Cari Lekebusch

Cari Lekebusch is a Stockholm-based sound architect alongsides other Swedish Techno profiles like Adam Beyer, Joel Mull, Alexi Delano and Jesper Dahlbäck. He has borne many pseudonyms over the course of his illustrious career to date including Fred, Mr Barth, Braincell, Shape Changer, Vector, and The Mantis to name a select few. Some of his earliest musical influences include James Brown, Ralph Lundsten, Herbie Hancock, African Bambaata, Egyptian Lover, Chris "The Glove" Taylor, Kraftwerk, Mantronix as well as many of the hip-hop and electro sounds that emerged during the eighties. His parents had a vast vinyl collection as well which gave him ample opportunity to discover new sounds in his formative years. This eclectic range of inspiration continues to fuel his distinctive sound.

From a young age Cari was determined to pursue a career in music; what started out as typical record collecting in the seventies eventually progressed into a desire to become a DJ. Before long he was also demonstrating his budding skills as a producer, using whatever electronic equipment he could muster to experiment with beats. In some respects he was seemingly following in the footsteps of his father who had operated an audio & video electronics store, agency and studio, known as Studio Lekebusch. Throughout the eighties his interests outside the music realm included graffiti art, breakdancing and a passion for kung fu, something which has remained with him to this day and helps to inspire him musically.

Before embarking on a career in music, Cari completed a four year business program, in part to complement some of his future objectives which included establishing his own company; something he promptly did once he graduated and began a new chapter in his life.

As with most DJs, Cari got his initial exposure performing at a variety of local venues, primarily at events in Stockholm, where he also organized his own nights on occasion. His first booking abroad was in nearby Helsinki towards the end of 1993 and was an important step in his young career; he had already realized that to seriously pursue his music career he would need to ultimately establish himself internationally, as his underground sound wouldn’t be viable in Sweden alone.

The following year he made his debut in other European countries such as Germany, France and Italy as his tour schedule steadily grew. It was a breakthrough year in his career with the first releases on his inaugural label – Hybrid Sound Architectures, which later became known as H. Productions (a.k.a. H-Prod). He also had releases on another notable Swedish label at the time under his Vector and Rotortype monikers - Planet Rhythm. During this period Cari continued to expand his studio, known as HP HQ (H. Productions Headquarters) by enhancing his collection of various electronic gear including drum machines, audio processors and synthesizers. The launch of his own imprint enabled him to delve into his creative freedom at the utmost level of innovation and quality, acting as a core platform for his artistic visions. His efforts in the studio at the time came to fruition as numerous other pseudonyms were unveiled throughout this period including Phunkey Rhythm Doctor, Agent Orange, Mr. Barth and Braincell.

Shortly afterwards his productions began appearing on other influential Swedish labels such as Adam Beyer’s Code Red, Truesoul and Drumcode, something which continued over the next decade as fellow compatriots continued to make their mark globally launching scores of other labels such as Jericho, Corb, Loop/Plumphouse and Svek. Frequent collaborations with other artists occurred at the time not only in the studio but also while on tour, either alongside countrymen during label nights or for select tours such as with Adam Beyer in 1998, which showcased a rare live performance to audiences on multiple continents.

Subsequent years were peppered with many notable career highlights at the time including his first appearances in Asia and Australia, several North American tours plus an assortment of releases that garnered wide critical acclaim and helped to inspire a generation of producers. During the last half of that decade, Cari was a key ambassador in exporting the techno beats that proliferated from his homeland, a term which was then aptly coined by many as ‘Swedish Techno’.

In addition to many other various label projects Cari has been involved with, he has continued to evolve the H. Production family of labels which ultimately led to the creation of Kaun Trax, Djupt, Audio Mekanixc, KGB, Trainspotters Nightmare, Audio Pollution and Grundtakt - an experimental hip hop label.

After close to two decades in this highly competitive industry, his success is hardly ephemeral. He has been invited to perform regularly at many of the highest profile techno clubs and events around the globe, including Awakenings, Fuse, Tresor, Fabric, Berghain, Omen, E-Werk, Avalon, U60311, The End, Cocoon at Amnesia, Fabrik, Rex Club, Liquid Room, F135, Sona, Twilo, Rohstofflager, plus well-known festivals such as I Love Techno, Time Warp, May Day, Awakenings and Nature One.

