We speak with TOURING about the challenges of playing live and why electronic music belongs on stage.
A trio operating between Munich and Berlin, TOURING – Matthias Hauck, Nepomuk Heller, and Marko Roth – merge electronic music with a cinematic visual language, moving between electronica, breakbeats, house, and techno.
Last year, they brought that vision to Munich’s Philharmonie and then followed up with TANGLED – a project that translates human gestures into real-time visuals in a live environment.
On stage, they structure their set with the flexibility of a DJ mix but keep a defined narrative arc, balancing precision with spontaneity. The core compositions remain intact, while the performance comes alive through real-time sound shaping, modular improvisation, and evolving textures – turning studio material into something physical, immersive, and distinctly live.
A few years on since the first edition of this series, we welcome TOURING to explain ‘How We Play Live’.
[quote align=right text= »It’s easier to “read” someone gently playing guitar, or a drummer going full physical on a kit, than someone turning a low pass filter on a synth. Sonically, the impact can be just as strong, it’s just not as obvious through movement or through people’s familiarity with the instrument »]
Attack: You’ve said you structure your live show almost like a DJ set. But because it’s live, is it as easy to jump between tracks based on crowd feedback – or is it more complicated than that?
TOURING: It’s actually pretty easy. Each song can be triggered directly via MIDI, so we can basically change the order however we want. Some transitions we rehearsed in advance won’t be quite as “perfect” then and become more freestyle, but that has its own charm. The only catch is that since we want the set to tell a story and have a certain arc, we rarely change the order on the fly. We like sticking to the plan.
What’s one of the biggest challenges that playing live presents?
I think the biggest challenge, and also the most fun part, is leaving a familiar, safe environment like the studio and exposing yourself on a stage in front of people you don’t know. How will the music land, are people willing to lean into it?
For some, especially those who really crave being on stage, that might come more naturally. But for us, as more introverted people, presenting our music and artistic concept live and making ourselves vulnerable is probably the biggest challenge.
And what’s something people often misunderstand about performing live electronic music?
One thing is not understanding the complexity. Electronic music often relies on sequenced rhythms and programmed patterns, or melodies that only really become powerful when they’re reproduced by machines. That clashes with the classic idea of live music, where an instrumentalist (guitar, piano) and a voice are front and center. In that world, virtuosity and human charisma still carry a lot of weight. With live electronic music, it’s much more about energy and sound. How do you translate something created in the studio into a live form that makes the audience feel something?
A lot of that is arrangement decisions and subtle sound tweaks, which can be pretty abstract. It’s easier to “read” someone gently playing guitar, or a drummer going full physical on a kit, than someone turning a low pass filter on a synth. Sonically, the impact can be just as strong, it’s just not as obvious through movement or through people’s familiarity with the instrument.
With your modular gear, external pedals, and hands-on synths like the Moog Sub 37 and Bass Station II, how much improvisation typically happens during a set?
We think of it in two parts. Part 1 is the composition. The harmonic and melodic core of the songs is set, and there’s not much improvisation there. Whether we’re playing something by hand or “just” shaping a MIDI signal, we don’t change anything fundamental.
Part 2 is interpretation, and that’s wide open. How much reverb does the vocal get? How do I “play” the vocal if it’s a sample? What’s the bass sound? Do I bring in another oscillator or not? How far do I open the filter? Do I add an extra layer or leave space?
On top of that, we have parts in the set where, for example, Nepomuk has room to break out of the songs with the modular system and pedals and improvise in that way. We have agreed upon cues that help us find our way back into the track.
You choose different synths depending on the venue and vibe – what influences those decisions, and how different can two shows/setup needs be?
It’s pretty straightforward. The bigger the stage, and the more we can plan for travel, setup, and soundcheck, the more we can upgrade. Smaller club shows usually mean a more compact setup with more MIDI control and less analog sound generation. Bigger stages or special locations that allow more prep time can handle more instruments. That obviously changes the static of the live set. There’s no fixed blueprint though. We think carefully about which songs fit which setup and which location.
On “Sea,” did the idea originate from a live jam that eventually evolved into the finished version?
“Sea” actually started completely in the studio. From the first version, we then built a live jam version, meaning we got everything ready to perform it live: exporting stems, bouncing vocal chops, exporting MIDI files, writing out notes, programming synth sounds, etc. Then we played around with those files in our live setup, and took those versions back into Ableton Live to finish producing the track. So yes, that’s basically how it happened.
