Errorsmith
[DE]
Errorsmith is the solo project of maverick German producer and software instrument designer Erik Wiegand, whose avant-techno and computer music explores digital sound synthesis futures and their rhythmic possibilities. In live performance, he improvises on self-built digital tools, aiming to achieve the maximum degree of freedom and immediacy using real-time sound synthesis—without relying on static samples.
Wiegand has been active as a producer since the mid-90s, and trained in communication and computer science. After moving to Berlin in 1991, Erik Wiegand was subsequently exposed to and influenced by the likes of Frank Timm and DJ Niplz. With his collaborators, as well as with the help of Berlin distributor Hard Wax, Wiegand largely released music independently, in hopes of pursuing as much artistic and financial freedom as possible.
In 2011, he partnered with Native Instruments to develop the Razor synthesizer, said to offer cutting-edge sound design with unparalleled dynamics and a precise sound identity suited to tense basses, bristling leads, and shifting, sci-fi soundscapes. Wiegand also operates as MMM—his long-running partnership with Berghain resident Fiedel known for its stripped-back, UK funky-inspired techno ideally suited for DJing—and as Smith n Hack with Soundstream (a.k.a. Soundhack). As a testament to the creative integrity of both his solo and collaborative output, all of Wiegand's records are self-released and distributed primarily through Berlin institution Hard Wax, although in 2014 his collaborative track with pioneering experimental duo Mouse on Mars appeared on their anniversary compilation, 21 Again.
October 2017 saw the release of his long-awaited album, Superlative Fatigue, via PAN. Marking his first solo record released in 13 years, the album was crafted with exhaustive attention to detail, largely with Wiegand’s own synthesizer, Razor. Over a period of six years, Errorsmith has produced an album full of exuberant energy that harkens back to his work with Fiedel. The record takes its name from a description of Donald Trump, while single “I’m Interesting, Cheerful and Sociable” adopts a phrase from an online dating profile. For an artist who often feels estranged from the predominantly dark, techno-oriented Berlin club scene, his release is unsurprisingly ecstatic and playful. Weaving syncopated, funky rhythms from the likes of dancehall and kuduro into threads of UK rave, Superlative Fatigue marries the nostalgic with the alien, and always succeeds in getting people to move.
