Kaufmann & Oliver Huntemann in conversation: two generations, one shared approach

Two generations of German techno producers have united on Drumcode this month, as Kaufmann collaborates with revered figurehead Oliver Huntemann on the thrilling single ‘K.O.’

The link-up feels fated – Huntemann has been a key figure in Kaufmann’s journey as a producer, both inspiring her sonically and later signing early releases including ‘Poolboi’ and ‘Ibu 3000’, while shaping her early rave experiences in Hamburg.

Over time, they became friends and a collaboration felt like the natural next step. In an exclusive Beatportal interview, the pair discuss shared cultural values, the pivotal role of the Hamburg scene and how inspiration is a two-way street.

Q: What makes this collaboration so special?

Kaufmann: What makes this collaboration special is our shared cultural background within the electronic music scene. Oliver belongs to the generation before mine, and he helped shape the sound I’m working in today. In the beginning, it was his music that influenced me. Later, once I’d emerged as an artist in my own right, that dynamic also worked in reverse, and I think we started inspiring each other creatively. Through the music, we realized we understood each other. Not just sonically, but culturally.

Discovering each other's tracks led to conversations, the conversations led to a release on Oliver's label, the working relationship turned into a friendship, and the friendship eventually became a decision to produce together. This first joint track is the point where that years-long mutual influence finally comes to a head.

Oliver Huntemann: I met Lisa around five years ago at an event in Hamburg and immediately noticed that she had something you can’t learn: a truly unique artistic identity and an incredible presence. She has never tried to fit into trends or expectations. She follows her instincts, and that comes across in everything she does. Her productions, her DJ sets and the way she approaches music in general. Very few artists develop such a distinctive signature sound in such a short time. That impressed me from the very beginning. What made this collaboration special for me was that it grew naturally over the years. We first connected through music, then through conversations, and eventually through friendship. Looking back, it feels like a very natural progression. Music brought us together, friendship made the collaboration inevitable.

Q: What exactly does this shared cultural background look like?

Kaufmann: Firstly Oliver comes from a different era, one with different values, where the focus stayed squarely on the music. He helped shape a hypnotic, laid-back sound that's energetic and psychedelic at once, without ever tipping into harshness - a strain of techno he helped lay the groundwork for, and one that remains rare worldwide.

Hamburg is the second factor. I never lived in the city itself, but worked there and studied close by, and that's where I had my first rave experiences. The Hamburg scene is famously left-leaning, sometimes called the "techno punks," and that leftist underground remains the spiritual home for both of us.

Different rules apply in that world than on the global stage, where content is king and every drop gets staged for the next video. In the clubs we move through, phone cameras get taped over at the door - no content, no moment to post. That's exactly what creates the space for hypnotic sound to unfold: time to tell a story, people losing themselves in the moment instead of waiting for the next peak. Oliver helped cultivate that ground years ago, and it's that same ground he's passing on to me through this collaboration.

Oliver Huntemann: I think we both come from the same understanding of what electronic music is about. It’s never been about chasing trends or algorithms, it’s about creating moments that people can truly lose themselves in. Hamburg has always been an important part of that mindset. The city has its own identity and its own club culture, where music still comes first. That’s something we both relate to deeply, even though we belong to different generations.

What I enjoy most is that Lisa brings a fresh perspective without losing that depth. She has found her own voice instead of copying what already exists, and that’s exactly the kind of artist I enjoy working with. Rather than separating us, the difference in generations creates an inspiring dialogue between experience and a fresh perspective.

And I shouldn’t forget Lisa’s sense of humour. It’s probably the side of her that people rarely get to see, but it made the whole creative process feel incredibly easy and enjoyable.

Q: Was the track recorded in one place or remotely?

Kaufmann: It came together remotely. Both of us live and tour around the world constantly, and finding a shared studio block just wasn't realistic. So the track grew over months, in small pieces. The upside: that distance gave us room to keep checking back in on what was working and what wasn't, and let each of us play to our strengths in our own environment, rather than forcing everything to click in one shared setup. You can hear it in the track - we both bring our A-game.

Oliver Huntemann: What I really enjoyed about that process was the amount of trust involved. There was never a feeling of protecting ideas or trying to outdo each other. Every version that came back made the track stronger. That’s probably because we already understood each other’s musical language before we even started working on the record. It never felt like two producers trying to meet in the middle, it felt like we’d been speaking the same musical language before we started working together.

Get it on Beatport