Would it be fair to say that on your latest release, “Trenches”, as a group you are rhythmically developing your sound?
Honestly, the song is pretty old. Nepomuk and Matthias spent a longer period in Hong Kong and Tokyo in early 2019 and wrote music there, super basic setup: just a laptop, interface, mic, and one synth (a Prophet 6, little fun fact: it’s actually not that easy to bring a Prophet on commercial flights :). That’s where the foundation of the track came from.
Back then, TOURING was more of an idea in our heads, we weren’t really a proper group or project yet. When Marko joined, he kept pushing for us to release the song, so at the end of 2025 we reopened the session and made a few small production changes. In a way, “Trenches” has been influencing us as a group for a long time, and we’re really happy we could finally release it in early 2026.
And is the vocal something you recorded or a sample?
It’s recorded, not a sample. Nepomuk wrote the vocals (lyrics and melody), and Matthias gently pressured him into recording them in our old studio.
We once spoke to Satoshi Tomiie, who said his tracks begin as live jams and are then meticulously refined in the studio. Is your process similar? Certainly, all your tracks sound very polished.
Ours is a bit different, but not totally unlike that. Usually it goes like this: Nepomuk is messing around on a synth, Matthias is on a drum machine or recording. We have a patchbay, so all our synths are routed individually straight into the interface. Ableton Live is running with a set tempo. Since all our studio gear is synced to the MacBook and interface via Bome Boxes and sync generators, we can record MIDI and audio simultaneously and in real time. We do that sometimes for 30 to 45 minutes, always in sync. So the recording is live, and it leaves room for different moods.
After that, we select the best bits. We then decide which parts, chords, or melodies are worth keeping. Then the shared process of producing and arranging starts and step by step the track takes shape.
You mentioned that you don’t tour with a front-of-house engineer. What difference would it make if you did?
It would make a lot easier, especially with more technical setups. Small issues can pop up during soundcheck, and it’s always great to have someone who can handle that. Measuring and balancing the PA (Public Address System) and so on. Also, on stage, we can’t really hear what the audience is hearing out front. That’s where an FOH (Front of House) engineer is priceless. They can step in, even if it’s just the overall volume hitting the crowd. So whenever possible, we bring an FOH, but if we’re traveling alone, we can still put on a good show.
If one of your Distressors were to fail, do you have a backup plan? And more broadly, how crucial are they to shaping your live sound?
No backup plan. But they’ve never let us down. If it did happen, we’d just play without them in Bypass and insert compressors on our final Ableton output with similar settings (ratio, attack, release). Honestly, I’m not sure who would even hear the difference, but we feel better with the Distressors, because they catch crazy peaks (like if you misplay a synth or hit something wrong) in a really musical way.
You mentioned some additional Ableton processing after the RME interface. Without giving away too many secrets, what kind of processing does that involve?
Basic stuff. A bit of EQ (high and low shaping) and some light clipping and limiting.
[quote align=right text= »People come to a venue to experience something they don’t have at home. In most cases that means someone on stage having fun with what they’re doing. If that spark jumps across, it doesn’t really matter how you get there, as long as the energy and emotion come through »]
How long did it take you to fully refine your current live setup?
Hard to say. We’ve been playing live for years with different projects, so there’s a lot of experience baked in. The actual rehearsal phase (prepping files, dialing synth sounds, etc.) does take a long time. But the most important thing is clearing a focused block of time where you can really concentrate on building the show.
What drew you to covering “You Get What You Give” by New Radicals?
Besides TOURING, we also work as film composers. That’s basically our bread and butter. For a film we got asked if we could do a cover of the New Radicals song, and that’s how this version came together. It was a lot of fun to take on such a classic.
For artists just starting to perform live, is there one piece of gear you’d consider essential?
The more we think about it, the less it feels like it’s about one specific piece of gear. It’s more about building a setup you feel comfortable with. People come to a venue to experience something they don’t have at home. In most cases that means someone on stage having fun with what they’re doing. If that spark jumps across, it doesn’t really matter how you get there, as long as the energy and emotion come through.
What’s one essential video that people should check out that captures your live set at its best?
Not an easy one. We have a lot of different live sides. Maybe our “Sea” live performance, or “Walled City,” a recording from the Deutsches Museum in Munich. We played our songs in a surround setup with a 360 degree projection, and the audience could literally lie down and enjoy the music and visuals. But honestly, the best would be: come to one of our next shows and see it for yourself.
Find TOURING on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
« Trenches » is out now. Listen on YouTube.
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