Martin Stääf (born 13 November 1978), aka Liquid Stranger, is a Swedish-born

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

ian, described by Generation Bass as "the epitome of Transnational

Dubstep Dubstep is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in South London in the early 2000s. The style emerged as a UK garage offshoot that blended 2-step rhythms and sparse dub production, as well as incorporating elements of broken be ...

covering everything from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

Eastern European Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whi ...

and Jamaican

Dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

dubs." Martin Stääf is known for his experimental approach to composition where he merges genres to create a unique style of music. Martin Woods of Chillbase describes Liquid Stranger's music as a "unique blend of Ambience,

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, Dubstep and

Psychedelica ''Psychedelica of the Black Butterfly'' and ''Psychedelica of the Ashen Hawk'' are two ''otome'' visual novel video games developed by Otomate. They were published for PlayStation Vita by Idea Factory in Japan in 2015 and 2016, and by Aksys Game ...

drizzled over electronic Dub

Reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

grooves." Stääf lives in Edmond, Oklahoma.

History

Early years

Martin Stääf was born 13 November 1978 in

Varberg Varberg () is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019. Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wi ...

on the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

West Coast. He started playing the piano and did classical piano concerts between the ages of 6–8. Stääf started experimenting with

synthesizers A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

in the mid 80s and abandoned the classical music world to spend the next 10 years producing his own material. Stääf states: "I never thought about releasing any of my music until I was 17. Then, all of a sudden, it was time to get a job and I realized that there was nothing else I wanted to do at that time than making music."

Early career: late 1990s

Martin Stääf worked in the commercial studio Bohus Sound Recordings 1997–1999 and engineered/produced various

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and rock bands. During this time he also made a song for the Euro-Vision contest. In 1997 Martin Stääf formed the outfit Necton together with Patrik Olsén, mainly focusing on progressive and

psychedelic trance Psychedelic Trance, Psytrance or Psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...

. Necton released two full-length albums, 6 vinyl EPs, and were featured on numerous CD compilations. They were signed to

Spirit Zone Recordings Spirit Zone Recordings was an independent record label releasing Goa trance, psychedelic trance, progressive trance and ambient music. Founded in 1994 by Wolfgang Ahrens (a.k.a. DJ Antaro), the label has been defunct since July 2005. Some of the a ...

, Digital Structures and Spiral Trax. Necton toured extensively around the world between 1997 and 2003. During this time, Martin Stääf released

Nu Skool Breaks Nu skool breaks (or nu breaks as it is sometimes referred) is a subgenre of breakbeat originating during the period between 1998 and 2002. The style is usually characterized by more abstract, more technical sounds, sometimes incorporated from other ...

on labels

Ministry of Sound Ministry of Sound or Ministry of Sound Group is a multimedia entertainment business based in London with a nightclub, shared workspace and private members' club, worldwide events operation, music publishing business and fitness studio. James ...

, Sound of Habib, Muti Music, Random Recordings, Hope Recordings, and Muve Recordings under the alias Rhoca. Stääf also released funky Techno on

Iboga ''Tabernanthe iboga'' (iboga) is an evergreen rainforest shrub native to Central Africa. A member of the Apocynaceae family indigenous to Gabon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo, it is cultivated across Central Africa ...

Records, Plusquam Records, and Nanobeat Records.

The Liquid Stranger Project: 2003–2009

Martin Stääf launched the Liquid Stranger project in 2003. His intention was to have one alias that would encompass all his musical output. Consequently, he has produced a wide variety of music under the name Liquid Stranger. At first, Stääf's plan was to keep his identity a secret. He never did interviews or showed his face on stage. Stääf states: "After a while it became quite tricky. in fact, Interchill finally ruined this idea by writing my name on the record sleeves." Liquid Stranger's creative output ranges from suggestive Ambient soundscapes to movie scores, pop, dub, infernalia,

drill n bass Drill 'n' bass is a subgenre of drum and bass which developed in the mid-1990s as IDM artists began experimenting with elements of breakbeat, jungle, and drum and bass music. Artists utilized powerful audio software programs and deployed fren ...

, and

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

. The first release under the name Liquid Stranger was the song Environmental Meltdown, featured on the compilation Global Psychedelic Chill Out – Compilation Vol. 4 by

. When asked in an interview why he moved away from the trance scene, Stääf replied: "I never really switched per se, I have always made tons of different types of music. During the time I toured with Necton, I produced various stuff like Ambient, Electro and

Drill n bass Drill 'n' bass is a subgenre of drum and bass which developed in the mid-1990s as IDM artists began experimenting with elements of breakbeat, jungle, and drum and bass music. Artists utilized powerful audio software programs and deployed fren ...

. What excites me is the fusing of genres. I have no fixed style that I stay with too long, I do not like boundaries."

