#133 Robert Henke: Co-founding Ableton and the new Monolake album, "We are the children of counterculture"

Sep 10, 2024

In this conversation, Robert Henke, an artist and co-founder of Ableton, dives into his new Monolake album, 'Studio', and the creative process behind it. He explores how the evolution of DJ technology has impacted live performance and music-making. Henke discusses the challenges of artistic consistency versus innovation, as well as the fascinating transformation of Berlin’s music scene in the '90s. Additionally, he reflects on Ableton's role in democratizing music production and the unintended consequences that arose from it.

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INSIGHT

Technology Enables Both Laziness And Mastery

Technology often simplifies processes but doesn't remove creative quality; new possibilities arise when barriers fall.
Robert Henke says simplification enables both generic work and new masters who push the medium further.

INSIGHT

Real-Time Composition Is The Next Frontier

The interesting future lies in structural, real-time composition rather than just new sounds or presets.
Henke values tools that let performers change musical structure on the fly and improvise like skilled ensembles.

ADVICE

Make Your Studio Ready-To-Play

Build your studio so ideas are immediate to execute and you lose no time setting up.
Henke warns that comfort and quick access to instruments make creative exploration faster and more satisfying.

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If the medium is the message then surely anyone closely involved with Ableton over the past couple of decades can justifiably claim to have changed the world of music in that time.

Since our guest this week is a co-founder of the company, then his contribution should probably be described as world-changing. And not just electronic music, since all music today is to some extent running on tech. Ableton has done more than any other emergent piece of technology to enable vast, previously unprecedented numbers of people to make records.

But is that a good thing? We find out in this conversation.

Of course we also discuss Robert's contributions as an artist, in particular his new album as Monolake, entitled 'Studio'. We get into the process of making it, and the differences from his previous album projects. And we talk about the challenges and pressures of making music over time.

We also get deep into his story, moving from Munich to Berlin in 1990 and gradually developing the projects which would... well, change the world.

This is as good as I'm making it out to be, so make sure you get all the way through it!

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