Philipp Priebe’s Raw and Rhythmic Narratives
There’s something magnetic about the way Philipp Priebe crafts sound. His music isn’t just meant to move bodies—it stirs something deeper.
Known for his emotionally rich take on deep house and dub techno, the German producer and DJ transforms raw, personal experience into what he calls dancefloor prose. His latest release, Until The End (2024), marks the third album in three years and the debut of Paradijs Boogie, a sub-label of Freund der Familie. It’s a record that pulses with sensitivity and sentiment, inviting listeners to fall in love—not just with someone else, but with the dance floor itself.
Priebe’s music is unmistakably intimate: lush textures, melancholic warmth, and driving rhythms interlace to form sonic narratives of internal reckoning and emotional catharsis. Inspired by the atmospheric depth of bands like Sigur Rós, he has long sought ways to bridge storytelling with club-ready compositions. His live sets reflect this same ethos—vulnerable, hypnotic, and relentlessly human.
Over a decade into his career, Priebe continues to expand his sonic universe. With Stólar, his own label founded in 2020, he created a platform free from compromise—a space to elevate kindred artists and build visual worlds alongside sound. His latest album is both a continuation and a closure: written during a dark personal chapter and finished with unexpected clarity, Until The End is a haunting, heartfelt offering that carves new paths while staying rooted in the honesty that defines his work. In our interview, Philipp Priebe opens up about storytelling through sound, why this album felt like a lifeline, and how a rainy Monday in October helped shape what may be his most personal project yet.
Q: The album has a deeply cinematic and emotional atmosphere. What themes or moods were you exploring when creating it?
Loneliness, desperation, depression, the process of forgiveness, and endings. I was going through a heavy depressive phase and wanted to capture exactly how I felt— making this record darker and more twisted than the previous ones.
During those times, I tend to gravitate toward a certain kind of music, like my own personal score to sadness—something I can listen to during everyday routines, travels, or commutes. My aim was to compose my own soundtrack to these emotional themes and to the therapy I was undergoing.
Each track became a timestamp of that period in my life—from late-night adventures that led somewhere unexpected, to the highs of thinking you’ve found something meaningful, only to realize you’ve reached a dead end.
Q: Can you tell us more about the title — Until The End — what inspired it?
The title came from accepting loss and honoring the love that existed—until the end. In the year I made this album, I lost several beings with whom I had different kinds of relationships. Each time, it pushed me into a deep hole I thought I couldn’t climb out of. At times, I thought that would be my reality—until my own end.
But eventually, I also realized that things were going to be okay. So the title reflects that whole arc: love until the end, hopelessness during depression, and the fragile hope of healing and transformation.
Q: What are your greatest inspirations and influences?
My biggest influence in electronic music has always been Lawrence, how his hi-hats sing, how he designs basslines, and the incredible detail in each track. He creates whole worlds you can drift into.
Outside of that, I mostly listen to indie pop and generally “sad” music, which is where I probably get my dramatic focus from. I’m also constantly imagining places, both real and imaginary and thinking about how my music would sound in those environments.
Q: You’ve worked with incredible artists like Ben Kaczor and Soela on this record. What drew you to these collaborators, and how did the creative dynamic evolve?
Everyone I worked with on this album is a close friend. When I began sketching early ideas, I already had people in mind who I knew could relate to what I was feeling. Since they'd already endured me for quite some time, I knew they understood what I was trying to express.
The process varied with each collaborator.
For example, I met up with Ohm in Copenhagen while I was escaping Berlin during a really dark period. We revisited older projects and ended up finishing two tracks—one of which made it onto the LP because it fit so well.
With Tim Eder, we worked on a sketch I was stuck on during his visit. After a long night out, we finished it together, sharing non-electronic songs for inspiration. With Ben Kaczor, I sent him a project I had been developing. A few days later, while in London, he sent it back completely stripped down with a beautiful, dark twist. We only debated whether or not to add claps—everything else came effortlessly. For Soela, I asked if she could record vocals for the closing track—the final piece of the album. I had placeholders already in there from when Tim visited. She immediately said yes, and we recorded the vocals in one afternoon. I processed them, and it was done. Collaborations can be tricky, but in this case, everything flowed naturally and felt organic.
Q: What surprised you most during the collaboration process?
Definitely seeing how each artist approached the ideas I brought to them. It’s fascinating to witness how someone else’s mind works when they're solving a musical puzzle. In my own productions, I tend not to be very minimalistic in terms of arrangement and elements. So I was especially surprised and impressed by how some of my collaborators took a much more minimal approach and still managed to say so much with it.
I always find inspiration working with artists I connect with musically and personally, and Philipp is definitely one of them. He immediately liked the atmospheric pads I brought in, especially how they interacted with the BigSky’s shimmer. Beyond that, our styles are rooted in the same era, so there’s an unspoken understanding. My sound didn’t just “fit” it felt like part of the conversation. - Ben Kaczor
On the weekend we produced the track "Was It Worth It All?" at Philipp’s studio in Berlin, we had just returned from a Four Tet DJ set. Inspired by the percussion and basslines from that performance, we quickly locked in on the vibe we wanted the track to express, and which elements should take center stage. I’d say the result is actually quite untypical for both of us, but the shared experience of that weekend is perfectly preserved in it. - Tim Eder
Q: Thanks for joining us today, is there anything else you'd like to share?
With my label Stólar, we’re currently exploring the "sound of chairs“ soundtracks, scores, and mixes by friends of the label inspired by that idea. You should check it out, it’s fun.