Subnatura collective

In 2003, Martin Stääf founded the musical collective Subnatura together with Marckus Andersson. Subnatura released 12 digital Ep's and were featured on net label Monotonik and the video DVD Collectanea: First Course, released by Escapi Music.

Candy Mind records

In 2004, Martin Stääf founded the record label Candy Mind Records together with his brother Jens Stääf. Candy Mind Records released 33 digital Ep's, and one full-length CD release from Dorothy's Magic Bag. During the Candy Mind era, Martin Stääf and his brother started the duo Hectopascal. They released the full-length album Anywhere And Me on Kahvi records. The Ep's Pixels and Pixies, and Alive in Veddige were released on Candy Mind Records.

Interchill records

In 2005, Stääf got signed to Canadian label Interchill Records. The song Political Finga was featured on Earth Octave Lounge Vol. 2, and received high praise from the dub community. The song Liquid Stranger on the Run appeared on the compilation Dissolving Clouds and got frequent plays on underground radio. Rick Anderson of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote about Liquid Stranger "As someone who has previously worked in progressive rock, punk, techno, breakbeat, and IDM genres, Staaf brings a certain sophistication to his Interchill-style dubtronica, and there is lots to hear for those who take the trouble to listen closely: the brass and orchestral samples bubbling beneath the surface of the gently churning dub of Liquid Stranger on the Run." The song We Meet at Last appeared on the compilation Bliminal, and was licensed by Velcrow Ripper for the film Fierce Light – Where Spirit Meets Action, released in 2008.

The Invisible Conquest

The first full-length Liquid Stranger album, The Invisible Conquest, was released by Interchill Records in 2007. A bass-heavy album with melodic bass lines, percussive grooves, tribal accents and minimal psychedelic overlays. The Invisible Conquest received high ratings and praise from critics. Properly Chilled wrote of the album "Liquid Stranger's sound has the grandeur of its peers without building an humongous ego. . .we give this record two thumbs way up and a standing ovation", and Raves.com described it as "A taste of the experimental, a chunk of tribal, all wrapped around a root of dub excellence. . .dub vibes that shoot right through to the middle of your gut." Morpeus Music describes the music of Liquid Stranger as "Bass driven atmospheric chillout. Liquid Stranger creates mostly instrumental montages with strong rhythmic content."

The Intergalactic Slapstick

The second full-length Liquid Stranger album was released by Interchill Records in 2009. This album saw Liquid Stranger moving significantly into heavier Dubstep and reggae influenced grooves. Vocalists Brother Culture, Danman,

Deeyah Deeyah Khan ( ur, , , born 7 August 1977) is a Norwegian documentary film director and human rights activist of Punjabi/Pashtun descent. Deeyah is a two-time Emmy Award winner, two time Peabody Award winner, a BAFTA winner and has received th ...

and Warrior Queen are featured on the album. Seb Taylor from Kaya Project plays

Steel Guitar A steel guitar ( haw, kīkākila) is any guitar played while moving a steel bar or similar hard object against plucked strings. The bar itself is called a "steel" and is the source of the name "steel guitar". The instrument differs from a conve ...

on the songs His Fully Automatic Wheelbarrow, and Dew Point. Dub-connection wrote of the album "the production varies and waves between an electro-dub chill-out and powerful tracks in the limit of drum and bass with a bit of stepper to spice the sound." Morpheus Music wrote of the album "The diverse roots of Liquid Stranger's sound sprawl across electro, ambient, grime, global, breaks and garage."

The Private Riot

The third full-length Liquid Stranger album was released on Rottun Recordings on 15 March 2010. This album features 10 dark and energetic

songs, described by Music and Happy Life as "totally devastating dance-floor monsters." The album received high praise in the electronic music scene, with the song "Ripple" hitting number 1 on

Beatport Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that can be used ...

's top download charts for an extended period of time.

Mechanoid Meltdown

Liquid Stranger's fourth full-length album was also released on Rottun Recordings in 2010 on 29 November. The album includes

songs and two

Drum and Bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

tracks. In May 2022, the Swedish producer Liquid Stranger shared with ''Billboard''

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

in his own words the practices that help him manage the

stress Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition * Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...

of the

music industry The music industry consists of the individuals and organizations that earn money by writing songs and musical compositions, creating and selling recorded music and sheet music, presenting concerts, as well as the organizations that aid, train, ...

and how he can implement these strategies in his own

life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energ ...

, this after being diagnosed with a disease

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

Background information

Influences

Martin Stääf mentioned in an interview on

BBC radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927). The service provides national radio stations covering th ...

that his main influence comes from music from vintage computer games. In an interview with Chillbase, Stääf says that he does not listen to music all that much, except when he is at concerts. In the same interview Stääf explains that he gets inspiration from movie soundtracks, dreams, and everyday life.

