Tobias Freund is a German electronic musician, composer, producer, and sound engineer whose work has shaped experimental and club-oriented music for more than three decades. Based in Berlin, Freund is known for his analog-focused production methods, his sensitivity to texture and space, and his commitment to sound as both an artistic and emotional medium.
Beginning his career in the late 1980s as a studio engineer, Freund developed the meticulous technical foundation that defines his musical identity. His releases under aliases such as Pink Elln and Tobias. have appeared on influential labels including Ostgut Ton, Sähkö, Concentric Recordings, and his own Non Standard Productions. His solo albums—Leaning Over Backwards, A Series of Shocks, and others—are celebrated for their precision, depth, and non-formulaic approach to techno and experimental electronics.
Collaboration forms a central axis of Freund’s artistic life. His long-standing partnership with Max Loderbauer (as Non Standard Institute) and numerous studio collaborations reflect his belief in sound as a shared exploratory practice.
A significant strand of Freund’s work is Recent Arts, his interdisciplinary project with visual artist Valentina Berthelon. Their performances merge electronic composition, choreography, visual dramaturgy, and improvisation, creating immersive environments where sound, dance, and generative video interact. Works such as SKIN and Hypertext explore embodiment, perception, and the blurred boundaries between physical and digital realities.
Freund’s collaborative range extends further into darker, rawer territory with The Mutual Torture, his post-punk project with Chilean artist Javiera González. Combining cold, angular electronics with stripped-down rhythms, spectral vocals, and a distinctly post-punk emotional directness, The Mutual Torture channels tension, vulnerability, and confrontation into a stark sonic language. The project marks a departure from Freund’s techno-based work, highlighting his ability to move fluidly across genres while maintaining a strong artistic identity.
In addition to these collaborative endeavours, Freund curates the platform Eclectic Effigies, home to experimental works, archival studio material, and non-standard sound research. Through Non Standard Productions, he continues to cultivate an ecosystem for unconventional and exploratory music.
Recent releases include his first fully ambient album Hall Ov Fame and ongoing works such as Kijimi Affairs. Freund treats his studio practice as an “audible diary,” transforming daily processes, intuition, and emotion into sound.
Across all of his projects—whether techno, ambient, audiovisual performance, or post-punk—Tobias Freund remains a boundary-crossing artist dedicated to curiosity, craft, and continuous evolution.