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Oliver Riedel

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Oliver Riedel
Riedel in 2010
Riedel in 2010
Background information
Born (1971-04-11) 11 April 1971 (age 53)
Schwerin, East Germany
GenresNeue Deutsche Härte, folk punk
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentBass guitar
Years active1990–present
Member ofRammstein
Formerly ofThe Inchtabokatables

Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (born 11 April 1971)[1] is a German musician, best known as one of the founders and the bassist of Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein.[2]

Early life

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Riedel was born in Schwerin on 11 April 1971.[3] Growing up, he had relatively good relationships with both of his parents, which he attributes to the small gap between their ages.[4] As a child, he was not a good student, but he made his way through school with the assistance of his mother. Riedel was quite shy, especially during his teenage years; while his friends partied, he would often be found just "hanging around".

Career

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In 1992, Riedel began playing in a folk/punk band called the Inchtabokatables.[5] That same year, he traveled to the southwest of the United States together with Richard Kruspe and Till Lindemann.[3] In 1993, Riedel co-founded a new project named Tempelprayers with Kruspe and Christoph Schneider.[3] Together with Lindemann, they entered the Berlin Senate Metrobeat contest in 1994 and won a recording session in a professional studio.[6][7] Paul Landers and Christian "Flake" Lorenz would later join the band, which was then renamed to Rammstein.[8][3]

Personal life

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Riedel has two children.[4] He enjoys photography and sports, especially skateboarding and surfing.[9] He is the tallest member of Rammstein, standing at 6 ft 7 in (2 m).[10] Riedel is known to live a private life and rarely gives interviews.[3] He is said to be the most computer-literate member of Rammstein. [citation needed] In 2022, Riedel auctioned off two of his signature Sandberg basses as part of the Gear For Hope music auction where proceeds were donated to aid organizations in Ukraine.[11]

Musicianship

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Riedel performing in 2022

Technique

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Riedel is primarily a fingerstyle player, although he uses a pick for most songs when playing live.

In certain softer songs, Riedel has been known to play with a banjo style plucking technique with his right hand to play arpeggiated chords, such as in "Seemann". He also plays the acoustic guitar introduction to "Tier" and "Frühling in Paris" during live shows.

Gear

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His known gear is:

  • Sandberg California PM
  • Sandberg Terrabass signature model
  • MusicMan Stingray (used during the early days of the band)
  • ESP Eclipse bass (used during the Sehnsucht tour)
  • Sandberg Plasmabass 4-string custom built model
  • Tech 21 SansAmp Bass Driver DI
  • Glockenklang Heart-Rock Amp (Later rig)
  • Ampeg SVT-II (Early rig)
  • Ampeg 8x10 Cabs

Riedel also uses selected overdrive/fuzz pedals for songs such as "Mein Teil" and "Rosenrot".

Discography

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Main article: Rammstein discography
Rammstein

References

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  1. ^ Graham Betts (2004). Collins Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004. Collins. p. 534. ISBN 978-0-00-717931-2.
  2. ^ Ashton, Adrian (1 June 2006). The bass handbook. Hal Leonard Corporation. pp. 12–. ISBN 978-0-87930-872-8. Retrieved 29 July 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e Gösche, Max (13 June 2023). "Rammstein-Dossier: Alle sechs Musiker im Porträt ... jetzt weiterlesen auf Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone (in German). Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Who the Hell are Rammstein?". Rammimages.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 7 June 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
  5. ^ Mills, Matt (14 May 2022). "These are all the bands Rammstein were in before Rammstein". Louder. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  6. ^ Chapstick, Kelsey (22 August 2018). "5 Things You Didn't Know About Rammstein's 'Sehnsucht'". Revolver. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  7. ^ McIver, Joel (25 June 2020). "Rammstein's Christoph 'Doom' Schneider: My Life Story". Louder. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  8. ^ Wünsch, Silke (26 July 2019). "Rammstein: Sons of East German punk – DW – 07/26/2019". dw.com. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
  9. ^ Lageat, Phil; Rouhet, Olivier (5 September 2005). "Promo "Rosenrot" (2005), Olivier Riedel and Till Lindemann". Rock Hard. No. 48.
  10. ^ "10 Tallest Rock Musicians". www.ultimate-guitar.com. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  11. ^ Johnson, Kevin (30 May 2022). "Rammstein's Oliver Riedel Auctioning Basses to Aid Ukraine". No Treble. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
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