*Note: I decided to upload this article on my blog, not only because I love Stimming, but also for those who didn't manage to read the article in the Saturday Star back in 2018*
I had the lovely opportunity to chat to German house music producer Martin Stimming about his love for South Africa and the story behind his most recent project Alpe Lusia.
The video screen on my phone opens with German producer and deep house DJ Martin Stimming smiling and waving from the other side, and I don’t know why, but that wave should have been a sign for the animated conversation we were going to have.
Martin Stimming's career spans a decade, with three albums, various EPs and released tracks, and he was most recently in the country performing at Truth nightclub in Midrand in what was his ninth visit to the country.
One has to wonder: what is it about the country that draws the German producer to return every few years?
“Well, in honesty it is that I’ve come to learn that the people of South Africa are genuine and friendly”, Stimming explained. “You travel around the world and meets lots of people who aren’t genuine or who will pretend to like you for whatever reason, but with South Africans, in honesty - they are genuinely friendly and they like me and my music”.
For those who aren’t familiar with Martin Stimming and his style of music, here is a tidbit of information - Stimming’s music takes you on a journey because there is usually always a story attached to the song and the creation of the song.
That’s how it is, or at least that is how Stimming explained it to me very animatedly through our conversation via Skype.
Take his most recent album Alpe Lusia (which was released in 2016) for example. Stimming explained the process behind creating this album as though he had just finished creating the entire project a few days ago rather than two years ago.
The best part? The lengths he went to create this project included being secluded in a cabin approximately 4200 feet above sea level in an area that had no cell service or wifi. “I went to a cabin in the Alps for about a month, where I stayed alone and worked on some of the tracks. The first track I actually created from the album was Pressing Plant”.
The Alpe Lusia album has a total of ten tracks each with their own unique sound, and if you listen carefully, you can hear some of the industrial sounds and sounds of nature which Stimming hoped to capture while isolated in the Alps. However, that’s not the point of this article.
The point of this article is about Stimming and his relationship with South Africa, a relationship which he enjoys very much because of South Africa’s good-hearted nature, the love from his South African fans and Lazarusman.
“My work relationship with Lazarusman is one which I would consider special, his work is a special regime to some of the projects that we have created together”, he explained.
Lazarusman is a South African producer and spoken word poet, who has appeared on a number of Stimming’s tracks including ‘Stay the Same’ and their most recent project ‘Your Dreams’ (2018).
The two met when Lazarusman approached Stimming on Facebook, before collaborating together on their first track titled ‘Funk With Me’. “I love to work with Lazarusman. I love what he brings to our tracks and I love to perform alongside him”, Stimming added.
As for Stimming’s relationship with his South African fan base? The German producer pointed out that his fans in the country always receive him warmly, especially when he plays some of his best songs including his 2009 track ‘Song For Isabelle’ and his remix of 2016 track ‘Lion’ by fellow deep house artists HVOB.
“I just plan to have a good time on stage with my fans, connecting through the one thing that ties us together - music”.
- Love, light and blessings.
Mpho xx.
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