German electronic composer and visual artist Christian Löffler has long occupied a unique space between dancefloor and daydream. Rooted in melancholic electronica yet steeped in natural atmospheres and painterly textures, his work has evolved from intimate, minimal soundscapes into increasingly expansive, collaborative worlds. With his new album Until We Meet Again, out January 23, 2026, he moves further into that space in-between – where memory, emotion, and connection quietly overlap.
The record weaves Löffler’s signature bittersweet production with chamber music elements, featuring Swedish singer Adna on vocals and guitar alongside a live ensemble of piano and strings. Written largely while touring, many of the tracks began as bare piano sketches composed on the road and later expanded into full arrangements. The result is an album that feels both nomadic and deeply intimate: club-rooted yet shaped for concert halls, reflective yet very much alive in the present.
Ahead of the release and the accompanying tour, we sat down with Löffler to talk about the emotional threads running through Until We Meet Again, how writing on the move has reshaped his creative process, and what it means to bring his music into grand classical venues. We also touch on his ongoing collaboration with Adna, the role of acoustic instruments and strings in this new chapter, his approach to live performance and gear, the impact of AI on music-making, and how his background in visual art continues to shape the way he builds music, imagery, and narrative into one cohesive world.
The 3rd Single of the upcoming album “Home” is out now on all streaming platforms: https://ffm.to/clhome
Oliver (HMWL): The title Until We Meet Again immediately evokes feelings of parting and hope. I read that the album reflects on “fleeting encounters, lingering emotions, and the invisible threads that connect us” Could you share the story or emotions behind this title? What inspired these themes of connection and lingering emotion in your new album?
Christian Löffler: With my previous albums, the music was closely tied to nature or my surroundings. I’d record field sounds, take photos, capture video — everything fed into the music. This time, the focus shifted. I started reflecting more on life, people I’ve met, relationships, and personal experiences. It became less about me and nature, and more about human interaction and events that shaped me and the people around me. A different approach entirely.
Oliver (HMWL): Much of the album was written while on tour, starting many tracks as intimate piano sketches before expanding them in the studio. How did that on-the-move, piano-led writing process shape the music? Was it a different experience compared to composing in your quiet Baltic Sea home studio in the past?
Christian Löffler: When I started making music, I only had a laptop and simple speakers. Over the years the studio grew — vintage synths, lots of gear. Eventually, I felt limited by needing to be physically in the studio. Inspiration would hit, but I couldn’t act on it until I got home, and often it wouldn’t translate. So I sold a lot of equipment, kept only the essentials, and returned to working from the laptop. I’ve been touring more, so having everything with me made sense. I could take a few days off in between shows and still work. I released Alive last year, went straight on tour, and never really stopped — but because I could work on the road, the next album came together very quickly. There was no plan to make another album, but suddenly I had 20 tracks.
Oliver (HMWL): I imagine that naturally helped your live setup too, since you’re producing the music using the same equipment you tour with.
Christian Löffler: Exactly. I can test ideas during soundchecks or shows, move them straight into the Ableton live set, and it all stays consistent and portable.
Oliver (HMWL): What drew you toward incorporating more classical, chamber-music elements on Until We Meet Again? Did dialing back the club beats and focusing on these acoustic textures open up new feelings or ideas in your music that you hadn’t explored before?
Christian Löffler: It happened naturally. I was exchanging ideas with a friend — a singer and guitarist from Sweden, now in Berlin — and the collaboration just clicked. I’d send something, she’d send back something great immediately. And some time ago, I worked with a string quartet, a pianist, and a singer. We performed shows together and it worked beautifully. Later I collaborated again with a quartet through Deutsche Grammophon on a more classical project. That experience stayed with me. So when the new tracks started leaning more acoustic — piano, guitar — it made sense to reintroduce violin, cello, and classical textures. It felt like the right direction.
Oliver (HMWL): Your new single “What We Used To Say,” featuring Adna, is a gorgeous example of intimacy – you even described it as a secret language shared between two people. What made Adna’s soft vocals and storytelling a perfect fit for the world of Until We Meet Again? When writing this song (and others on the album), how did having Adna’s voice in mind influence the tone or direction of the music?
Christian Löffler: Funny enough, it wasn’t planned. I was playing piano at home, recorded an idea on my phone, and sent it to Adna. She came back with the title What We Used to Say, which perfectly matched the nostalgia I was feeling. From there the track took shape naturally. We had tried collaborating before in a more electronic direction, but it never felt quite right. This time everything aligned.
Oliver (HMWL): In addition to making music, you’re also a visual artist, and I know you painted all the album’s artwork in watercolor yourself. You’ve mentioned that at its core, it’s the same feeling driving you whether you’re creating with sound or with paint. How does your background in visual art shape this album? Do you find that your painting and music inform each other as you develop an album’s concept and atmosphere – for example, did any visual ideas inspire musical elements on Until We Meet Again, or vice versa?
Christian Löffler: Art has always been part of my life. As a child and teenager I sketched constantly. I’ve always loved vinyl artwork, stamps, all the craft that goes into physical releases. I studied painting and video at an interdisciplinary art school, so I learned to create everything myself — music videos, artwork, photography. Part of it is practical: when you start out there’s no budget, so you either do it yourself or rely on friends. Part of it is personality: I’m a bit of a control freak and I want the visuals to reflect my world fully. Painting is like music — if you don’t practice often, you lose the rhythm. But when it works, it’s extremely satisfying. Usually the music leads, but sometimes a painting or exhibition inspires a track. Often when I start making music, I already have an abstract visual palette in mind — a certain color, texture, or mood.
