Celebrating our release of 'Nightfall' from Roland Klinkenberg, we caught up with him to ask him a few questions for our Lowbit Lowdown.

Hi Roland! Let's start off with a quick delve into your history - what track are you most proud of?

That would be my first record I did alone...it's from 1995 and it's called Sim 1...Actually, Sander Kleinenberg thought it was named after his girlfriend Simone ;-) It's never been released digitally I think. It's simple but it's still playable today...which can't be said of a lot of other older tracks of mine...

What was the inspiration behind 'Nightfall' and what was your process for producing the track?

It started with this percussion loop that got mangled by the Sherman
filterbank..I've built several tracks around this...hence the DUB
version. Other than that, there's not much to tell I'm afraid. I had this track
laying around for a while and every time I listened to it back, it kinda grabbed
me...dunno. It's a dark track...

What is it that drives you to make music?

It changes over time...right now, it's the mental aspect of not getting lured into a writer's block. Somehow I have managed to stay away from that for a few years now...it's a fine line, an interesting psychological game one has to play. I go into the studio with a certain mindset...it should all come naturally...you need to enjoy this..but also keep an keen eye (ear) on the quality of the sounds you add, every one should add
something relevant, otherwise ditch 'em. Also, if you have something nice going don't cling to it. If you do you'll drag it down, you'll spoil it. The process is not result driven and the track you end up with is just a result of a good time in the
studio. It's kinda spiritual, I have to say...and it works!

Have you ever had another job? And if you weren't a musician, what WOULD you be doing?

I've been building studio gear for some time now, sometimes I sell it...but I don't consider that a job. I have had small jobs in the past, nothing special, just what was available at the time...think washing dishes, being a courier etc etc. Actually, I'm not good at 'real' jobs. They never lasted longer than half a year. Getting into production full time was a nice way to escape from 'normal' society...it's been 10 years since my last job, maybe even longer. Right now I'm planning on getting back into gigging, either live or as a DJ. You can't make a living nowadays from producing alone...

What's your studio setup and how has that changed over the years?

I've switched to Ableton recently...before that it was Logic but somehow I got bored with the programme. I do have analog synths such as a Prophet 5, MS20 and the one I use the most is the SH 101. I also have a Fender Rhodes which I love. Basically, I record all analog gear so I can process it further in Ableton or put it in Simpler. I do have one VST synth...that's Aalto. You can see a picture of my studio on my Facebook page...

You've used a plethora of aliases over the years to make many styles of music. What would you say is your preferred style to produce and why?

Right now it's melodic techno and also deep house. I grew allergic to progressive...can't stand it actually. With every release I make I sincerely hope that it does not get put into progressive...but you never know...this person who puts the tracks into genres on Beatport...I suspect it's Tyler Durden.

Which artists are you rating right now/would you like to work with?

I would love to work with a good male / female singer...I've worked with several but it's always been a struggle. The reason might be that I'm not good at collabs...

What's your take on the current state of the music industry?

I try not to think about this too much...ask me in a year or so...

You disappeared from the music industry for a while - why was that and what made you return to it?

In the past 20 years I've been away several times. It always starts with boredom...and this time I also relocated to France and soon after, my son Yani was born...enough to get you distracted for some time...in a good way I should say :-) This last time I found it particularly hard to re-establish myself. In the early days I could get away with a year's absence but somehow everything is faster now...artists have a shorter lifespan. As a result I try to focus on the timeless aspect of music... not try to hitch a fast ride with whatever is hip for now. That way you'll last longer.


What music do you listen to at home/in your spare time?

Herbie Hancock, squarepusher, The Orb, FSOL, Funky Porcini, Amon Tobin...Betrand Burgalat....Black Dog.....Bowie......Hendrix.....Miles....

What would you do if you were beamed back to 1985?

Well, there are the obvious things one does when being beamed back, but besides that...I'm always wondering what setup I would have bought with today's knowledge...so, I did buy a Atari ST and a S1000...but that will now be an Akai mpc60 and then some! I think I would save up for the Eventide H3000 which did cost a fortune at the time...hmm those Akais were bloody expensive as well...


Do you ever have nights where you just get really drunk on tequila?!

What's that? Tequila? Did I drink that stuff? Can't remember much of it ;-)

Be sure to check out Rolands track 'Nightfall' on Beatport.