Last week we reported about a photo exhibit of vintage synthesizers made by Andreas Lübeck and Andreas Tilliander in Stockholm. I got the chance to ask the man behind the camera, Andreas Lübeck, some questions about the exhibit and his interest in synthesizers. He was also kind enough to let us show some of his great photos of classic electro gear. Above you see the Prophet 5, the photos are mixed with his interview in this post.

-Tell us about yourself. Who are you?

Well, I support myself as a photographer while trying to work with a broad range of things visual. Last year I lived in Germany, but I recently moved back to Stockholm from Berlin to live with my girlfriend. She is the best. I moved here almost ten years ago and I keep coming back after each time I move away. Currently I am working on a slow motion project–a very exciting technology, but I have to get back to you on that.

(Korg MonoPoly)

-Interesting idea with a vintage synthesizer photo exhibit. How did this start?

Thanks! I am not a collector myself, but as long as I can remember I have been fascinated by synthesizers. They have a visual charm and a quirky design tradition that really appeals to me–especially the old ones, with wooden housing, plastic knobs and etched metal plates. It is a nice marriage between something organic and inorganic. I guess I just wanted to show other people what I liked about that. At the same time it is a kind of flirt with the kitschy product photography of a bygone era.

(Minimoog)

This is the pilot exhibition featuring eight or nine synthesizers and drum machines; the idea is that if I manage to sell enough prints I am able to continue the project with other machines. The exhibition itself is a collaboration between myself, Johan Antoni of JAM in Stockholm and musician Andreas Tilliander, who has an extensive collection of luscious synthesizers that he kindly lent me.

(Roland SH-101)

-Is your interest in synthesizers only visual or do you crave the sound as well?

I adore electronic music, or at least some of it. The whole thing was very mystical and intriguing to me when I grew up in the mid-90s. I started to listen to minimal and ambient, but I did not quite understand it back then. Then IDM came along and opened up a whole new world of sounds for me.

-Confess your synths to us please!

I used to own a couple of synths and a drum machine, but frankly I was never really good at working with them, so I gave them up for software. It is more non-linear and I like that. I just make music for recreational purposes, so I prefer mobility and fun to audio quality and cred. I love being able to sit on the subway and play on my laptop, telephone, handheld game console or whatever is at hand. With a headphone splitter I am able to mix five audio signals and keep my gear pocket-sized. All battery powered! Lovely.

Regarding software I have played around a lot in Native Instruments Reaktor and Propellerheads Reason–both are a lot of fun. I recently added Ableton Live to the setup, but I am still getting used to it.

(Roland TB 303 / TR 606)

-Do you have any more synth related project coming up?

Well, kind of. I have just finished working on a typographic project which involved a drum machine. The whole project is a sort of visualization of patterns in electronic music, set in Helvetica and printed in a limited edition booklet. I hope people will like it and maybe buy a copy! Have a look here.

-Thank you Andreas Lübeck, your synths shall never be forgotten!

Thank you, take care!

The vintage synthesizer photo exhibit at JAM will be in place until june 1st. You can check out more of Andreas Lübecks work on his site. There you can also buy his work in higher resolution larger scale photography formats. It is most definately nice to have some great vintage synthesizers on the walls.

(Roland TR-909)