In conversation with Alexander Cheves
LUMBAGO is a producer, DJ, and one-third of the house trio HAUShoch3. Based in Göttingen, Germany, he’s featured on SEVEN’s Various Artists 03, out Friday, 17 July on vinyl.
The release gathers fresh producers from Berlin, Paris, Hamburg, Switzerland, and beyond, spanning house, deep house, and prog house. LUMBAGO’s track, “9.55am at PANO,” sits at B1, a five-minute track that, to him, feels like “dancing and dreaming at the same time.”
Though he’s been producing for seven years, this is LUMBAGO’s first release on vinyl. Here, he chats with editor Alexander Cheves about the release, why he makes music, and what’s next.
This is Stall Talk with LUMBAGO.
Alexander Cheves. What’s the story behind your artist name? Tell me if I’m wrong, but isn’t “lumbago” the medical term for lower back pain?
LUMBAGO. When I first started DJing, I always had the decks set up on low tables, so it looked like I was about to get a lumbago. My friends started calling me “DJ Hexenschuss,” the German word for lumbago. I wasn’t a big fan of that name, but I liked the idea, so I switched to the medical term. That’s how LUMBAGO was born.
AC. How does it feel to have your music out on vinyl now?
LUMBAGO. It’s my first vinyl release, and honestly it’s overwhelming to hold something in my hands that I created myself. And an honor to have it with an amazing label.
AC. You’re one third of a trio, HAUShoch3. Tell me about that?
LUMBAGO. Yes, HAUShoch3 came together naturally from playing with my two best friends in Göttingen, Raphael Eckerl and Marius Munser. All three of us also play techno, so at the beginning, we didn’t limit ourselves strictly to house music. But once we decided on the name HAUShoch3, we leaned into what’s in the name: “Haus,” the German word for house.
AC. What’s it like to play with them?
LUMBAGO. I love it. Each of us has a completely different direction, but when we play together, those directions melt into one and we complement each other in ways I’ve never experienced with anyone else.
“Being on stage with your two best friends, fully in the moment, sharing a passion and creating something special for the room, that is just the most fun you can have.”
AC. Your track on the VA is called “9.55am at PANO.” Mind telling new listeners what to expect from it?
LUMBAGO. For me, the track captures a magical Panorama Bar morning after a night of dancing. Because the track is five minutes long, I called it “9.55am at Panorama Bar.” It’s about that moment when you only have time for one last track before you have to wrap it up.
“I wanted to make a track that pulls together all the remaining energy in the room for one last time round. A perfect closing moment.”
AC. Does “9.55am at PANO” feel like a fair sampling of your direction right now, or is it different from your other work?
LUMBAGO. I’ve been producing for about seven years and feel like I’m constantly discovering new things and moving away from sounds I don’t connect with anymore. So I’m still floating a bit in terms of what I like and want to produce. But the framework is there: I love creating a momentum you can feel strongly on an emotional level, whether it’s melancholic, joyful, sad, or just something that takes you on a journey and pulls you into a trance. I don’t think listeners will ever be able to expect one specific thing from me.
AC. Did any childhood experiences shape your desire to work in music? Was there an aha moment?
LUMBAGO. I grew up in a home with classical music everywhere. My mother was an opera singer and my grandfather played with the Berliner Philharmoniker. So it was pretty clear from a young age that I was going to play instruments and sing in choirs. I started playing piano at a young age, then added bassoon. I played in orchestras and sang in the opera choir in Hannover.
“At 18, I started producing and singing as a way to cope with the loss of my mother. I wrote songs about her. Making music still lets me connect to her in a very special and beautiful way.”
AC. That is beautiful, thank you for sharing. What do you think her favorite track you’ve made would be?
LUMBAGO. There are many tracks in the pipeline my mother would love, but also this project called “Come Home,” which I dedicated to her. I had the idea to carry that project through the different phases of my life as an artist. When I started producing, I was mostly doing hip hop, and I made the original “Come Home” track, which you can find under the alias MAX WILLIAMS. Later, when I moved into electronic, I continued the project with “Come Home 2.0”, released as my first track under my current name LUMBAGO. And now that I really feel at home making house and have found myself in that genre, I’m working on “Come Home 3.0.” Because this project is dedicated to her, I think the connection is strongest here, and I think she’d really like them.
AC. That’s really powerful. How did your track “9.55am at PANO” end up with SEVEN?
LUMBAGO. For that, I give credit to a DJ friend from Hannover. When he listened to the track, he said I should send it to SEVEN. I did, and shortly after, they replied and invited me to be part of this amazing VA. That was about a year ago. I’m grateful for the opportunity and impressed by how well organized the label is and how the people behind it manage to be super sweet and professional at the same time.
AC. What is some advice you’d give to a beginner in club culture?
LUMBAGO. Passion is everything. You need to know how to present yourself, network, and market what you do, but the art should always come first.
“Many people want to work in nightlife. I suggesting thinking about how you can contribute to your local scene and to the people around you. If that’s your focus, the rest will follow.”
AC. When you’re not behind the decks, where do you like to dance in Berlin?
LUMBAGO. I’ve partied a bit in the city, but there’s still so much more to discover. For now, it’s Berghain for me.
AC. What’s a record you’d give to your twelve-year-old self?
LUMBAGO. “Yangango” by Gregorythme. This track is pure magic and means a lot to me. I discovered it with a good friend at Metamorphosis in Berlin, and it became my favorite track to listen to. It is also a very special closing track.
AC. What’s next for LUMBAGO and HAUShoch3?
LUMBAGO. Over the next few months, I need to focus a bit more on my studies, but I’ll still make time to produce, play, and organize events with HAUShoch3 in Hamburg, Munich, and maybe Paris next year. Our next event as a group is in Göttingen at Gartenhaus, but there are no online tickets or anything, no link to share. We’ll see where the journey takes us, but for now I’m super thrilled for the VA release.
AC. What are you studying?
LUMBAGO. For more than two years I’ve been studying dentistry. Dentistry school is divided into two parts. The first part is theoretical, the second part is more practical. The first part is coming to an end now. I passed all my exams and need to focus on my medical preliminary examination in October. So give me three more years and then let me know when you need an appointment!
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Hear LUMBAGO on SEVEN’s Various Artists 03, out Friday, 17 July on vinyl. Get it at SEVEN’s online shop or in person at the SEVEN Community Record Store in Berlin-Mitte. Follow LUMBAGO on Instagram and SoundCloud, and follow HAUShoch3 on Instagram.
Words: Alexander Cheves
Images: Mara Menzel
