Cristoph’s debut artist album ‘Life Through A Different Lens‘ is finally here, and it’s nothing short of a masterpiece. Released on 9th April 2025 via Consequence of Society Recordings, this 18-track album mirrors the energy of an open-to-close DJ set, offering listeners an immersive experience that spans the full spectrum of house and techno. Cristoph takes us on a sonic journey, collaborating with a range of incredible artists like Jem Cooke, Harry Diamond, Afnan Prince, and many others, while also pushing the boundaries of his own sound.
Ahead of his highly anticipated Open 2 Close North America & Canada tour, we caught up with him for a chat about the making of ‘Life Through A Different Lens‘, his creative process, and what fans can expect from his tour.
Life Through A Different Lens is finally here! How does it feel to have your debut album out in the world?
There’s a sense of relief, for sure. Just because it was starting to become such a big project and I didn’t know when to stop writing records for it, it was just becoming something which could have went on and on…I somewhat narrowed it down to the final 18 tracks. I am really excited for everybody hear it, the whole idea behind the album is to showcase an open until close set so it goes through a host of sub genres in the house and techno spectrum.
I do have a lot of nerves about what people will make of it as I’ve really had to step outside the norm of I guess the ‘Cristoph’ sound to make it work. But I hope I’ve paid homage to those kind of sub genres and the artists I’ve taken influence from to try and write those areas of the set.
The album captures the energy of an open-to-close set, taking listeners on a full club journey. Was that always your vision, or did it evolve as you went along?
That was always the vision. I’ve been sat on the title Life Through A Different Lens since around about 2012. I think I tweeted out of one of my old Twitter accounts. It was just a random title but as I kind of grew to like it more I ended up getting it tattooed on my thigh a couple of years ago!
But yeah, it was always to showcase the actual open until close 7 plus hours set rather than be like a studio album. People who have never been to one of the shows or don’t quite get what I’m doing on these open until close sets can have a taster in an hour and a half, and hopefully feel the journey that you go on.
You’ve collaborated with some incredible artists on this album – Jem Cooke, Harry Diamond, Afnan Prince, and more. How did these collaborations come about? Did you have specific artists in mind for each track, or was it more organic?
I’ve been working with pretty much every single one of the artists for a while so when I came to think about the album idea, the guys who are more on the producer side like Weska and Harry Diamond we just got started throwing ideas around. Those are some of the guys that I want to help bring the label (COS Recordings) forward. I want them to be playing shows with me in the future. I want them to release their own original EPs on the label as it grows.
As for the vocalists, Jem Cooke has always been great to work with and we’ve been sat on Paradise for quite a while. We’ve had a few ideas bouncing around between the two of us but big props to Jem for allowing me to release this track on the album and on the label.
Afnan Prince, we bounce ideas or like around between each other all the time. Funnily enough, he’s actually from Newcastle and we didn’t realise for years. We finally made the connection one day via messenger and turns out he’s got a yoga studio with his girlfriend literally two minutes down the road from my studio.
Manny is another one who’s I’m a great fan of and I just wanted to use his voice on something. I think he’s so cool and not many people have heard of him. He’s another name I hope we can platform through the label. I’ve got an abundance of artists who I’m just really vibing with at the minute so I am feeling pretty lucky to find these people to collab with.
‘Cicada’ is such a standout moment on the album, with those intricate effects inspired by actual cicada recordings. What motivated you to experiment like that, and how did the idea come to life in the studio?
I spend a lot of the time in Chicago now and I’ve got an apartment over there and last spring time, something came up on the news that was meant to be a big influx of these insects coming into the city, it happens every now and then. Everyone was saying they come out onto the pavements and they’re really noisy. I’d never heard of a cicada, sounded just like a grasshopper to me.
I had a look on YouTube where people have actually recorded the sound and I was just like, that’s quite an interesting and weird sound to use in a record. I started writing it and it went in the direction of a bit of weird record and I managed to get an actual sample of the insect and it just came together like that. It has a weird, spooky energy and goes off in a dark warehouse setting.
