Erhalder

Techno, Electro, Acid, Basel-Stadt – STEFAN ERHALDER Erhalder is a Basel based sound engineer and composer, specialized in jacking techno, acid and classic... Read Biography

Biography

STEFAN ERHALDER
Erhalder is a Basel based sound engineer and composer, specialized in jacking techno, acid and classic electro.

BIOGRAPHY:
Stefan Sommerhalder, better known by his stage name Erhalder, is an electronic music composer and label owner from Basel, Switzerland.
Erhalders interest in electronic music was sparked in the early 90s with a tape copy of The White Room by The KLF, which had a significant influence on his musical taste. During the school years, he played the drums, listening and replaying old funk music by James Brown.
A few years later, Stefan was making tunes with free software known as trackers, which is one of the oldest tools available to make computer music without any external gear, MIDI, or money.
In 1998, Erhalder started and still runs his radio show, “SlackJackerz – The Rave Channel,” on the local FM station Kanal K, with his fellow friend Gert 3000.

In 2002, Erhalder released his first 12″ as the head and producer of the subversive performer-collective daftN0!ze, which was a blend of raw funk beats, rave elements, and bits of gangstacore madness.

In 2004, he started playing live performances under the name Erhalder, which is just a shortened form of his real Surname, with a new minimalistic techno oriented sound that showcased his evolution as a musician. Erhalder’s live music is heavily influenced by early Chicago techno, acid house and UK hardcore. He was also inspired by the minimalistic sound of Wolfgang Voigt’s Studio 1 series, which became a significant influence on his work during the mid-2010s.

Although the classic 303 acid sound was always an integral part of his live shows, he released his first two pure acid EPs in 2017/2018 on AcidWorx.

In 2018, he formed the techno duo Aux Couture together with Nenad J. – focusing on functional techno to make you sweat. With their debut «M.F. Dance» they scored some nice feedback from the crowds as well as some veteran djs.

in 2020, he started his own label Chip Stress, where he releases his classic electro tracks. Now for the first time he shares making of videos about the process of recording the tracks and started to grow his Youtube channel, which enables him to interact with an interested audience in a direct way.

Besides his music career, Stefan is a post-production sound engineer, working for commercial clients. This allows him to gain valuable insights into the technical aspects of audio production and keep his engineering skills up to speed.
Erhalder’s love for music extends beyond his compositions, as he has also started a YouTube channel that features production-related content, offering valuable insights into his creative process and techniques.