Oliver (HMWL): You often manage to blend melancholy with euphoria in your sound – a “gloomy” mood balanced by warmth and hope. On this album, were there particular emotions you wanted to explore more deeply or highlight? Does Until We Meet Again tilt toward any new mood or feeling that fans might not have heard from you before?
Christian Löffler: It’s still hard for me to fully grasp. I’m a very nostalgic person. The music mixes present experiences with memories from growing up, teenage years, and imagined scenarios — things that never happened but could have. It’s very personal, but also abstract. It’s not one specific emotion; it’s a confusing mix of feelings, reflections, and memories.
Oliver (HMWL): Over the years, your style has evolved from the introspective minimalism of A Forest to the classical explorations of Parallels, and beyond. In what ways does Until We Meet Again represent the next chapter in your artistic journey? Did anything about your creative process or perspective change while making this album, compared to your previous work?
Christian Löffler: I tried many styles early on — drum & bass, hard techno — before finding a melodic blend of indie and electronics that suited me. Collaborating with acoustic musicians pushed things more classical. But the last album Alive brought me back toward pure electronics because I was working only from a laptop while touring. Now it’s drifting acoustic again. I get bored quickly, so once a project is finished, I don’t want to stay in that world. Even small shifts feel huge to me creatively. The next album will probably be more uptempo and electronic again. It’s always changing.
Oliver (HMWL): This tour will bring your music into some grand concert halls and classical venues – essentially merging club culture with a chamber music setting. How do those environments influence your performance? Do you approach a show at a concert hall or philharmonic differently than a set at a nightclub or festival?
Christian Löffler: It’s very different — in a good way. Many venues are seated, so people are deeply focused and open to more experimental or ambient moments. The show becomes more dynamic: I start solo with Adna, then string players join, then it shifts again with the pianist. It’s structured and layered in a way that wouldn’t work at a festival or club. But toward the end of the show it becomes more uptempo and people stand up and dance. I enjoy the contrast — performing with others in a structured show makes me appreciate the spontaneity of solo festival or club sets. And it’s special to bring electronic music into these beautiful classical spaces. Some people attending have never been to a concert hall; others have never heard electronic music live. Bringing those worlds together is really meaningful.
Oliver (HMWL): You’ve mentioned the importance of giving something “warm and welcoming” to people through your music in challenging times. What do you hope listeners will feel or take away when they experience Until We Meet Again, either on record or live? Is there a message or emotional atmosphere you want to leave with the audience as they head home from the concert?
Christian Löffler: Music brings people together — listening together is powerful. I tend to overthink a lot, so I use music to calm myself. I think music has an unbeatable ability to ground and connect us. I used to get very nervous before shows, but now I try to enjoy the fact that we’re all gathering to have a good time. I hope people leave feeling positive, connected, and uplifted.
Oliver (HMWL): Many of our readers are curious about live setups. Could you share your current rig?
Christian Löffler: The base is Ableton on my laptop. I have all tracks separated into stems: bass, main elements, percussion, etc. I add shaker loops or textures as needed. I use two Faderfox controllers – one for volume across eight channels, and another for filters and effects (short and long reverbs, freeze reverb, distortion, OTT, pitch-shift delay, standard delay). I often cut the lows, add saturation, and combine sidechained textures to build tension. I trigger scenes with a Launchpad. Drums come from the Elektron Rytm — bass drums, snares, claps, hi-hats, shakers, noise risers. It’s fun and very hands-on, even if sometimes the live energy makes things imperfect, which I actually like. For synths, I either bring a hardware synth (often the Nord Lead 2x or a Juno) or use a MIDI keyboard with Serum for pads and leads.
Oliver (HMWL): Do you use any hardware mastering, or is it all inside Ableton?
Christian Löffler: For bigger shows, I have a mixing engineer who handles it on the console. For solo or festival sets, I used to use iZotope Ozone, but now it’s just basic devices – compressor, EQ, light limiting. Importantly, my stems are unmastered, straight from Ableton. It’s not perfect in every venue, but it gives me more freedom and a more dynamic feel.
Oliver (HMWL): With the rapid growth of AI tools in music creation, from generative composition to mastering and voice synthesis — how do you feel about this shift? Do you see AI as something that could enhance your creative process, or do you feel it risks diluting the emotional depth that characterizes your music?
Christian Löffler: I started making music because I loved computers, software, programming, gaming — not the classical route of learning instruments and notation. Computers made creativity accessible to me. So the more tools we have, the better. It’s about how you use them. If you just copy others, that was already happening long before AI. What makes great music stand out is some small, unique element. You can create that with any tool. I’m against gatekeeping. If you want to make music on your phone, go for it. Art shouldn’t exist primarily to make money — it should exist because you feel something and want to express it.
Oliver (HMWL): You’ve built a strong body of work through KI Records, maintaining creative control and a consistent aesthetic across your releases. What have been the biggest challenges — and rewards — of staying independent, and how has running your own label shaped your evolution as an artist?
Christian Löffler: Paul and I run the label together, with help from friends and now Malain on the admin side. We have a very particular vision and there are aspects of the music industry we simply avoid. Being independent lets us do things our own way — that’s the biggest reward. Sure, we could grow the label more, but we prefer to keep it at a level that lets us enjoy it without stress. The original goal was simply to release my music, find listeners, and share what we love. Releasing friends’ music became a bonus.
Oliver (HMWL): Any new artists or projects on Ki that you’re excited about?
Christian Löffler: Yes – Coiro from Brazil, very young and experimental with great potential. Also Hior, the pianist returning to electronics, and Lycoriscoris from Japan, who uses unusual gear in very creative ways. All very promising.
Photos by: Anna Arnet