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Having lived and shaped Berlin’s electronic heartbeat since the ’90s, Andreas Henneberg knows the scene better than most—from its gritty origins to its global reputation today. A true live performer at heart, he thrives on connecting with crowds through his own productions, blending techno, house, and minimal with instinct and soul. Beyond the clubs, his “Synth Happens” concert series showcases a daring crossover into the orchestral world, proving that powerful music knows no boundaries. With deep ties to crews like Plantage13 and a sharp ear as a label owner, Andreas Henneberg remains one of the scene’s most versatile and visionary figures.
Andreas, you’ve been part of the Berlin music scene for decades. How would you describe the evolution of the city’s music culture and how has it influenced your own sound?
Berlin is my hometown. I’m grew up here and got the full dose of the electronic music scene from the mid 90’s on. The years of chaos in the eastern part of the city, right after the Berlin-Wall felt, contributed a lot to the development of clubs & raves. The city was full of lost places and abandoned buildings with unclear ownership structures. Over the last 2 decades the government is claiming lot’s of these places back, especially those located in the city centre. Whatsoever the city is a melting pot of all kinds of music, art and culture with lot’s of inspiring projects and characters. You can find all kind of crazy things where ever you go and yes, this is influencing me a lot in everything I do as an artist.
You’ve founded several labels, including SNOE, Voltage Musique, Hennon, and Cascandy. What inspired you to start these projects, and how do they differ from each other?
When I founded Voltage Musique Records in 2001 the electronic music label landscape was still pretty small because it was pretty much of an effort to get a distributer, a good PR company and a vinyl pressing plant. No internet, no mp3, no Spotify.. VINYL only! I had so many great artist with super good tracks around me that needed to be released. My personnel interest was of course to release my own music easily without the need of sending demo’s to other labels. Over the years I started many other musical projects and several record labels in different genres. It’s really hard for me to limit myself on only one genre or musical style and these separations are helping me to do what I want without clashing.
With over 20 years of experience in the studio and on stage, what has been the most significant change in how you approach music production and performance?
Definitely the evolution of how we make music today. Just 2 decades ago we needed a 100k of studio gear to create an OK sounding record. Today we need a laptop, a few freeware plugins and some headphones to deliver fantastic productions. How cool is that?! So many new talents are popping up everywhere just because they are able to express themself’s even if the budget is low. The dark side is the urgent need of new filter mechanisms to separate the good and the bad.
As a DJ and live performer, your sets are known for blending techno, minimal, and house. How do you maintain balance in your performances while incorporating all these genres?
The crowd will choose your records. Thats the essence of dj’ing and kind of guiding me through a night. Thats what I rely on. Know your records and sort them accordingly.
You’ve released music on renowned labels such as Katermukke, Get Physical, and Bedrock. How do you choose the labels you work with, and what does it mean for you to be part of such esteemed brands?
First of all I just wanna make music. I have absolutely no idea what the outcome will be when I enter the studio in the morning. At the end of the day I have a song. I play it at a party, see how it works, do some changes, play it out again, changes again and so on. The process of finding the right label is easy. To sign the track is a hell of a job. Thats the part I hate most. And this is why I run so many record labels by my own haha ;)
One of your most unique projects is the “Synth Happens” concert concept, where you blend electronic music with a full orchestra. Can you tell us more about this experience and how it’s been received globally?
Isn’t it every musicians dream to perform the own music together with a full philharmonic orchestra? The goal is to translate some of my favorite and/or most successful tunes into the language of a 70+ musicians and their instruments. These kind of crossover stuff is super important to inspire the next generations to visit opera houses or theaters and experience the immense sound wall an orchestra can generate. Not everybody would go there to listen to Bach or Mozart just for the fun.
The most challenging thing is to give every musician enough material to play without overloading or even destroying the whole vibe and idea of the original electronic tracks. My arranger “Christian Dellacher” and I are splitting and routing all my sounds and grooves to single instruments. My Drummer Stix On Speed”” and the 4 people strong percussion section of the orchestra are playing nearly all the grooves and drums. My machines are only playing these kind of sounds the orchestra really cannot imitate. The fierce synth stuff or strong bass lines straight out the Moog for example. Besides the music it is a huge technical effort to equip every single instrument with microphones and mix the whole thing down to a good sounding live audio. Most of the opera houses not even have a sound system installed. Our technical rider is actually a book. ;)
Being a mastering engineer as well, how does your technical knowledge influence your artistic approach when creating tracks and performing live?
Knowledge can block creativity and thats a massive problem every artist can validate. Lot’s of musicians in philharmonic orchestras can’t just play “something nice” without scores in front of them. From the technical aspect it definitely helps to know whats going on. Especially when it comes to mix and mastering things.
Looking ahead, what’s next for you, both in terms of your musical projects and your live performances? Is there any new direction or collaboration you’re particularly excited about?My first gigs back in the 90’s have been live performances. I started Dj’ing around 2002 and this is what a Henneberg show looked like since.
With my philharmonic, electronic crossover project „Synth Happens“ I rediscovered how much I love to play my own music live. This is why I’m currently working on a new solo live-show with 2 hours pure Henneberg. Machines only, no computers on stage.. Love it :)
