Cezar Lazăr and Cristi Klebleev for Playedby • feeder.ro

feeder sound exclusive premiere + interview: Cezar Lazăr and Cristi Klebleev for Playedby

Romanian platform Playedby celebrates 10 years of activity in the electronic music scene with an amazing Various Artists compilation which includes 20 notable tracks from renowned local and international producers. This special edition release arrives in a 6×12″ Vinyl-Only Box Set in a limited number of copies and features Cezar Lazăr, VincentIulian, Elia Nafzger, Lumieux, SIT, Prichindel, Zya, Larry & Ian Kiddo, Alci, Aamir, Gojnea76, Christopher Ledger, Alex Font, Pascal Benjamin, Sublee, Dragoș Ilici, Ohm Hourani & Cristobal Urbina, Ben Neville, Denis Korablev and label head Cristi Klebleev.

Showcasing the diverse and cutting-edge sounds that have defined the label’s journey, Longplay II marks a decade of musical innovation and passion, making it a must-have for committed vinyl collectors as well as any minimal techno and microhouse aficionado.

Focused on promoting underground electronic music through various online and offline channels, Playedby stands as a beacon in the Romanian scene while extending its influence well beyond the borders. From events and social media campaigns to vinyl and digital releases, the venture effectively captures and expands on the essence of house, techno, minimal, and closely related genres. The main label also operates other sublabels and series, such as Playdig, Interplay, Underplay, Outplay, Tooney Lunes and Black Tooney.

A defining presence in Romania’s minimal and experimental techno scene, DJ, producer, audio engineer and label owner Cezar Lazăr has left an indelible mark on both local and international underground circuits. As a co-founder of the influential Understand label alongside Kozo and Praslea, he published timeless music from himself, Raresh, Praslea, Rhadoo, Dubtil, Amorf and Arapu, while the OurOwn platform solidified his impact on vinyl distribution with over 100 sought-after 12″ releases being brought forward.

Solo, part of the Afumati duo, or just enjoying working on eclectic collaborations released under his bold experimental branch, Algorhythm of Unknown, Cezar gained worldwide recognition for his ability to master and direct sonic explorations that blend various genres and styles, rooted but not bound to minimal techno or microhouse. Among the labels he closely worked with, we find [a:rpia:r], Amphia, Atipic and Draganenii.

Additionally, his contribution to the Romanian Street Art project highlights his broader cultural engagement, as he composed the soundtrack for the Bulgarian artist Sunshiners‘ mural paintings, which you can see at Șoseaua Mihai Bravu 75/83 and the Lagom Hotel on Maior Alexandru Campeanu 8A.

Here, he opens the compilation with “Nkv2”, a cerebral and twisted stripped-down groove powered by crisp percussion patterns, a prominent bassline and grungy textures that intertwine with heavily modulated vocal samples and lush breakdowns, best fitted for dimly lit dancefloors.

Operating out of Romania, Cristi Klebleev or shortly CK, leads a creative ecosystem that spans multiple labels, media platforms and event configurations. Beyond his role as an artist, he acts as a label head for Playedby and its sublabels, event promoter, A&R advisor and team leader, ensuring every facet of his projects is executed with precision and flair. He’s also involved in vinyl distribution, solidifying his position as a central figure in both local and international communities.

Fully committed to electronic music and clubbing experience, Cristi’s journey started around 2006, with his first event management session being for Secret Garden in 2014. His passion for minimal techno, microhouse, tech house and experimental music fuelled his desire to create a signature sound that redefines modern trends as well as shapes a community that shares the same vision.

His track “Until The End” closes the VA with a steady-paced rhythm flavoured by the phased acapella vocals of The Choir Of Milagros, which come in and out of focus as the track unfolds its immersive arrangement designed with chilled drums, rotating background textures and shuffling complementary effects.

feeder.ro: First of all, congratulations on your sustained activity over the past 10 years! What motivated you to start this project?

Cristi Klebleev: Many thanks for the invitation and the nice words. Everything started in 2015 after the 1st of May edition of Sunwaves Festival. I never thought before that I would want to do this or that. Ideas came in time, organically, step by step. It actually started with a Facebook page that was called Tracks Playedby featuring Romanian DJs. It was something I did just for fun at that moment. I remember it was the closing set of the festival with Dan Andrei and Kozo playing b2b. I left a short time before the closing, and it was a track by Mr. G being played by one of them. Usually, when I am at parties it happens I recognise a lot of tracks and I am saying to my friends… “ohh that is that track from…” and hearing tracks that I already know and love makes me enjoy the party even more. At the same time, I am very thrilled when I hear something I don’t know and try to do my digging duties to find that tune. So I thought it would be a good idea to create a page to share with the people the tracks I heard being played by our favourite DJs.

In a short time after, with the help of my sister, who’s a little older than me and already had experience as a party goer but also as a promoter, we started the website where the Playedby idea got developed deeper. In 2016, I started the first events, doing the 1 year anniversary of Playedby at an open-air venue in Paris at the end of summer. In autumn, I started working in the events team at Club Guesthouse, and that helped me make a lot of friends and connections in the scene. Then, in 2017, the first vinyl came out naturally, being signed by my friend Crihan under his Discret Popescu alias.

The main motivation is that I keep doing what I love, and when it starts as a hobby without any specific purpose and things happen naturally it is much more satisfying.

f: Why do you prefer to release music on vinyl? What are the advantages and what are the disadvantages?

