ABOUT

STIP (real name: Leendert van Stipriaan) is a singer-songwriter and producer. Born in East Friesland, he has lived in the Basel/Switzerland region since his early youth.

STIP came into contact with pop music through his older brother, who in the swinging sixties bought records by the emerging English beat groups and regularly read the youth magazine „Bravo“. Together they listened to the latest beat music on Radio Luxembourg on the transistor radio (nota bene on medium wave!). Swiss radio stations hardly took this „wild“ music seriously at the time.   

At the age of fourteen, STIP formed his first school band together with other schoolmates and learnt to play the guitar on his own. A few years later, he decided to only play his own songs. As a songwriter, STIP was influenced – how could it be otherwise – by the sound of the sixties, especially by: The Beatles, The Kinks, The Moody Blues, The Beach Boys, Cat Stevens and Simon & Garfunkel. But later acts such as Abba, Al Stewart, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Crowded House, Electric Light Orchestra, The Eagles, Genesis, Yes and others also became his highly esteemed favourites.  

STIP was deeply impressed by the stylistic diversity of the Beatles, for example in their masterpiece „The Beatles“ (the so-called White Album). STIP’s songwriting is – probably due to this influence – cross-genre. 

However, the central element in STIP’s songwriting is the melody and the melody again. When the right rhythm and a catchy headline are found, a song pearl can ideally be created.  

STIP played successfully for many years in the pop-folk band „Day of Leisure“, together with his mates Marcel Ruf and Bruno Straumann. He then dedicated himself to his solo project STIP (later joined by Michèle Thommen and Andi Gisler) as well as projects in various genres. Particularly noteworthy is the fruitful collaboration with Andi Gisler as co-producer, studio and live musician, arranger, recording engineer etc. on the projects STIP, English Garden and Oisín.

More info about the above acts: see MILESTONES