayEndo]

Yeah I know Deadmau5 is a tech guru. I know him well and respect him for what he does. But he isn't doing 1/4 of the stuff chris liebing is doing live. He would agree with me on that one ;-)

[@ThomasDerreisende]

Chris,du hast die richtige Einstellung.:-) würde gerne mal mit dir arbeiten!Vielleicht treffen wir uns mal,auf irgend einem Event?Mach weiter so, und bleib wie du bist,alles gute Dj tommcat

[@kordzzzz]

Mentioning Deadmau5 in this video is probably out of place. But saying Deadmau5 sucked at anything is just bullshit. Im not saying this as 14 year old fanboy.

[@Statusinator]

So, does this guy not make schranz anymore?

[@gixerags750]

Faderfox controlling Machine Banks very tekky!!! LOVE IT.

[@DeeJayEndo]

I think you mean A&H (Allen & Heath). Allen & Heath you can BURY the levels and never clip the house's amps.

[@aaronlee4869]

Just edit your tracks before you start so you spend less time staring at your computer. This isn't directly to him, but to most of the DJs I see looking at a computer for 90% of your set, using hardware to work tracks, and for the most part, still train wrecking and using too many effects. 2 hours of studio work for every hour I play to edit tracks works great. 3 decks and a 900, and I am making music out of tracks that sound as good and is cheaper and takes less time from my stage presence.

[@MrSamuel9126]

normal dj's play only with a mixer and 2 to 4 cdjs . Even a small 9 year old boy can learn djing. chris liebing is one of the few dj's that mixes tracks with live created beat etc...., abelton is very good live mixing application because you can create and prepare your live set before you party. Also native instruments traktor is one of the best among serato, virtual dj. It's a perfect comination using ableton with traktor.

[@robwood7936]

Chris Liebing was smashing the Technics over 10 years ago - so you obviously are making a completely uniformed jibe. This guy pissed all over many DJ's on just 2 decks and a mixer. And as for relying on his "Name"..how do you think he gained that "Name"? Because he never sat back and thought "I have all the gear but really, do it use it all? No..at the end of the day i use...". And Because people have appreciated exactly what he has done for the last 2 decades.

[@Sixteen0Four]

What you are saying is: "My way is right, his way is wrong." But the truth is, there is no right or wrong. Look at Karenn, they don't even use vinyl or a laptop. They cram a big ass table full of equipment and rock the crowd completely live. And i think this adds so much more performance to the music instead of just playing 2 decks of whatever and a mixer. I think everybody has to find a way to play the music like he wants to play it, to control the sound the way he likes it to make it unique.

[@fischkoppmusic]

I'm using Ableton Live, Maschine and Traktor on one laptop and it works just fine. But be carefull if you start using synths live, e.g. NI Massive sometimes peaks up to 20% CPU usage (with only _one_ synth) on my laptop. Meaining: Try to stick with samples while perfoming live, wave or some uncompressed stuff at best. Laptop: i7 QM 2.2 GHz, 8 GB RAM, SW on SSD, samples/music on separate HDD. But it's a cheap Medion Latop, not very reliable. Better buy sth. more sophisticated.

[@hedgefondheinrich]

"So I don't really have to think what I am doing" .... this says it all. The man has two computers, four decks, mixer, the Maschine and the billion options created by that combination, yet he plays it all like some dude with a guitar. Which has six strings. Not even going to get into the stupid bashing on electronic music, but if this is not musical talent in raw form, you are welcome to show me what is. Thanks for this video, very interesting to check out how the deservedly famous DJs work :)

[@neuronist]

Omen!!

[@fr9die]

No, he does not sync it all by ear... That is impossible. :-) Everything in Traktor is gridded and runs I think on the Traktor masterclock... He just sets it on 128 or whatever, and all the tracks sync perfectly to that. His Maschine and Ableton are synced via MIDI, but how you do that exactly is not my expertise. What he does is quite complex.

[@nhanmos]

Deadmau5's press play rant was aimed at the likes of David Guetta, Avicii, etc. Liebing is an innovator, I don't think anyone could hate on this guy. btw I've seen Guetta at Creamfields Australia Melbourne, most of it was talking between song transitions, " Turn the fuckin lights of! " " Comon party people! " - fkin shits me...

[@backspace75]

...deadmau5 USED to have a proper 'live' setup before his unhooked show and his LED show (around 2009 - check his setup video in FutureMusic channel) where he pretty much used a lot of gear like Chris Liebing! so no need to start a war on this...

[@Radwynfinite]

well you can't say something like that with out getting a response from someone who listens to this type of music on a regular basis lol... i would say there is definitely more to the type of techno that Chris plays than kick and hi hat. i will agree the techno he plays isn't the most dynamic, but the fact that the music is made up of simple pieces of audio makes it perfect for using an expanded set of creative outlets in a live setting.

