© 2025 True Underground. All rights reserved.
Cari Lekebusch is a Stockholm-based sound architect alongsides other Swedish Techno profiles like Adam Beyer, Joel Mull, Alexi Delano and Jesper Dahlbäck.
He has borne many pseudonyms over the course of his illustrious career to date including Fred, Mr Barth, Braincell, Shape Changer, Vector, and The Mantis to name a select few. Some of his earliest musical influences include James Brown, Ralph Lundsten, Herbie Hancock, African Bambaata, Egyptian Lover, Chris “The Glove” Taylor, Kraftwerk, Mantronix as well as many of the hip-hop and electro sounds that emerged during the eighties. His parents had a vast vinyl collection as well which gave him ample opportunity to discover new sounds in his formative years. This eclectic range of inspiration continues to fuel his distinctive sound.
From a young age Cari was determined to pursue a career in music; what started out as typical record collecting in the seventies eventually progressed into a desire to become a DJ. Before long he was also demonstrating his budding skills as a producer, using whatever electronic equipment he could muster to experiment with beats. In some respects he was seemingly following in the footsteps of his father who had operated an audio & video electronics store, agency and studio, known as Studio Lekebusch. Throughout the eighties his interests outside the music realm included graffiti art, breakdancing and a passion for kung fu, something which has remained with him to this day and helps to inspire him musically.
Before embarking on a career in music, Cari completed a four year business program, in part to complement some of his future objectives which included establishing his own company; something he promptly did once he graduated and began a new chapter in his life.
As with most DJs, Cari got his initial exposure performing at a variety of local venues, primarily at events in Stockholm, where he also organized his own nights on occasion. His first booking abroad was in nearby Helsinki towards the end of 1993 and was an important step in his young career; he had already realized that to seriously pursue his music career he would need to ultimately establish himself internationally, as his underground sound wouldn’t be viable in Sweden alone.
The following year he made his debut in other European countries such as Germany, France and Italy as his tour schedule steadily grew. It was a breakthrough year in his career with the first releases on his inaugural label – Hybrid Sound Architectures, which later became known as H. Productions (a.k.a. H-Prod). He also had releases on another notable Swedish label at the time under his Vector and Rotortype monikers – Planet Rhythm. During this period Cari continued to expand his studio, known as HP HQ (H. Productions Headquarters) by enhancing his collection of various electronic gear including drum machines, audio processors and synthesizers. The launch of his own imprint enabled him to delve into his creative freedom at the utmost level of innovation and quality, acting as a core platform for his artistic visions. His efforts in the studio at the time came to fruition as numerous other pseudonyms were unveiled throughout this period including Phunkey Rhythm Doctor, Agent Orange, Mr. Barth and Braincell.
Shortly afterwards his productions began appearing on other influential Swedish labels such as Adam Beyer’s Code Red, Truesoul and Drumcode, something which continued over the next decade as fellow compatriots continued to make their mark globally launching scores of other labels such as Jericho, Corb, Loop/Plumphouse and Svek. Frequent collaborations with other artists occurred at the time not only in the studio but also while on tour, either alongside countrymen during label nights or for select tours such as with Adam Beyer in 1998, which showcased a rare live performance to audiences on mul
