Earlier this month, German producer and live electronic artist Stimming released his new album Friedrich on his own label, Stimming Recordings. Following the acclaimed Ludwig (2022), Friedrich marks the second chapter in a deeply personal trilogy, with each album dedicated to one of his three sons. Across Friedrich, Stimming continues to evolve his intricate, emotional sound blending elegant minimalism with moments of raw, organic chaos that mirror the vivid spirit of the son the album is named after.

Built entirely on hardware, Friedrich is both a celebration of human imperfection and a statement of artistic independence.

In support of the album, Stimming is embarking on a special European tour, offering two different experiences: club-based live techno shows, and for the first time, solo concert performances that focus on storytelling, immersive visuals (courtesy of Anna Chuli), and a fully machine-based setup without computers on stage.

We caught up with Stimming to talk about the creative process behind Friedrich, the realities of running his own label, the rise of AI in music production, and the bold new direction of his live performances.

Oli (HMWL): Starting not so obviously: why the pigeon? You’ve revisited this bird multiple times in your work. What draws you to it again with Friedrich? And what does it symbolize for you now?

Stimming: It’s a changing symbol. I can’t pin it down to just one thing. But if you really want to tie me to a specific interpretation, I’d say maybe it’s about the beauty of everyday life – of everyday objects and details.

Of course, there are so many more beautiful birds out there. And I chose the most common one. But I’m kind of looking into the details that are still very interesting.

I mean, it can fly! We need to build aluminum tubes to do so.

Oli (HMWL): And you’ve described Friedrich as a collection of normal life moments from the last three years. Can you walk us through how you approach translating everyday experiences into music?

Stimming: That’s always a challenge. What makes it complicated is the process of keeping a certain spark alive. When I start a track, I have an idea – a chord progression, a melody, or a groove – and it reminds me of something. It resonates with a certain feeling.

The difficult part is keeping that moment alive throughout the whole production process. Not just having emotions while creating something, but keeping the emotional thread running all the way through. That’s the hard part, and it’s not something you can plan out on paper.

Oli (HMWL): As someone who’s known for your deep attention to sonic detail, what’s something subtle in Friedrich that you hope attentive listeners might pick up on?

Stimming: That’s a difficult question. There’s one subtle element that’s hard to grasp – I almost always use some type of techno percussion. If you were to take just the percussion layers from most of the tracks and lay a 4/4 bass drum underneath them, you could easily have a house or a kind of friendly techno tune.

Take “Golden Path” for instance. There’s a legit techno pattern rolling throughout the track, constantly, but it’s presented in a very different context. Every track has those elements, but I treat them differently. I don’t use them in an obvious way, like I would in a straight 4/4 setting.

There’s this artist called Leif – spelled L-E-I-F – and he does something similar in a really interesting way. He’s not making 4/4 music per se, it’s more ambient or experimental, but there’s a techno energy within it that I really appreciate.

Oli (HMWL): That’s really interesting. And with Ludwig, there was a lot of work using field recordings – like bees or your son’s voice in the woods. Are you still using everyday sounds as emotional triggers in your work? And has that approach to texture and storytelling evolved on this record?

Stimming: Yeah, I still use them – but they’re a lot more masked now. If I’m using those sounds, I usually put them inside a sampler and shape them there. So instead of using them as raw field recordings – like “here’s the sound of the woods” – I’ll take, say, one crackle, drop it into the sampler, and sculpt it. It’s a real-world source, but it becomes more like an electronic instrument.

Oli (HMWL): So that’s the evolution of your process?

Stimming: Exactly. That’s the next step for me, personally.

Oli (HMWL): Speaking of evolution, the imagery of flight was really central in Ludwig – especially with tracks like “Pelican” and “Pigeons.” Now that you’re a few years on, a third kid in, more grounded – has that theme shifted for you?

Stimming: You’re very observant. Yeah, it’s more grounded now. You’re right. I hadn’t thought about it like that, but it’s true.

Oli (HMWL): You’ve mentioned that after 15 years, you finally feel like you know what you’re doing. That’s a really honest statement. What changed creatively or emotionally to bring you to that point?

Stimming: To be clear – I only sometimes feel like I know what I’m doing. It’s not like I walk into the studio and go, “Alright, I’m going to make a track now.” Of course not. And honestly, this thing – holds up smartphone – is the biggest distractor. I should throw it in the bin and make music instead.

What I meant is, the complexity of modern music production – from composition, melody, and sound design to the technical side, analog versus digital, routing – it’s so multi-layered. To really be on top of all that, to feel like you’re in control of every level… that’s rare. But it’s happening more now.

And that feeling, even if it’s not constant, brings a kind of confidence. I hope that translates into bolder decisions, especially with melodies and harmonies. That’s my hope.

Oli (HMWL): You talk about finding organic emotion through computational machinery. What’s your relationship with your machines? Do you feel like you’re collaborating with them, or controlling them?

Stimming: I’m afraid I like them a bit more than is probably healthy! On a good studio day, I actually say goodbye to them when I shut everything down – like, “Thanks guys, you were great today.”

