Collabs 3000

Chris Liebing & Speedy J's Collabs 3000 project, revived in 2024 with a slew of high-profile b2b sets, has its roots in the pair's history and that of European Techno. The spark that launched Collabs 3000 occurred at Frankfurt's legendary U60311 club in 2001. Speedy J, aka Jochem Paap, & Chris Liebing were already key players in the Techno scene, & Paap's first visit to Liebing's own Es ist Freitagaaabend…! night & residency in Germany came from a deep mutual respect. This energy between the two precipitated an off-the-cuff set that saw Liebing mixing out of a Speedy J live set & Speedy J bouncing off Liebing's selections behind the decks, creating an utterly unique night that is now part of Frankfurt clubbing folklore. Soon after their first improvised live/DJ back set, Liebing & Paap convened at the latter's studio in Rotterdam to record for the Speedy J collaborative series, Collabs, for NovaMute. The track, Collabs 300 (Remastered 2021) (' Trick_' /' Treflon_'), was released in 2004 to a rapturous response; its detailed machine-funk intensity & unmistakable breakdowns helped to define the sound of early '00s Techno and revealing writing and production chemistry that demanded a larger playground for their work. This wider remit manifested in Collabs 3000 (Metalism) a LP for NovaMute, replete with The Designers Republic art & eleven relentless, layered tracks that still crop up regularly some two decades after their release.