Roughhousing drums and deep jacking grooves: Berlin’s consummate soundman Tobias. takes his motorik
Tobias Freund is one of those artists who has had a definitive impact on the sound of Germany’s electronic landscape. From his early days working as an engineer in the Frankfurt studio of Frank Farian, to his multitude of aliases and projects such as Metazone, Phobia, Sieg Über Die Sonne, and his own Tobias Freund moniker, Tobias has consistently followed his own path through ambient, acid, techno, and house, with unswervingly high production values. As Pink Elln, his collaborations with Uwe Schmidt (aka Atom TM) explored the fusion of techno, trance and krautrock finding a unique zone of their own, while his album The Electronic Dreamplant mixed electro and audiophile surround sound elements to futuristic effect. Tobias’ prolific catalogue also includes many collaborations, such as the group Odd Machine (a trio of Tobias, Ricardo Villalobos and Atom TM), who create some beguiling, otherworldly loopholes, and the duo Sieg Über Die Sonne with Martin Schopf, who wove together elements of rave, techno and pop with a euphoric 90s sensibility. A vital part of Tobias’ catalogue is his work as NSI (Non Standard Institute), a collaboration with his studio partner Max Loderbauer, from where Tobias also takes the name for his label Non Standard Productions, founded in 2006. Since adopting his Tobias. moniker, he’s delved deeper into a characteristically tough house sound, releasing split 12"s with artists like Shed and Efdemin on a variety of labels like Ostgut Ton, Wagon Repair and Naïf. Wherever Tobias goes with his productions, his individual approach will always set a benchmark for the future.