But yeah, sometimes I hate them too. Especially the computer. It’s the most time-consuming device – authorizing plugins, software updates, OS issues… It’s a pain. That’s why I use more hardware these days. It’s simpler, more open, and built specifically for what it does – whereas a computer is built to do everything.

So, yeah… I’m a big gear nerd, no way around it. My relationship with my machines is maybe too close, but that’s just how it is.

Oli (HMWL): Both Friedrich and your previous album Ludwig were released on your own label, Stimming Recordings. What led you to go this independent route with these projects? Was it a creative decision or a practical one – or both?

Stimming: Of course it was both. In fact, whenever someone does this, the aim usually wasn’t met – maybe you wanted to release it on a particular label, and they rejected it or didn’t respond or whatever. That’s pretty much always the case. But we thought, let’s make this weakness into a strength. Because now we have control of the material and can literally do anything we want with it.

Nowadays, this is a big advantage – especially when you’re talking about things like TikTok, club edits, ambient versions, all the different ways people engage with music in modern media. The more fluid an idea can be – the more places it can exist – the better. So, it’s actually a strength.

Oli (HMWL): And has that shifted the way you think about your music and your career at all? I guess you’ve had to put on more of a label manager hat at times – or do you have a team that handles that side?

Stimming: I’m actually quite lucky. I pay someone to do the paperwork – the most time-consuming stuff like talking with the distributor, uploading the releases, solving problems, making sure it’s all live on TikTok and so on. That kind of email work – I just don’t have time for it. And I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I can afford someone to do that. Without them, I probably wouldn’t run a label at all.

But yeah, it has changed things. I really appreciate having control over the copyright and licensing. I can do whatever I want with the music. I think that’s a much more modern way to handle digital audio.

Oli (HMWL): Independence is definitely powerful. Since it’s already been teased that Friedrich is part of a trilogy…what comes next? Have you already started working on the third part?

Stimming: No, not yet. I’m still imagining what I want it to be – what styles, which areas I want to explore. So it might take a little longer than the previous two.

It’s definitely planned as a trilogy, with each album representing one of my boys. It’s a gift for them, in a way. And the last one – well, I’m not sure if I’ll find the right English word here – but he’s the most living one, in the broadest sense. He’s so active and full of wild ideas. He’ll suddenly switch modes and just go crazy – running into things, knocking stuff over, drawing on every surface with whatever pen he can find.

He’s not really a troublemaker, but he’s… everywhere. It’s challenging. He’s also the cutest, of course, being the youngest. But translating that kind of energy into music – that’s going to be an interesting challenge.

Oli (HMWL): So these albums sonically reflect your kids – that’s really beautiful! Looking at the current state of electronic music, especially with AI and generative tools becoming more common, do you feel excited, skeptical, or somewhere in between?

Stimming: I’m more on the skeptical side. Simply because I know – by design – these machines can’t really invent anything new. They can combine things in interesting or strange ways, in ways a human might not think to. But real creativity? That still has to come from us.

I think we’ll always feel the difference. And I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the end, there’s a bit of a misunderstanding about what AI is actually good at. I’m sure Spotify would say something different, but the use case of creating art might not be the right one for this technology. It has other strengths.

Oli (HMWL): Would you ever consider using it as part of your workflow, or do you prefer to stay fully focused on your own machines?

Stimming: There is this VST called Neut – it uses a neural network to morph your input into a set of samples that fit the sound you gave it. You can transform a drum kit into a string instrument, and the tones reflect each other in interesting ways. That kind of thing? Super exciting.

But again, the actual invention of content – the soul of it – has to come from a human. Otherwise, it’s just… boring. It’s cleverly disguised randomness.

Oli (HMWL): What can we expect from your live shows around this album? I saw there’s a European tour with both club and solo concert dates. What’s planned on that front?

Stimming: Yeah – it’s actually the first time I’m doing solo shows in a real concert sense. The shows that fall on a Tuesday or Wednesday, for example, are proper concerts. I’ll bring the visuals that are being released with the album – they’re really beautiful, done by Anna Chuli.

I’ll also bring a slightly different gear setup than what I use for club shows. It’ll be a hybrid performance – I’ll bend or extend parts of tracks, nothing is fixed. All machine-based. No computer on stage, except for visuals.

This is a big step for me. I’m going into new territory, because in the past I always shared the stage – with Lambert, or a choir, or someone else. But now, it’s just me. It’s a mix of excitement and nerves.

Oli (HMWL): And I’m sure our South African readers would love to know – any chance the show comes down here?

Stimming: Maybe! What we’re doing now is what we call in Germany a test balloon – just seeing how the shows go, how I perform solo. I have this idea of playing inside the audience, with the gear nerds literally standing behind me, seeing what I do. Not up on a stage, separated. I don’t feel that distance makes much sense.

So we’re figuring out what a Stimming concert can be – something that feels good for everyone. And yeah, I think there’s a real chance it makes it to South Africa.