You’ve mentioned that working on this album challenged your own perception of music production. Were there any moments during the process where you had to step back and rethink your approach?
Oh, definitely! I mean, because it’s designed to be a set I had to mirror how DJs mix in key so certain records I wanted to follow on just didn’t work. A baseline can sound amazing in a certain key and absolutely shocking in another so I had to go back and think outside the box on certain areas to make it all flow.
I had a lot of moments point where I’d start getting frustrated and banging ahead against the wall, thinking maybe I’ve bitten off a little bit more than I can chew type of thing, but the album is here now and I’m just hoping that people can see the effort that’s gone in and the music resonates.
‘Where Do We Go’ and ‘Looks Like I’m Waiting’ close the album on a more ethereal, emotional note. Was that a conscious decision to end the journey with a reflective mood?
On Where Do We Go, yeah, I find there’s a bit of a hands-in-the-air moment and that’s the reason why I wanted to end on it, and why I made the record. I played it in New York last year for the first time in June and the amount of people who came up to me afterwards and were like “what is that tune?”
I actually came across the sample because I was playing on Grand Theft Auto in the apartment, and I’d heard on the radio an Alan Parsons Project Track. I put it on, went out for a walk thinking there was going to be a sample in the record, but nothing jumped out so I just let Spotify play on and the next track was Games People Play, and that hook just instantly stuck in my head.
I knew if I could get the record and get everything right about it, I could be one of those on-repeat records. Now, every time I play it, my inbox on Instagram the next day is just full of people going “F** sake. I can’t get it out my head!’ It proper gets you going, a right feel good, hands-in-the-air moment so I like to play it towards the end of a set so that everyone in the room leaves on a high.
Then turn it down a notch for the last record and make it more of an emotional ending where you turn to your friend and kind of give each other a little hug and embrace each other and be like that was a f****** cool night, right?* That’s over to ‘Looks Like I’m Waiting’ with Afnan Prince and CultureKind. I think it’s got a bit of a Rufus Du Sol vibe, and that’s where I just thought that’s that moment where you just stand and you hug your friends.
You’re taking Life Through A Different Lens on an O2C tour across North America and Canada. How does it feel to bring this project to life in front of a crowd, especially in an open-to-close setting?
These open till close sets are very taxing but I would be lying if I didn’t say I absolutely love them. I don’t know what it is. I just buzz off the adrenaline and knowing that it’s almost a bit of a challenge to make it have the effect I want. I’m like that in all walks of life, really. I’m not someone who just sits there and wants it easy. I really do like working hard for what I get, and this is just another one of those moments.
For this tour, we’ve put a lot of energy into the production at certain shows which will feed into the whole idea of the lens concept which I’m excited for people to experience. Then maybe we can look to run a part two and take it to more destinations outside of North America and Canada.
You’ve played so many iconic venues over the years; Fabric, Printworks, Hi Ibiza, but are there any clubs or festivals still on your bucket list?
The Room Tokyo. I really want to go Tokyo, everyone rates it so highly so it’s definitely up there. I’d love to play EXIT Festival in Serbia too, the setting just looks amazing. I got to play Green Valley at the back end of last year. That was always a dream venue. Red Rocks, gorgeous places like that I love. Just something where you can look back on and be like wow. Like I actually played that venue.
There’s probably way more I could list and totally on the other side of the scale too where it’s like a really dingy and intimate spot. I just think it all depends on how you can create an atmosphere at the show. I love to mix it up!
Lastly, as we wrap up, what do you hope fans take away from Life Through A Different Lens when they listen to it?
I want them to feel like they’ve gone on a journey. I want them to feel like they’ve experienced a full show, even if they’ve only listened to it in their living room. It’s about taking people through the highs and lows of music, making them feel something, and hopefully, giving them an emotional connection to the sound.
Thank you so much for speaking to us Cristoph, we can’t wait to see the tracks do some damage this summer!
Cristoph’s debut album is more than a collection of tracks – it’s a carefully crafted reflection of his evolution as an artist – ‘Life Through A Different Lens‘ is out now – listen/download here.
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