Trqer on ‘Stand Still’, Leaving Berlin and Finding Space in Electronic Music
For Swiss producer and sound engineer Trqer, the relationship between music and environment has become increasingly important. His latest EP, Stand Still, captures a period of personal uncertainty and geographical change, with five tracks reflecting the transition from Berlin's club culture to life back in his hometown of Lausanne.
Released on 5th November through Rødig's Shojiki Records, the EP follows 2024's Superfluid with a broader exploration of electronic music. Slow-evolving techno, dubby breakbeats, intricate sound design and ambient textures sit alongside one another, united by an emphasis on space, movement and atmosphere.
Rather than setting out to create a record with a particular concept, Trqer found that its identity emerged from the circumstances surrounding its creation.
“It's interesting that you bring this up, because these tracks were actually produced during a sort of in-between phase, full of uncertainty in my life. I think that comes through in the EP, with its different musical directions and contrasting moods.”
The title itself reflects that experience.
“To me, Stand Still evokes a moment where time seems to stop, leaving space for introspection and contemplation.”
Between Berlin and Lausanne
All five tracks were produced throughout 2025, spanning Trqer's final months in Berlin and his return to Switzerland.
That change of surroundings had a direct influence on the record's musical direction.
“The more techno-oriented ones were written during my last few months in Berlin, while the others came together after I moved back to Lausanne, my hometown.”
Berlin had played an important role in shaping his understanding of electronic music. Its club culture provided a practical education in how sound behaves within a physical environment and how the relationship between music and space can transform a listening experience.
Lausanne offered a different setting, creating room for other influences and production approaches to emerge.
“My creativity is very much influenced by my everyday surroundings, and I'm convinced that this change of environment had, and still has, a significant impact on my productions. The techno scene in Berlin shaped a large part of my musical identity, whereas that culture is very different in Lausanne.”
The result is an EP that moves between different musical directions without forcing them into a single stylistic framework.
“I think the multiple directions on the EP naturally reflect that transition between these two places and periods.”
That openness was also important to Shojiki Records founder Loïc, who invited Trqer to return to the label following Superfluid.
Rather than working towards a predetermined sound, the pair selected the record's tracklist from a collection of unreleased and unfinished material.
“What excites me most about releasing with Shojiki is that Loïc is genuinely passionate about electronic music and isn't afraid to release projects like this one, bringing together different genres, even within a single EP.”
The Relationship Between Sound and Space
Trqer's experience as a sound engineer is particularly apparent in the EP's detailed production.
Opening track ‘Over The Wall’ combines sharp breakbeats with futuristic electronic textures, while ‘Loophole’ develops through gradually increasing tension and intricate sound manipulation.
His technical background allows him to push sounds beyond their original characteristics, often producing results that are difficult to anticipate.
“I often find myself building quite complex processing chains that can completely transform the original sound material to the point where the results become quite unpredictable.”
However, technical knowledge can also create its own creative limitations.
“I tend to come back to tools and techniques I'm familiar with, rather than pushing experimentation with things I’m not fully at ease with.”
It's a tension that runs through his approach to production: understanding the tools well enough to control them while remaining open to results that emerge through experimentation.
That same balance between control and unpredictability applies to his understanding of rhythm.
On ‘Monomania’, the relationship between kick and bass provides the foundation, allowing the surrounding arrangement to remain relatively restrained. ‘Orca’ takes a different approach, drawing its energy from the interaction between percussion and melodic elements.
For Trqer, knowing when to stop adding sounds is as important as knowing how to create them.
“More generally, I think one of the most important things in the creative process is being able to recognize a good idea when it emerges during a jam or an experimentation session, and knowing how to build the rest of the track around it without losing what made it interesting in the first place.”
His years in Berlin also reinforced the importance of considering how music will translate beyond the studio.
“If there's one thing my years in Berlin really made me aware of, it's how much the space in which music is played can influence the way we experience it, and in turn, how the music affects the people within that space.”
Those experiences continue to influence his production decisions, particularly his attention to dynamics and the space between individual elements.
