Tobias Lutzenkirchen is a German producer for labels such as Great Stuff and Platform B.
Men of the moment and favours of the month come and go, as the phra-
ses suggest. It’s relatively easy to get a short-term buzz in dance music –
but in these days of limitless downloads and increasing disposability, few
hotshots have got it what it takes to go the distance.
Lützenkirchen is one name that refuse to go away. Munich’s foremost e-
lectro-techno exponent has moved effortlessly between underground and
overground success in recent years – scoring a German Top 10 chart hit
with the huge 3 Tage Wach while putting out a prolific, consistent stream
of cool and credible club tracks, all a decade after he first began produ-
cing. From his huge remixes for the likes of John Digweed and Coburn to
his outstanding 2008 artist album Pandora Electronica, the power and
quality of his productions rarely slip. Meanwhile his acclaimed live sets
continue to grow in reputation, his charismatic stage presence bringing a
breath of fresh air to the usual limp and lifeless laptop workout.
Tobias Lützenkirchen’s roots in the music game go way back to 1992,
when he first appeared on record as singer. After immersing himself in his
love dance music by working as a promoter in Ibiza in 1995, he worked
as a professional background vocalist and songwriter on some major pro-
jects from 1996 to 1999, before succumbing to the house and techno bug
that had been slowly consuming him. Some 20+ aliases, artist names and
collaborative groups later, Lützenkirchen was born in 2005 – the name
with which he would finally become a global star.
Blending infectious, jacking techno grooves with dirty electro sounds and
dashes of house, his sounds is electronic as they come, but with a real
sense of funk that makes his music accessible to a wide range of DJs,
clubbers and part-time dance music enthusiasts. He doesn’t follow the
musical crowd – but that’s not to say that he doesn’t know how to keep
the music fresh. Continually striving to innovative and evolve his sound,
you can always count on him to push things forward – rather than copy-
ing the latest hotshot or ripping off endless old records.
He only began his DJ career in 2006, when the success of his productions
began to bring booking requests from around the world, and by 2008
he had switched to performing pure live sets. But whether he’s playing to
300 people in a sweaty provincial German nightclub, or to 35,000 at a hu-
ge festival, his enthusiasm and passion are the same. The last two years
have seen him play in every continent at least twice, with 8 tours of Brazil
in the past 3 years alone. Despite this heavy travel schedule, he remains
one of the most prolific producers around – with a level of quality that few
can match.
He’s not about hype, trends, fads or jumping on bandwagons – Lützen-
kirchen lets his music speak for itself. And 10 years on, it’s still telling qui-
te a story…