Today sees the release of The Micronaut’s new album ‘Olympia (Summer Game)’ – we got to have a catch up with the German multi-instrumentalist to learn a bit more about the album, himself, and more!

Tell us who you are and what’s your sound? I am Stefan, originally from a small village on the shore of the Baltic Sea, but I have lived in Leipzig for the last 12 years. I once learned to be a carpenter, but a few years ago, my passion – music – became my profession.

What exciting projects have you got coming up? The most exciting thing, for now, is the release of my new album “OLYMPIA”. We worked so hard on it and I was very supported by my label Ki Records and my management and we are just overjoyed that it’s out now. I’m also very looking forward to playing live again. I have a new light show that I am programming myself and I am rehearsing every day. I can’t wait for it to start again, but health comes first of course. Last, but not least: I have just married the woman of my life and although we have been together for 3 years, I feel even more connected. That’s a very good feeling! We are currently planning our big party with friends and family, which is of course also very exciting.

Where did you grow up and what music influenced you? I grew up in a small village. The village had no influence on my musical interests, but I listened to the radio a lot back then, that was all we had. There was an East German radio station called DT64, there were different shows with different kinds of music. When I listened to The Cure and New Order for the first time, it touched me very much. Later bands like Dinosaur Jr. Stereolab, Breakbeat Era and Jaga Jazzist influenced me a lot.

What cool places do you recommend to visit in your city (bars, restaurants, etc)? Leipzig has a lot to offer here. In clubs like Distillery, IFZ and Elipamanoke, there you can have a lot of fun from Friday to Sunday. For concerts, I like to go to UT Connewitz or Conne Island. Leipzig has a lot of places you can’t simply find on the internet or a tourist guide. Secret places that you can only discover because your local friends have recommended it, that’s what makes this place so attractive. You always discover new places where exciting things happen. You just have to let the city guide you.   

We love recommendations – what have you been listening to, watching, or reading recently?   Oh, right now I’m playing the new album by Douglas Greed, he is a good friend and I really enjoy his releases. The last album of “Panthera Krause” is also great! I listen to records most of the time and I have so many by now, that a walk to the vinyl shelf is always a surprise. I discover old treasures like My Bloody Valentine and Sonic Youth and I am happy about Mount Kimbie and Prefuse 73.   “Live watching and visiting” is difficult at the moment, but we were on the island of Rügen for a few days, it’s definitely worth it, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. I read a lot of newspapers about music production and the “Beat” magazine is my favorite one.

Finally, what was the last thing that made you swear out loud? Ha ha, that’s a great question. I always forget such things very quickly… One story: when it was my wife’s birthday, we went on a bike tour to the lake. We went swimming and chilled in the sun, ate cake and drank woodruff soda. When it got dark we went home and I noticed that the tire of my bicycle was flat. I had several kilometers of walking ahead of me and instead of being happy about the beautiful day, I got very angry, and when I realized that, I got even angrier. Oh well, so in the end, I was only angry about myself… how stupid.

Be sure to check out The Micronaut’s album today and find out more about the artist by checking out his Facebook – The Micronaut and his Instagram @the_micronaut

Interview by: Alex Minnis

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