As he’s been around for ages, Cari Lekebusch does not really need an introduction. The Swedish DJ and producer has one of these biographies that many artists who grew up during the formative years of electronic dance music do: In the early 1980’s, he was into breakdancing and graffiti culture, at the same time being heavily influenced by the triumphant march of drum machines that changed music production forever.
After acts like African Bambaata, Mantronix, and Kraftwerk paved the way, Lekebusch played a vital role in establishing a then futuristic sounding genre called Techno in the 90’s, be it with his rough, uncompromising productions or his daring DJ sets that have kept their unpolished, spontaneous spirit to this very day.
What did you have in mind when recording this mix?
This mix was built around tracks from my XYZ album release plus some of the latest releases on my own label H-Productions. And i also included some fave tracks from my DJ crate, that i found in the past month or two. I guess it’s a bit like a lighthouse for what’s in store for 2025.
Where did you record it and which setup did you use?
It was recorded in my thrusty DJ set up I have at home. Always felt a need to have one close at hand! I mainly use the Pioneer CDJ2000’s and an Allen&Heath DB4 DJ mixer. The DB4 has amazing looping, effects, and other handy functions that I really like playing with.
What’s the most memorable gig you played so far?
There have been so many great memories over the past 30 years that my head is melting when thinking about that! But one of the latest was Dekmantel Festival 2024 in Amsterdam, where I played in the UFO II tent. The atmosphere and audience brought me back to some of those highlight festivals and events in the late 1990’s and 2000’s, that gave me a lot of spirit fuel.
Can you name a secret weapon that you use frequently?
I don’t really have anything like that, actually. Been asked that question before, but it changes every month or even more often. Most of the times it will be one of my own productions, since I do produce a lot of tracks. A great example of another artist and track would be „Vogue One“ by A.Morgan. I just cant get enough of that kind of juicy sauce!
Three recent releases that caught your attention?
So many great new artists are popping up nowadays, it’s crazy–and so many great tracks! There is not enough time to play all of them! Luxury problems! Mikrotakt, Pierce and Shinichi Atobe are good examples of artists that caught my attention for the past years. Shinichi’s album „Discipline“, Pierce’s EP „Nightcrawler“ and Mikrotakt’s „Confront Chaos“ and „Psychological Freedom“ are scratching all my itches.
What do you have coming up?
Just like in 2024, 2025 will be devoted to my label H-Productions, since I’ve taken on the releases of many new artists and also some more established ones. Super happy to be able to present a lot of tasty tracks all year as well as some new sound kits to play with on my iPhone app called EZPZ where you can draw sounds with your fingers to create colourful animations synched with unique music loops. There are some exciting tour dates coming up as well in the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Germany.
Track list:
Mikrotakt – Deceptive Beliefs (E-HRZN Records)
Alexander Johansson & Mattias Fridell – Fuffens (Symbolism)
Dog on Acid – King Rat (H-Productions)
Mikrotakt – Tyranny (H-Productions)
Cari Lekebusch – Whack a Mole (H-Productions)
Khas – Primal Tool 6 (Frenzy Recordings)
Bidoben – Sans Soleil (Clergy)
Fractious – Hyper Loop (KD Raw)
Alexander Johansson & Mattias Fridell – Petflaska (H-Productions)
FVKS – Reflex (Oecus)
Vannesa Gnz – Smooth (Mind Medizin)
RMK – Breaky (Vinicius Honorio Remix) (Fossil Archive)
Cari Lekebusch – Freeze Tag (H-Productions)
Orion – Onslaught (H-Productions)
Lego – Tangerine (H-Productions)
Cari Lekebusch – Hacky Sack (H-Productions)
Cari Lekebusch – Mind and Matter (Mind Medizin)
Cari Lekebusch – Flipping Out (H-Productions)
Cari Lekebusch – Freakout (Mind Medizin)
Nait Zabes – Tic Tac (H-Productions)
Aero – Lurching (Planet Rhythm)
Takt – Gone In a Flash (E-HRZN Records)
Gendish – Gäri (H-Productions)
Luar – Process (E-HRZN Records)
Valo – Minister of Sad Coughs (H-Productions)
