A unique producer in today’s underground network of electronic music is Sue Lèwig from Germany. After having followed her releases for a while, from the secretive Examine Archive to high-profile BPitch, we were curious to know more about her work as an artist. This is another interview that has been a long time in the making, so without going into any more details, here it is.
You released your first EP two years ago – can you tell us about how long you’ve been making music and how you landed in the idiom you are currently producing within?
Groove. Rhythm. Melodies, dynamics, timing – they trigger something in me that I can’t put into words. An energy, a kind of electric pull. I’m obsessed: with sounds that are more than just music. Force fields.
Music, to me, isn’t a genre – it’s a state of being. During my school and university years, I often worked at large festivals – behind the stage, in tech, in logistics. There were these moments – certain drummers from gothic or thrash metal bands who played like machines. Hypnotic, tight, with sharp attack and double kick drumming. That was so damn sexy. So electrifying.
And then the sound on those massive PA systems – walls of bass, pressure waves rushing through your body… Those experiences felt like a calling. Something inside me got bold. I knew I wanted to create that power myself – in my own way. Not with instruments in my hands – I felt drawn to the machine, to the computer. That radical sonic language shaped me. It was raw, rebellious, demanding – always searching for new paths. And that’s exactly what I look for in beat programming.
I ask myself a lot of questions: What is speed outside of BPM? Changing the tempo drastically without really feeling it – just the inner drive. What does tightness have to do with speed? What happens when beats with large speed differences and rhythmic shifts meet… Where do I feel Polyrhythms, Phasing Effects, Groove Variation…
Beats live, the dancefloor. Into the dark, industrial warehouses. Into the night. For big sound systems. In electronic music, you don’t have to stick to the architecture of notes and harmony so much – it’s about energy. Everything flows. Movement is what drives this planet – and everything living on it.
You are originally from Berlin, but where are you are at the moment? You seem to be in a new place every time you share something.
We humans no longer live in harmony with nature – and that wounds the soul. We’ve forgotten how to embrace the wildness within us. So much of it has to do with suppressed emotions. Anger, rage, fury, hatred – these feelings have been part of us since the beginning of time. Yet in our Western world, expressing them openly is deeply frowned upon.
But that’s precisely the point: When we release our emotions, we release energy. Emotions lived and expressed bring ideas to life, fuel our drive, make us strong – and deeply alive. Instead, we live in a culture of control. The enemy is no longer visible – no one knows where it hides. Control feeds on itself, endlessly.
At the same time, emptiness, numbness, and a sense of helplessness are taking root within us. In essence, humanity is facing a profound catastrophe. And again and again, the answer must remain the same: peace, freedom, love, education – and a renewed commitment to human dignity in global politics. Yet looking at the world as it is today makes it hard to keep believing in goodness. Seeing how violence has become fashionable in modern society, and how far-right ideologies are rising, often fills me with sadness – and rage.
It feels as if humanity is being sacrificed on the altar of political and economic interests. Empathy is withering, while hate and division are being fed. And yet, it’s precisely the values we so desperately need – solidarity, compassion, and justice – that are disappearing into the background. Still, resignation is not an option for me. I believe in a better future. Even when things seem hopeless, change always begins within.
That’s why I’m often on the road and my music gear with me – I spend time in nature, on quiet beaches, by the sea. There, I’m reminded how small and seemingly insignificant one grain of sand is. But many grains together form the beauty of an entire shoreline. Everything is connected, and each of us plays a part.
This realization gives me strength. It teaches me gratitude and humility. It renews me and allows me to keep growing. It protects me from hardening inside – like a snake that sheds its skin. We must let go of old layers to keep moving forward. If we get stuck, we risk falling ill. Travel helps me shift perspective.
It broadens my view and teaches me not to take myself too seriously – and not to take life too seriously, either. My life follows the rhythm of art. Each person must live in their own time. We must not pressure ourselves or compare ourselves to others. We shouldn’t give too much weight to criticism or outside opinions – they often reveal more about the other person than about ourselves. Sometimes, you need the stubbornness of an ox just to remain true to who you are.
Do you use any hardware while recording?
During my internships at recording studios in Düsseldorf and New York, I had the opportunity to get to know a wide range of unique analog synthesizers and effects units. Later, during my audio engineering studies, I was also able to deepen my understanding of various analogue mixing consoles. However, I consciously chose to work exclusively with virtual music production, as it offers me clear advantages.
One key aspect is total recall: all parameters, presets, and signal paths are stored completely within the project. Since I work with many individual tracks, non-destructive editing is essential for my workflow. Within the DAW, VSTs allow me to work quickly – with features like copy & paste, undo/redo, and extensive real-time automation capabilities. There’s no need for physical routing – no cable management, no replugging. Switching between instruments, presets, and effects happens seamlessly, without interruption…
This gives me a lot of creative freedom, allowing me to lose myself during beat programming or recording sessions – detached from time and space – to fully immerse myself in the world of sound and translate my emotions into the language of music. In those moments – when I play, tweak, program, jump around, hop, dance, sing, and transform all my energy into music – I feel free and indescribably happy. I’m deeply grateful to have found such a powerful outlet, a way to channel my energy, and to feel so profoundly connected to both the earth and the sky at the same time.