“I believe sounds need room to develop and interact in order to have their full impact. In the end, techno is music made for sound systems, not headphones. ;)”
Finding Emotion Through Experimentation
Although much of Stand Still explores rhythm and physical movement, its closing track, ‘Résilience’, moves into more introspective territory.
Built around a nostalgic melodic progression and atmospheric textures, the piece emerged from an experiment with the then-recently released Ableton Live 12.2.
Trqer had been exploring the software's new features while attempting to develop an interesting melodic idea.
“I'd say about 90% of the track came together in just a couple hours.”
Despite the relatively spontaneous process, the result carries a strong emotional character.
It's a recurring quality in his music, even when he isn't deliberately trying to achieve it.
“Generally speaking, whenever I write melodies, no matter what my initial intention is, they almost always end up sounding nostalgic and emotionally charged. I can't really explain why, but Résilience was no exception.”
That emotional dimension connects with his interest in ambient and experimental music.
Alongside his club-focused productions, Trqer regularly works with field recordings and atmospheric sound, exploring possibilities that don't necessarily depend on conventional dancefloor structures.
For Stand Still, he wanted those different approaches to exist within a deliberate listening sequence.
“I also like the idea of approaching an EP almost like an album, with a deliberate listening order, a beginning, a middle and an end.”
Placing ‘Résilience’ after the more intense material on the record's second side gives the EP a quieter conclusion, allowing its final moments to reflect the introspective qualities suggested by the title.
Why Physical Music Still Matters
Stand Still also marks a personal milestone for Trqer.
Shojiki Records has pressed the EP on a limited run of just 100 vinyl copies, giving the producer an opportunity to experience his music in a physical format.
“Releasing music on vinyl has been a dream of mine, I couldn’t even imagine achieving when I first started toying around with music about 10 years ago.”
For him, the significance extends beyond the satisfaction of owning a record.
Physical releases offer a different relationship between artists, listeners and the music itself, particularly at a time when digital platforms encourage increasingly rapid consumption.
“I strongly believe that releasing music in a physical format, whether it's vinyl, CD or cassette, creates a different kind of connection between the artist, the listener and the music itself.”
He's also concerned about the broader implications of the way music is distributed and experienced online.
“In an era dominated by digital platforms with increasingly questionable ethics, where music is often consumed almost like Instagram reels, I think physical releases play an important role in preserving a sense of authenticity within the underground electronic music scene.”
For a producer whose work places such importance on sound quality, sequencing and the physical experience of listening, vinyl provides a fitting home for a record built around subtle changes in atmosphere and rhythm.
Beyond the Boundaries of Techno
Although techno remains central to Trqer's musical identity, he has never restricted himself entirely to the genre.
His interests extend into hip-hop, ambient, noise, electro and dubstep, with experimentation across different styles playing an important role in his development.
“I think, like many people, that some of the most interesting innovations happen at the intersection of different musical styles.”
Rather than identifying a track through its genre, he places greater importance on the strength of its central musical idea.
“To me, what gives a track its identity isn't necessarily the genre it belongs to, but rather the core idea behind it and how that idea is developed within the track as a whole.”
That philosophy is already influencing what comes next.
Recently, Trqer has been exploring electro and leftfield electronic music, moving into arrangements and structures that present unfamiliar challenges.
“It's been really stimulating, although I'm also facing difficulties, especially when it comes to arranging and structuring tracks in these styles.”
His working environment is also set to change.
Alongside friends Rødig and Nans?, Trqer is nearing completion of a new studio in Lausanne, with a greater emphasis on hardware than his previous setup.
The change could open up new approaches to experimentation and composition.
“It'll be a very different setup from what I'm used to, with a stronger focus on hardware, which will undoubtedly have an impact on my creative process. I'm not entirely sure where all of this will take me, but I'm really looking forward to finding out.”
For an artist whose latest record emerged from a period of transition, that uncertainty seems particularly appropriate.
Stand Still documents the movement between two cities, different creative environments and contrasting musical impulses. What connects those experiences is Trqer's willingness to follow an idea wherever it leads, even when the destination isn't immediately clear.
Trqer's ‘Stand Still’ EP is available now through Shojiki Records, including a limited vinyl edition of 100 copies.
