DE / NL
Performance: DJ / Live
Travel: 2 person from Germany / Netherlands
Booking Contact: Michael Matuschek
Links:
Soundcloud
Collabs Live Videos
Chris Liebing and Speedy J’s Collabs 3000 project, revived in 2024 with a slew of high-profile b2b sets, has its roots in the pair’s history and that of European Techno.
The spark that launched Collabs 3000 occurred at Frankfurt’s legendary U60311 club in 2001. Speedy J, aka Jochem Paap, and Chris Liebing were already key players in the Techno scene, and Paap’s first visit to Liebing’s own Es ist Freitagaaabend…! night and residency in Germany came from a deep mutual respect. This energy between the two precipitated an off-the-cuff set that saw Liebing mixing out of a Speedy J live set and Speedy J bouncing off Liebing’s selections behind the decks, creating an utterly unique night that is now part of Frankfurt clubbing folklore.
Soon after their first improvised live/DJ back set, Liebing and Paap convened at the latter’s studio in Rotterdam to record for the Speedy J collaborative series, Collabs, for Novamute. The track, ‘Collabs 300’ (‘ Trick_’ /’ Treflon_’), was released in 2004 to a rapturous response; its detailed machine-funk intensity and unmistakable breakdowns helped to define the sound of early ’00s Techno and revealing writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work. This wider remit manifested in ‘Collabs 3000 (Metalism)’, a long player for Novamute, replete with The Designers Republic art and eleven relentless, layered tracks that still crop up regularly some two decades after their release.
For Liebing and Paap, Techno has always been about the future. As such, Collabs 3000 continues at pace with the duo restlessly exploring the limits of their craft, with the improvisational character of their ever-evolving styles creating unforgettable moments for thousands of Techno fans across the globe.