Christian Löffler (born April 5, 1985) is a German musician whose music can be categorized as techno, deep house, ambient, and electronica. He has released six studio albums.
Life
editLöffler was born in Greifswald in 1985 in former East Germany and lives in Graal-Müritz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.[1]
Music
editIn his youth, Löffler began working on music and had his first performances in the Greifswald area. He started recording ambient sounds and noises from nature (known as field recordings), which he then processed on a drum machine.[1] In 2009, he founded the music label Ki Records.[2]
A Forest (2012) and Mare (2016)
editFor the work on his debut album A Forest, released in 2012, Löffler retreated to Usedom for three months. The album features collaborations with various vocalists; the song Swift Code also includes a collaboration with writer Marcus Roloff.[2]
In 2016, Löffler released his second album, Mare, which contains 17 tracks. In addition to various collaborations, including four tracks with vocalist Mohna, Löffler also recorded his own vocals for the album. Mare was recorded on the Darß peninsula.[3]
Graal (2019) and Lys (2020)
editIn April 2019, Christian Löffler initially released his third album Graal (Prologue), followed in March 2020 by his fourth album Lys. On Lys (Danish for "light"), Löffler collaborated with singers Josephine Philip and Mona Steinwidder, the latter of whom also frequently performs as a singer at Löffler's live shows.[4] With Lys, Löffler entered the German album charts for the first time.[5]
Parallels: Shellac Reworks (2021) and A Life (2024)
edit
Löffler's subsequent album Parallels: Shellac Reworks, 2021, was created during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was unable to perform live. German classical music label Deutsche Grammophon offered Löffler access to shellac records from the label's archive to reinterpret the music works of the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods in his own style.[6] The album, released by Deutsche Grammophon, includes adaptations of works by Beethoven, Bach, Wagner, Chopin, Smetana, and Bizet.[7]
In 2022, Löffler performed Parallels at the BBC After Dark Festival at The Sage Gateshead with the Royal Northern Sinfonia chamber orchestra.[7]
In April 2024, Löffler released his sixth album, A Life. On the album, he collaborated with guest singers Malou and Mogli.[8]
Live performance
editLöffler tours for over three months per year, performing his compositions. He has a global audience and has previously performed in Europe, the United States, and Japan.[1]
Reception
editPhilip Fassing wrote in the former German music magazine Intro that A Forest brings "the old liaison between kick drum and rustling leaves to the point without pretense" (Intro 203, 06/2012).[9] Musikexpress compared Löffler's music to that of Erik Satie.[10]
"Instead of making pop for the club, Christian Löffler from Greifswald does exactly the opposite. He programs house tracks that could be declared as—largely instrumental—introspective pop. [...] House as a backdrop for contemplation and introspection is also possible, as shown by Hamburg musicians Lawrence or Pantha du Prince before Löffler. 'A Forest,' which shares its title with an early hit by the band The Cure, is already a classic of contemplative house." – Tim Caspar Boehme, Der Spiegel[2]
Dirk Domin of ByteFM noted in 2016 on the release of Mare, Löffler manages repeatedly to "combine techno, pop, melancholy, and exuberance under one hat."[3] Laut.de describes in their artist portrait that Löffler's music "oscillates between ambient and dancefloor, yet always carries a strong melancholic impact."[11]
Faze Magazine writes in their Records of the Month column for May 2024, Löffler positions himself with his album A Life "very consciously and clearly against the technical possibilities of AI and for human creativity as something profound and unique." The titles are "moody, expressive" and "a statement that music is much more than just a product."[12]
AllMusic's Liam Martin describes Löffler's works as "emotionally charged, melancholic music that feels isolated yet strangely appealing."[13]
Discography
edit| Title | Album details | Peak chart position[14] |
|---|---|---|
| GER | ||
| A Forest | 2012, Ki Records | – |
| Mare | 2016, Ki Records | – |
| Graal (Prologue) | 2019, Ki Records | – |
| Lys | 2020, Ki Records | 89 |
| Parallels: Shellac Reworks | 2021, Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music | 78 |
| A Life | 2024, Ki Records | – |
Singles and EPs
edit- 2008: A Hundred Lights (Orphanear)
- 2009: Heights (Ki Records)
- 2010: Raise (c.sides)
- 2011: Baltic Sea (feat. Steffen Kirchhoff; Ki Records)
- 2012: Aspen (Ki Records)
- 2014: All Comes (Ki Records)
- 2014: Young Alaska (Ki Records)
- 2015: York (20:20 Vision)
- 2015: Lost (Just This)
- 2016: Wilderness (feat. Mohna; Ki Records)
- 2016: Licht (Ki Records)
- 2016: Reubin (Ki Records)
- 2017: Haul (feat. Mohna; Ki Records)
- 2017: Haul (feat. Blackout Problems; Ki Records)
- 2019: Graal (Prologue) [Remixes] (Ki Records)
- 2020: Ronda (Cercle Records)
- 2022: Solo (Ki Records)
- 2022: Fjäll (feat. Fejká; Ki Records)
- 2022: New Fires (feat. Henry Green; Ki Records)
- 2023: Envy (feat. Mogli; Ki Records)
- 2023: Brave (Ki Records)
- 2023: Roused (feat. Malou; Ki Records)
- 2024: Ease (Ki Records)
- 2024: Portals (feat. Mogli; Ki Records)
- 2024: When Everything Was New (Ki Records)
- 2024: Felt (feat. Henry Green, Ki Records)
References
edit- ^ a b c Unger, Benjamin (2024-03-12). "New York, Tokio, Graal Müritz: DJ-Star zwischen den Welten". Norddeutscher Rundfunk (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ a b c Boehme, Tim Caspar (2012-08-08). "Debütalben von TEED, Lemonade, Christian Löffler: Neue Techno-Impulse". Der Spiegel (in German). ISSN 2195-1349. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ a b Domin, Dirk (2016-11-01). "Christian Löffler – "Mare" (Rezension)". ByteFM (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Goltz, Jan-Frederic (2020-03-20). "Christian Löffler – Lys". NEØLYD ― Magazin für Popkultur (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ "Christian Löffler". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Dicke, Tassilo (2021-02-12). "Christian Löffler – Parallels: Shellac Reworks (Deutsche Grammophon)". FAZEmag (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ a b "BBC Radio 3 Announces After Dark Festival at Sage Gateshead". The Journal of Music. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Wilkinson, Juan Ignacio R. (2024-04-27). "Christian Löffler presents new album 'A Life'". Electronic Groove. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Fassing, Philip (2014-03-27). "Christian Löffler: A Forest: Intro Magazin". Intro Magazin. Archived from the original on 2014-03-27. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ "Christian Löffler: A Forest". Musikexpress (in German). 2012. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ "Christian Löffler". laut.de (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ "Platten des Monats – Mai 2024". FAZEmag (in German). 2024-05-06. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ Martin, Liam. "Christian Löffler". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
- ^ "Christian Löffler". Offizielle Charts (in German). Retrieved 2024-07-10.
External links
edit
- Christian Löffler discography at MusicBrainz