An impressive repertoire of releases to date have materialized from his HP HQ studio and permeated into the crates of the global electronic music community. Cari’s work has also been featured on a myriad of labels in addition to his own reflecting an array of genres, including releases on Swedish imprints such as Drumcode, Code Red, Truesoul, Jericho and Corb, plus tracks on other prominent labels such as Novamute, Soma, Primevil, Masters of Disaster, Fine Audio Recording, Harthouse and Turbo to name a few. Various studio projects over the years ranging from techno to hip hop have also seen him collaborate with a number of producers including childhood compatriots Alexi Delano and Fredrik Almquist aka RND as well as others such as Jesper Dahlbäck, Robert Leiner, Damon Wild, Oliver Bondzio and Dan Zamani.

With a steady stream of releases and a perpetual global tour schedule, Cari shows no signs of hanging up the headphones any time soon; even at the height of his career he continues to hone his craft daily, previously citing: “I try to make music regularly and try to constantly figure out new things. I reckon it’s like science, you need to do it every day to continue evolving”. Much like his evolution as an artist, in more recent years he has also expanded his H-Prod company to include a graphic design venture with further plans on the horizon as his company and career continue to develop, potentially into the cinema and videogame realm. He has come a long way in his career from his humble beginnings many years ago and one can presume that Cari will work diligently to achieve his future plans with the quiet confidence he has exuded throughout his career.

Bob Dylan once said that a man is a success if he gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he does what he wants to do. And by that measure Cari Lekebusch has undoubtedly triumphed.

Joseph Capriati

2013 will be another landmark year for Joseph Capriati with an album for Drumcode set for release in the Autumn; a worldwide album tour; an eight-date residency for Music On in Ibiza; and a festival-hopping summer schedule being the highlights of the second half of the year. All this comes on top of a non-stop start to 2013 that saw Capriati complete a series of impressive firsts, including closing the main room of the internationally respected Time Warp Festival in Mannheim; an all-conquering coast-to-coast tour of USA; and a marathon 12-hour set in front of a sold-out 7000 capacity Metropolis club in his home town of Naples. It therefore comes as little surprise to even the most casual observers of techno that Joseph Capriati’s name now appears as top billing at the most high profile events worldwide. Acknowledged everywhere he goes as an ambassador for the new techno cohort, Joseph is adored by his rapidly growing army of dedicated fans for his honest and humble approach to his art.

Nowhere is this adulation more evident than in the front few rows of any Joseph Capriati gig. One of an exclusive club of touring DJs who don’t just travel to their audience but actually attract an audience to their shows from outside the host country, Joseph Capriati fans travel miles across countries and continents to follow his sound. Those unable to travel have been able to follow Joseph’s landmark shows thanks to his popularity with the audience of live-streaming broadcaster, Be-At.TV, who have covered multiple Joseph Capriati events including his closing set at Time Warp Mannheim, a back-to-back session with Dave Clarke at Awakenings Eindhoven, a guest appearance at Victor Calderone’s Pacha Pool Party in Miami and Joseph’s 12-hour marathon solo set at Metropolis in Naples. This popularity is testament to the focus, preparation and energy that Joseph pours into every gig, in spite of an increasingly hectic touring schedule that will see Capriati complete over 125 appearances in 2013.

Despite being a DJ first and producer second, the strength of Joseph Capriati’s production portfolio can be measured in both the projects with which he has been involved and the chart success his releases achieve. A principle act for Adam Beyer’s Drumcode label, 2012 saw Capriati deliver two of the labels biggest tracks in the shape of the epically proportioned ‘Solar System’ and the soulful vocals and jackhammer grooves of his ‘Congenial Endeavor’ collaboration with Adam Beyer. September 2013 will see the release of Capriati’s ‘Self Portrait’ album on Drumcode. A project that will see Capriati spread his studio wings as he brings together a range of influences under a techno motif, illustrating the depth to his music that has seen the Capriati sound enchant dance floors globally and propel Joseph to be central character in the rising popularity of techno worldwide; helping the genre penetrate into remote markets such as South Africa and Honduras as well as traditionally mainstream territories such as Ibiza.

