Oliver Riedel

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

Ollie Riedel
Riedel performing in 2010
Background information
Birth nameOliver Riedel
Born (1971-04-11) 11 April 1971
Schwerin, East Germany
GenresNeue Deutsche Härte
Occupation(s)Musician
InstrumentsBass
Years active1990–present
LabelsMotor Music, Republic, Slash, Universal Music Group
Associated actsRammstein, The Inchtabokatables

Early life

Oliver Riedel was born in Schwerin on 11 April 1971. Growing up, he had relatively good relationships with both of his parents. He attributes this to the small gap between their ages.[3] 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".

Musical career

In 1990, at the age of 19, Oliver began playing in a folk-fiddle/punk band called The Inchtabokatables. In 1994, Riedel, Till Lindemann, Richard Kruspe, and Christoph "Doom" Schneider entered and won the Berlin Senate Metro beat contest that allowed them to record a four-track demo professionally. Paul H. Landers and Christian "Flake" Lorenz would later join the band they named Rammstein.

The six released their first album, Herzeleid (Heartache) in September 1995. Their second album, Sehnsucht (Longing) was released in 1997, which would later become platinum. In April 2001, the album Mutter (Mother) was released and a European tour followed, ending on 13 July 2002. It has been reported that at this time the members of Rammstein were seriously discussing whether to continue or not in their present form. It was decided that they should all take some time off and then reconsider whether to continue.

In 2003, Rammstein started work on the fourth album, which was to prove a turning point in Rammstein's sound and maturity. September 2004 saw the fruits of this work in the release of Reise, Reise ("Journey, Journey").

In 2005, Rosenrot (Rose Red) was released.

Rammstein's 6th album Liebe ist für alle da (Love Is For Everyone) was released in October 2009.

In May 2019, Rammstein released their untitled seventh album.

Personal life

Riedel has two children, one a girl named Emma,[3] and is separated from their mother.

He enjoys photography and sports, especially skateboarding and surfing. In the making of the video for "Keine Lust", he mentions wanting to go snowboarding while wearing a fat suit. He is the tallest member of Rammstein, standing in at 6 ft 7 in (2 meters). It has also been said he is the most computer-literate member of the band. He tends to keep his hair in a crew cut style or completely shaven, accompanied by a goatee or sometimes a full beard.

Musicianship

Technique

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 "Frühling in Paris" in live shows.

Gear

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".

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References
  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. "Who the Hell are Rammstein?". Rammimages.com. 2006. Archived from the original on 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2012.
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