How do you feel about performing live?
I think in states of mind. I want to open spaces that go deeper – raw, honest, and unpredictable. To create moments that linger – not because they’re perfect, but because they’re real. With techno, you can move so much more than just the body – you can spark thoughts, break boundaries, and create new spaces. I want to create the moment when a space transforms. When a room tips over, when something falls out of order. Not smooth, not functional, not elitist. Every kick, every bassline, every break tells this story: that change is not only possible, but necessary.
Before live gigs, I’m always very nervous. At one of my first major club bookings, I performed live right before Anthony Linell, whose sets and Northern Electronics have truly inspired me. At another big gig, I was supposed to play on the second floor alongside the veterans from Empire Line. But the organizers kept postponing the opening of that floor hour after hour. I nearly died of nerves. In the end, I didn’t get to perform live at all, but I did get to meet Christian Stadsgaard, co-founder of the wonderful label Posh Isolation and a great artist – and for that, I’m very grateful.
What does your live setup look like?
With my live setup, I control individual tracks from the DAW in real time using multiple MIDI controllers. The same like in production/ editing. I modulate and automate various elements live – like kick, bass, pads, FX, vocals, etc. – while arranging or improvising on the spot. When I sing longer vocal passages, I switch to a pre-arranged section or activate a loop. Sometimes I also play a synth or tweak effects – haha, it’s all about timing! Extremely quick reaction times and multitasking –> love:)
Please tell us about some of the releases you have in the pipeline already! Will you continue working with BPitch? We can’t wait to hear more.
I recently released a live set with Spiderwrap’s Spektator Records in Los Angeles – the collaboration was an inspiring experience. I’m also really looking forward to an upcoming project with DJ §piral, an outstanding artist, producer, and sound engineer. There are some exciting things in the pipeline: a few projects have been postponed, but there’s definitely more to come! A vinyl release, my third EP, and a compilation are in the works.
I’m also enjoying the ongoing exchange with BPitch Control – we’re developing new ideas and working on several projects together. Beyond that, many new projects are underway – in the studio, live and with a growing interest in more collaborative structures behind the scenes. There are also new great bookings and live shows on the horizon and I’m developing new visions for events in the coming year – so stay tuned!
What around inspires you to make music? Events, places or people?
Freight trains, subways, industrial harbors – dark romanticism. Graffiti, deserted streets at night. Places on the outskirts, beyond the known.
I’m fascinated by avant-gardists like Lev Termen, with his theremin – one of the very first electronic instruments.
Éliane Radigue inspires me with her radical slowness – sound as a state, not an event. Her music stretches time, feels like a frequency shift of consciousness.
The guitarist Ritchie Blackmore – his virtuosic technique, his sense for drama, his use of distortion. The track “Stargazer” by his band Rainbow captivates me with Cozy Powell’s mesmerizing drum intro and the incredible performance of vocalist Ronnie James Dio, who later took over as frontman for Black Sabbath after Ozzy.
Mary Bauermeister, a key figure in the Fluxus movement, hosted a landmark Fluxus event in 1962 at her studio in Cologne. The event featured performances by artists such as Nam June Paik, Wolf Vostell, Joseph Beuys, Emmett Williams. It showcased happenings, musical actions, readings, and interactive performances, turning her studio into a vibrant meeting place for artists, thinkers, and musicians from John Cage’s circle.
A major influence was also the early ’90s hardcore scene, with its uncompromising energy – especially the Belgian scene around Bonzai Records, Liza N’Eliaz, Marc Acardipane and his legendary label PCP (Planet Core Productions). He had close ties to the Belgian scene – brutal, futuristic, visionary. A video of his performance at the Kraftwerk in Chemnitz 1995 left a deep impression on me.
And then there’s The KLF – not just for their music, but for their public appearances, which seamlessly blended performance, protest, and conceptual art. And I’ve been fortunate to meet so many wonderful artists, technicians, promoters, labels, mentors and supporters over the past years – people who have inspired me and accompanied me on my journey. I’ve had the chance to hear incredible sets and deeply moving music – far more than I ever hoped for when I first started releasing and performing music live.
These encounters, this exchange, mean a great deal to me. I truly believe that if we stick together, support one another, and shift the focus away from the individual and toward the collective, we have a real chance to bring movement into structures that have long felt stuck. Not through volume, but through conviction. Not through competition, but through connection.
Top photo: Sue & wordofcommand
Thank you Sue Lèwig for devoting your time to this interview. And if you haven’t heard her latest EP that came out via BPitch, you can check it out below or order it here.