Having made his debut for Marco Carola’s vibrant new Music On brand in summer 2012, playing six memorable sets in the legendary main room of Amnesia, over the course of Music On’s opening term, including their closing party, Joseph Capriati returns to Ibiza in 2013 as an official resident for Music On. Scheduled to play eight parties across the entire four-month season, Capriati will return to the Amnesia main room where his powerful, emotive techno became established last year as the perfect foil to the sultry, energetic grooves with which Marco Carola ruled the Amnesia Terrace, as Music On dominated the clubbing landscape on the island last summer. Considered by many influential commentators to be the success story of Ibiza 2012, Music On lived up to its ‘its all about the Music’ motto; bringing a back-to-basics party ethos to mainstream Ibiza clubbing and setting new standards for what can be achieved by a new brand in Ibiza; an accomplishment that Joseph Capriati is rightly proud to be a part of.

Born and raised in the southern Italian city of Caserta, less than 30km from Naples, Joseph Capriati’s emergence as significant force within Techno continues the strong lineage of talent from the city as he follows in the footsteps of Marco Carola, Rino Cerrone, Gaetano Parisio and Markantonio. Having grown up on a diet of early hip hop and classic house from the likes of Masters At Work, Todd Terry and Eddie Amador, Capriati bought his first DJ console at the tender age of 11; cutting his teeth playing to his friends in garages and basements after school. It was not until he was old enough to attend his first rave party that his passion for techno over-shadowed his early musical influences and set in motion the journey that has taken him to the position he is in today. As Joseph himself remembers, “the first time I heard techno was at Old River Park in Naples in 2003. It was a 12 hours party with Dave Clarke, Billy Nasty and Rino Cerrone. I was totally impressed by that sound and something in my mind changed.”

Inspired and energized, Joseph made the leap into production; slaving away on a home PC and hi-fi speakers, honing his skills for three years and eventually creating his first important records like C’est La Vie and Microbiotik which found their way on to two of the most influential Neapolitan techno labels; Analytic Trail and Globox Records. From this moment on Joseph was made. What followed was an explosion in profile at home and abroad. From his first high profile gig at Naples’s infamous 5000 capacity Golden Gate venue in October 2007, the young Neapolitan has not looked back; spreading his wings and travelling all over the globe. Now located out of Barcelona, Spain Joseph has settled into a good rhythm for his life with his studio based within his home so he can make the most of the increasingly limited time he has available in-between touring to make music and also find time to relax.

Always quick to understand the professionalism and determination required in order to carve out a career for himself; Joseph’s passion and conviction is plain to see in the way he has gone about making and playing music. Whether it be having the confidence to release a debut album containing ambient tracks and Drum & Bass; or the discipline and creativity displayed to convince Adam Beyer to release two multiple-track EP’s on his Drumcode label; or the versatility and insightfulness that characterizes Josephs DJ sets and enables him to connect with crowds across the world; whether he be tearing up an after party in a dark basement with a pitch perfect mix of tech house, or thundering out a peak-time mix to crowds in the desert at Monegros Festival, or upstaging the Drumcode Total event at Berghain with an impromptu four-hour back-2-back closing set with his hero and now close friend, Adam Beyer.

With a path laid out before him and the force of momentum behind him, Joseph Capriati welcomes the future with excited anticipation. “I just want to make music or play gigs everyday. It is the most important thing in my life. When I am in the studio or on stage I feel disconnected from the world and I enter another dimension where there is just the music, the people and myself. I could be sick, or be feeling sad about something, but when I’m playing I totally forget everything and this makes me happier. Looking at the people dancing and following my musical trip is an amazing thing. There is nothing better than this for me.” So the future for Joseph Capriati is simple. Keep on doing what he loves and do it with a passion and commitment that has proved so potent a driving force to this point. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.