[@Daluxer]

Lmao, sure thats why he has 10synths on stage yup, cus they are just standing there.Thats an actual liveset, playing live for real - not playing tracks back with some effects..thats hitting play.. And btw , he didnt admit that thats he isnt doin anything live, he just said that some people could do it and its not as hard as everyone might think - so might recheck your sources before telling lies. thanks

[@mstorm007]

Hi I'm Chris liebing - I was boring when I used decks and now I use fucking laptops with the dullest fucking music ever, layers with effects after effects because that's the shit standard of techno these days

[@DaRkCoRTeX]

im sure hes overextending a bit, but its more like: i have a big name so i have to represent and promote something. not the other way round! on smaller gigs in smaller clubs he basically played with the AH and the maschine

[@schroecr]

He does because he's German, and it's a German product. So he's pronouncing it correctly. Sounds a little funny, but technically is correct. There's a couple of Richie Hawtin videos where he says it the same way.

[@tekkfield]

haha, very interesting... i had no idea how he connected his setup, but i have to say now, that my setup is very familiar... except that i don't use two aux sends, just one. but now i guess i will add this :-D

[@KoWo1984]

seriously, Liebing was producing tunes back when deadmaus still was playing with his Lego. and djmag top poll doesnt mean anything. tiesto was nr 1 for a few years and everyone thinks hes shit.

[@bryanvanem3051]

Great Dude! This style is very inspirational, but one thing!! 3:12 Please remove the laptop thats sitting ontop of the cdj jog wheel your killin me!

[@Batzenlurch]

deadmau5 isnt playing live... just check his last statements... u cant sync all that lightning stuff with a live show... its that simple greetings from a deadmau5 and liebing fan ;-)

[@DJMCMENTAL]

well im starting something up an how i do it now is we have to keep nudging it forward an back. do u no anywhere online i can look up more on the midi clock stuff ?

[@Daluxer]

gotta be trolling me huh?:o Why should he have all the gear on stage while he isnt doing anything with them? i dont get you duh,.. and yeah well his lightning stuff is synced via osc, you should watch his ustream more often :)

[@eleusis77]

Chris Liebing is one of the choissen ones picked up by God and trained by Jesus to teach us the magic of electronic music....never forget, God might be Digital :)

[@youraveragestuffz]

yeah. true. so i guess those stuff on his set are maybe just the eqs and effects. and props. hahaha. anyways, he still pretty bangs up a great mix/concert.

[@Drcappuchino]

Yes DJ's that just fade are lame. But DJ's that perform are incredible. Deadmau5 is NOT a DJ. He will kill you if you say that yo his face. And this guy is also a producer. It says it in the info.

[@DeeJayEndo]

Dubspot did an interview like this with Dubfire. Search for Dubfire Interview Dubspot

[@filitico]

you seem to care about popularity contests. i dont, and therefore your opinion has little value in the context of this video. keep quoting djmag LOL.

[@D3KAB]

right on, great insight. guess its time to rethink my setup

[@janakkeboom]

Or you are just like Ben Sims; Just the basic equipment, and most of the time a more intresting gig. Also, he fucks you up even more sometimes

[@GermanTechnoBoy]

This man lives and loves his passion for electronic music!

[@MakiMajomUgatNagyot]

Then he uses one of his other 2 MACs or other MIDIs, one thing braking down in that set up is not going to affect anything really..

[@leestephenson8696]

if the xone db is the new shit y is he not using it rather than xone92???????? almost same setup as speedy j and drumcell

[@aleykhoga5388]

no one hates you chris you are legend

[@TheHouseTheory]

I still dont understand how he intergrated maschine when all 4 channels are occupied...

[@AlexPauwelsreading]

Hi put Maschine on his send and return channels

[@collegesynewave]

Richie Hawtin pretty much uses the same set up to play too,who had the idea first? is what i would like to know

[@michaelvaf]

really great interview. very cool too see how its done by someone who obviously loves it, and isn't a dick..

[@Pindakaasmonster]

I don't understand anythin of the technical stuff he's talkin about but it's awesome to watch! We

[@DeeJayEndo]

No, deamau5 doesn't really do anything live and he openly admits it.

[@chekrah]

Saying "this" instead of "that" sounds so much cooler. "I never do this." "This is what I really like".

[@Aziznaouai]

What club is this? If Liebing's coming through then I'm sure other great artists come through as well!

[@DJHABBOOFFICIAL]

monster.

[@nninnomino]

cuz with the db u wont be able to use the send and return with ableton and chris is fan with ableton

[@Wicherpot]

I would love to know how mr Liebing midi mapped his K2's. Does any one know a bit about his mapping?

[@d33pdr3am]

So that's why making tracklist for his sets is kinda hard, and impossible when he's playing with Speedy J.

[@КонстантинЛевченко-м5й]

where can I find or download mapping of this stage for xone k2

[@Bird0Hak]

And it's even funnier because he actually does produce his own music. It's in the description.

[@borreltjuh83]

This is why digital djing is the future, one simply can't accomplish this thru spinning vinyls.