Names: Ferdinand Lenhard aka Huebl, Albin Brezlan, Frank Mai
Nationality: Austrian
Occupations: Producers, DJs, Label Founders at Nine0Nine
Current release: Huebl, Albin Brezlan, and Frank Mai all feature on Vienna Calling 01, out via nine0nine on August 3rd 2023.
Recommendation #1 – the best places to experience music in Vienna: Both the “Grelle Forelle” and “das Werk” or the “Exil” club are top locations. When it comes to international acts, the „O Klub“ comes up trumps. (Albin Brezlan)
Recommendation #2 - the best places to buy records in Vienna: We can recommend Market Vinyl. (Frank Mai)
Recomendation #3: the best places for food, and coffee/tea in Vienna: Das Leopold, Landmann, Plachutta, Steirer Eck and Lugeck. (Frank Mai)

If you enjoyed this interview with Huebl, Albin Brezlan and Frank Mai and would like to stay up to date with their music, visit their respective Instagram profiles: Huebl; Albin Brezlan; Frank Mai



From your experiences as travellers, do different cities have a “sound” do you feel? Would you be able to recognise Vienna by closing your eyes and just listening?

Huebl: We have noticed that certain regions or big cities create their own unique sound. The Viennese, for example, are a very frugal people that benefits from the relatively pleasant climate. As a result, a lot of the raves are centred in the clubs and the sound tends mostly towards techno and less towards slower comrades like house music.

The typical Viennese sound lies first and foremost in the language, which tends to be very gruff but nevertheless a certain aesthetics can be heard, even in pure instrumentals.

Tell me about some of the most beautiful sounding places of Vienna?The identity of a city can influence the art being made there. How does that hold true for Vienna? How would you describe the city and the music created here?

Albin Brezlan: What makes Vienna so special are the contrasts. Somewhere between pompous past and modern simplicity. Within a radius of 30 minutes you will find buildings such as the Vienna State Opera to land in the shortest possible time between the Spittelauer „Fernwärme“.

Vienna is not an industrial city on the outside … you have to move outside of the city center for that - you will also find more techno there. Consequently, it is very diverse.

Vienna has a proud music tradition and was long considered the world's music capital. Are you interested in this tradition at all and does it in some way inform your own work?

Frank Mai: Of course, the classic tradition is heard a lot in school education ... apart from this, it has hardly inspired us in our work. We want to break these clichés rather than celebrate them any further.

In our opinion there is enough scene and space for both sides: classical and techno.

What are your own inspirations from within the city – other artists, clubs, even from outside of music?

Albin Brezlan: Inspiration comes from a number of sources: Patrick Pulsinger, Gerald VDH, Nhoah, Sutter Cane, Austrian Apparel, Uncertain and many upcoming acts.

You should definitely watch Vienna.

One of the points of this EP – besides making this great music available, of course! - is to break a few cliches around Vienna. Tell me about the underground techno scene of the city, please, and what makes it special to you?

Huebl: Vienna, as a city of many cultures and many tourists, may at first be perceived as having little affinity for techno - especially because of our tradition for classical music. In fact, there have always been and still are local venues that play an important role on the international scene, such as the Grelle Forelle or Flex in the older days.

This is partly owed to our high quality sound systems. Moreover, the Austrian music market is always ridiculed, which is why all those who make it onto the international stage do so because of their tenacity and unique sound.

Vienna returned to the limelight during the 1990s and the Vienna downbeat scene. How do you see that period and what role does coffeehouse culture still play today?

Huebl: With downtempo, Vienna co-initiated a veritable international hype. Acts like Kruder & Dorfmeister have achieved kind of a legend status.

YES … Coffee and Vienna are a true love story. But that's where the cosiness ends. Once the energy has been replenished by the coffee, nothing stands in the way of a long techno rave.

“Nine 0 Nine” is a piece which sounds almost 100% as though it was made in Detroit. What interests you about this style which seems to out of tune with what people usually think of in connection with Vienna?

Huebl: Unfortunately, the Detroit flavour, which was common in Vienna in the 90s, fell into oblivion over the years. Nowadays, techno is a very broad term that quite often misses the mark.

If you love groovy techno, there's no getting around Detroit - and there's no getting around a 909.

Detroit has never left Vienna, although it was very small-scaled. Time to change that.

In an increasingly globalised world, how “local” are local scenes still, taking the Vienna techno scene as an example?

Albin Brezlan: Generally speaking, there are of course artists who strive for internationality.

Nevertheless, Vienna has a large local scene in which more and more exchange is taking place.

Tell me a bit about the process behind the track “Niacin,” please – it's such a straight-forward, instantly addictive banger!

Albin Brezlan: While driving home from the club, I suddenly remembered a melody that I immediately saved in a voice memo on my cell phone.

Days later I recorded this in a studio session and made the track "Niacin" from scratch.

Have you already heard these tracks being played out in Vienna?

Albin Brezlan: There are always more supporters - luckily.

What is coming up next for the label?

Huebl: Needless to say, there will be more Vienna Calling EPs. Furthermore, our label founder Huebl will release his current album, which deals with the roots of techno.

Away from short-lived trends and mini-hypes, we want to reissue the timeless spirit that originated in Detroit back into focus and expand it with our Viennese calmness.