Marius Lauber's debut track Sea pricked the ears of the likes of Joe Goddard (Hot Chip) and fellow dance music stalwarts behind the DIY dance label Greco-Roman last year. Now, having been a part of Greco-Roman's artist roster for over a year, Lauber couldn't be happier. “Somehow they found my track Sea on YouTube and wanted to meet me,” he says, currently in the midst of a big German tour. “I was quite surprised that somebody was interested in the music I make; I just uploaded the track but didn't have any intention to find a label. It's been great to have them supporting me from the start, they really made a lot of things possible for me and it feels nice to be a part of the label.”
Having taken classical piano lessons as a child and moved on to playing the drums and guitar in bands during his high-school years, Lauber took the production path when he moved into his own flat in Cologne at 19. “I did a lot of different projects before I somehow found the right sound for me,” he admits. “Cologne really inspired me as it's such an electronic surrounding there. I also started to go to clubs and was really inspired by that. A few months later I got a DJ residency at the Kompakt-related Total Confusion nights.
“I'm actually recording my album in Berlin right now but I see Cologne definitely as my home. I got to know a lot of people that aren't really doing the same sound that I do, which can be really productive compared to living in a bubble of musicians doing the exact same thing.”
It's been non-stop from then on, with various big DJ tours. “This year took me to a lot of places I haven't been before which is always the most fun. We were in Brazil, USA, did our first UK headline tour. The support tour for Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs at the end of last year was really motivating… I didn't have a live band back then so I was on my own on stage and quite inexperienced. It really helped me to try things out and get more confidence on stage.”
Don't miss a beat with our FREE daily newsletter
Lauber recently released his Elliot EP, a deliciously washed-out collection of chilled summer disco beats, through Sydney boutique dance label Future Classic. “They know my label Greco-Roman quite well and found out about me. I've been quite a big fan of Future Classic for a long time so I was curious about signing on it. I really hope to meet them at some point and maybe even play shows in Australia.”
For now, the focus for Lauber is on his forthcoming debut album and his current European tour. “There are a lot of shows until Christmas and I hope after that I get some time to finish my album,” he says. “When it's done I want to tour a lot with it next year. Maybe it gets me to Australia at some point – I would love to come over!”
