Lennard van der Last (1984; Nijverdal/The Netherlands) shook hands with his computer just a little while after he was liberated
from the kindergarten: at the wondrous age of 8 he started out using trackers to create his own electronic music. Before that
joyful encounter he loved taking control of his brother’s keyboard; more than the piano lessons he perfunctorily attended to at
that time. The piano lessons ended prematurely, but never dampened his enthusiasm to make music. At the age of 12 Lennard
experimented with synthesizers and other musical gear. Old tapes from that era prove his r ...read more
Lennard van der Last (1984; Nijverdal/The Netherlands) shook hands with his computer just a little while after he was liberated
from the kindergarten: at the wondrous age of 8 he started out using trackers to create his own electronic music. Before that
joyful encounter he loved taking control of his brother’s keyboard; more than the piano lessons he perfunctorily attended to at
that time. The piano lessons ended prematurely, but never dampened his enthusiasm to make music. At the age of 12 Lennard
experimented with synthesizers and other musical gear. Old tapes from that era prove his remarkable talent for atmosphere
and melody.
As time went by, Lennard made some likeminded friends in online communities, resulting in a contact with established electronic
artist Proem, who recognized his skills, introduced him to the Merck label and asked him for a remix on the minidisc-label N5md
(2001). And like it’s common in the electronica-scene, the internet played a leading role offering the possibilities of getting and
smoothly staying in contact with labels and other artists. This way, Lennard stayed in contact with Merck and two remixes for
Machinedrum followed. These tracks induced the label to ask Lennard for a Secede full length album, now known as Bye Bye
Gridlock Traffic (Merck 2003). Although still unnoticed in the Netherlands, Secede stole many hearts mainly in Japan and the
USA. (Unfortunately his obscurity in his motherland is no surprise; staying unnoticed in the Netherlands as an electronic
musician is as easy as it is for one to find a hair on Chewbacca. « hide