Discography

Albums

* The Invisible Conquest (2007) * The Intergalactic Slapstick (2009) * Steel Trap EP (2010) * The Private Riot (2010) * Mechanoid Meltdown (2010) * The Arcane Terrain (2011) * Wetware Warfare EP (2011) * Cryogenic Encounters (2012) * Elemental EP (2013) * The Renegade Crusade EP (2014) * Anomaly: The Collection (2015) * Weird & Wonderful EP (2017) * Polarity EP (2018) * Infinity LP (2019) * Ascension EP (2020) * Balance LP (2022)

Singles

* It Came From The Dessert (2003) * Subsonic Soil (2004) * Pixies And Pixels (2004) * Dead Or Alive (2005) * Spores (2005) * Alive in Veddige (2005) * Banana(Electro)Split (2006) * Monster (2009) * Steel Trap (2009)

Tracks appeared on

* Collectanea First Course – "Impossible Mission" (2003) * Global Psychedelic Chill Out Vol. 4 – "Environmental Meltdown" (2003) * Subnatural Soundscapes Vol I – "From The Sky" (2003) * Purple Pollen – "Bismarch" (2004) * Some Candy Before Christmas – "Ginger Bread Juice" (2004) * Sound of Subnatura – "Onda Ögat" (2004) * Burning Chocolate – " Den Infekterade Terminalen" (2005) * Dissolving Clouds – "Liquid Stranger on the Run" (2005) * Earth Octave Lounge Vol. 2 – "Political Finga" (2005) * Promotion CD 2005 – "Velour, Bleck" (2005) * Electromeister 1.0 – "Smeartest" (2006) * Masters of the Green Insects – "Jakten På Guldpokalerna" (2006) * New World Dub 01 – "Political Finga" (2006) * A Beginning of an End – "I And I" (2007) * Bliminal – "We Meet at Last" (2007) * Amenorea Dubs (Volume 01) – "Zenmaniax" (2008) * One Dub – "Welcome to My Culvert" (2009) * dimmSummer presents: Nu Asian SoundZ – "Hexed and Perplexed featuring Deeyah" (2010) * dimmSummer presents: SUBcontinentalBASS – "Fist of Fury" (2011) * Bon Merde Remix EP (2012) * Ganja White Night, Liquid Stranger – "Jungle Juice" (2019)

Remixes

* "Slem – Denri (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2004) * "Dorothy's Magic Bag – Ghostmachine (Liquid Stranger Laxative Remix)" (2004) * "Hectopascal – Svälj Din Saliv (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2004) * "

Goto80 Goto80 (born Anders Carlsson, 9 February 1981) is a Swedish music artist and researcher. He has been described as one of the key players between glitch and chipmusic, as well as an active demoscener. At the turn of the millennium he was one of t ...

– Wombatman (Liquid Stranger's Duplomix)(2005)" * "Bruno Ferrari – Jean Gabin (Liquid Stranger's Duplomix)" (2005) * "Dorothy's Magic Bag – Monster (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2006) * "Bombay Dub Orchestra – Journey (Liquid Stranger's Sliptrip Edit)" (2009) * "

– Breakfast (Liquid Stranger's Gourmet Mixture)" (2009) * "Specialist & Tru Skool – Dhaaru Pee Ke (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2010) * "Love Avalanche – Less Corruption (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2010) * "

Psilodump Psilodump (born Simon Rahm on 15 December 1980) is a Swedish musician, DJ, and producer based in Stockholm. He has also released work under his real name and as Psilodumputer, Pushiro, and J.Panic. Biography Rahm began making music at the age ...

– The Somnambulist (Liquid Stranger's Dirtnap Remix)" (2010) * "El Diablo – Devil in the Machine (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2011) * "FreQ Nasty – Bon Merde (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2012) * "Getter – Ill Shit (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2012) * "Awolnation – Sail (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2012) * "

Infected Mushroom Infected Mushroom is an Israeli musical duo formed in Haifa in 1996 by producers Erez Eisen and Amit Duvdevani. They produce and perform psytrance, electronica, dream trance and psychedelic music. They are one of the best-selling groups in I ...

– Never Mind (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2012) * "Downlink - Factory (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2012) * "Noisia - Friendly Intentions (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2012) *"Kai Wachi - Demons (Liquid Stranger Remix)" (2017)

Record Labels

* Adversion Recordings * Amenorea * Bleep Street * Candy Mind Records * Escapi * Flexible * High Chai Recordings * Interchill Records * Kahvi Collective * Monotonik * Rottun Recordings * Six Degrees * Sonic Walker * Spirit Zone Recordings * Subnatura * System Recordings * Wakaan * Sskwan

References

External links

Official Facebook
page.
Liquid Stranger
discography at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

.
Liquid Stranger artist page
at Myspace.
Liquid Stranger's SoundCloud
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stranger, Liquid 1978 births Ambient musicians Swedish electronic musicians Techno musicians Dub musicians Dubstep musicians Living people People from Varberg Remixers Interchill Records artists