Cristi Klebleev: The love for vinyl and music came from my family. I remember when I was very little, we had a turntable at home, and I was playing my dad’s records from bands like ABBA or Boney M. Then I remember that my first record was a gift from my uncle. It was a vinyl from Madalina Manole. I was only 4 or 5 years old and in love with her music, so it made me really happy.

I also consider that releasing music on vinyl is like a statement, especially now in the more digital era. While digital files can disappear easily if your hard drive crashes, vinyl is something that lives forever as a legacy to the next generations.

Of course, there are also some disadvantages to releasing music on vinyl, like the very long production times and delays that are out of the record label’s control, and also the costs that have risen a lot in recent years. Before the pandemic, I was usually selling around 500-600 copies from a release, which helped me make a little profit and also support the artists by paying them a symbolic fee. Nowadays, for an underground label, it takes even a year or more to sell around 300 copies, and with these numbers, you barely cover the production costs.

f: What is the process you follow when you set out to release new material?

Cristi Klebleev: I don’t have a fixed way of doing things in order to release new stuff. I don’t like to put pressure on myself to make vinyl releases on a schedule, it just happens. I hear some tracks that I love at events, and if it’s a friend of mine playing, I’ll ask him about the track, and if it’s something unreleased from him or another artist, I try to sign that. On almost all the releases, there was at least one track that I had been digging before. I am also getting a lot of promos from different artists, and it is very nice to discover new music. If I feel the tracks touch me even by listening to them at home, then I know it is something worth releasing.

f: What criteria do you apply when starting a new collaboration with an artist?

Cristi Klebleev: I love discovering new talented artists. The main criterion is definitely the music. I also like to feel that the music I hear from someone new is original and has its own ideas, even if, when you are at the beginning, you get inspired by your favourite producers, but I feel it is really important to follow your own path and do things in your own way.

f: How do you deal with the challenges that arise when running an independent label that doesn’t have constant financial support?

Cristi Klebleev: It can be very challenging to run an independent label, financing it from A to Z, taking care of the distribution worldwide and also handling by my own the orders I get from my shop. But as I was saying, when you do things that you really love, it makes it easier, and we need challenges in our lives to motivate ourselves and do it even better. Of course, with the recent struggles from the past years, I thought about alternatives in order to continue releasing music on vinyl.

At the beginning, the music was released exclusively on vinyl, but nowadays I’ve started publishing the older titles one by one in digital format and even doing digital-only releases on Playedby‘s bandcamp page. For digital releases, you have only the mastering costs. The other main advantage is that you can release the music much faster, and you don’t depend on the pressing companies, and you can help more artists to have their music heard by fans and promoters.

f: What are the label’s future plans, who are you going to collaborate with, and where can we expect to see the releases of the upcoming materials?

Cristi Klebleev: Vinyl-wise, on Playedby, I am really excited by the next project. It will be a trilogy: 3 double LPs from Andrei Ciubuc, who I consider to be one of the most talented and prolific Romanian producers. It will be his debut album, so I am really proud to have him on my label roster. The first double LP will probably come out in September, followed by the others a few months later, one by one. One other artist that I really like and will have more materials released on Playedby is Elia Nafzger. He had his first digital release on the label in 2024, while this year he signed his first track on the vinyl catalogue, being part of the 10 Years Anniversary Compilation.

Then we have Zya, who is one of my best friends, and I really believed in and supported her both as a DJ and producer since her very first steps, and I am very happy to see things are finally starting to work for her too. It is well deserved. You’ve been hearing her music being played by the best artists of our scene at parties and festivals, and soon you will hear more.

Digital-wise wise I’ve started some new series. One is Outplay, where I am looking to sign fresh talent. Some of the artists will have their first release here. The other one is called Outerplay, where I am looking to release a more different sound, a faster BPM, more techno, electro or breakbeat-oriented music. Not rushing to release vinyl on these two new labels yet, but for sure, at some point in the future, there will be some vinyl releases as well.

It was a pleasure, and I hope you enjoyed reading this too.

Grab your copy of Longplay II – 10 Years Anniversary Compilation VA at Playedby Shop, deejay.de, decks.de, Juno Records, black.round.twelve or Yoyaku Record Store.

Artists: Cezar Lazăr, VincentIulian, Elia Nafzger, Lumieux, SIT, Prichindel, Zya, Larry & Ian Kiddo, Alci, Aamir, Gojnea76, Christopher Ledger, Alex Font, Pascal Benjamin, Sublee, Dragoș Ilici, Ohm Hourani & Cristobal Urbina, Ben Neville, Denis Korablev, Cristi Klebleev
Title: Longplay II – 10 Years Anniversary Compilation
Label: Playedby
Cat. No.: Playedby020
Format: 6×12″ Vinyl-Only Box Set, Ltd.
Release Date: 22.04.2025

Cezar Lazăr on soundcloud / facebook / instagram
Cristi Klebleev on soundcloud / facebook / instagram / bandcamp
Playedby on soundcloud / facebook / instagram / bandcamp / youtube / discogs

About feeder sound

feeder sound is a showcase of local and international talent alike, comprised of DJ sets and fresh tunes meticulously curated in a sound collection that promotes mutual recognition and cultural exchange between musicians worldwide. Visit the project’s page feeder sound, EP reviews and exclusive premiere to find out more about past, current and future activities.