The Berlin Mission

Last week I travelled to Berlin for a short 2 day break. I had always been intrigued by Berlin as a city, however had never previously visited. I’d purposefully booked an extra day to allow time to explore, as the trip was fundamentally to surprise my grandmother, who was celebrating her 85th birthday.  Little did I know that word, ‘surprise,’ was to become more relevant as my vacation progressed…

Though my prior knowledge of Berlin was largely confined to history lessons at school as well as brief insights into the city thanks to my love of central European literature, I was aware that contemporary Berlin was increasingly becoming a hub for musicians and other artists. As such, I felt it necessary to try and gain an understanding of why the city had become such a magnet for creativity and rather than partake in run of the mill tourist activities I took it upon myself to try and see the Berlin that these artists live. Thanks to Fluid Radio and a few unexpected events, I’d like to think this was achieved.

My first arrangement was to meet with Monique Recknagel, the owner of record label Sonic Pieces. The meeting had been set up as an interview opportunity with a view to gaining some insight into running an independent label.  Not only was this received in great detail, but was done so over a delightful breakfast and in the company of Erik K. Skodvin perhaps better known to us as one half of Deaf Centre, his Svarte Greiner guise and as label owner of Miasmah. What follows is a short interview with Monique and Erik:

Josh: Can you tell me you thoughts on Berlin as a city in terms of it being a place to live and your connections to it through music and the artistic community here?

Monique: Berlin is a city where it is easy to meet people who are into the same things and share interests. It may be easier than other places, certainly easier than other places in Germany.  In that sense it’s a little bit like an island within Germany. Where I grew up I was not really able to talk to people about the music I was interested in and here you can. There aren’t really any boundaries with learning the language either as the international community is so strong so you can get away with living here and not learning German!

Erik: It’s definitely better than a lot of cities in Europe. It’s so cheap to live here, as after the wall came down there was so much vacant space that living costs became so cheap. It’s also so open with the rules. As an artist, having a sense of freedom is really important so I guess it’s this and the cheap living that makes it attractive to artists. My other attraction to Berlin is the fact there’s a broader interest in what I want to achieve as a musician. I love the music scene in Oslo but it is perhaps a little narrow minded.

Josh:  One of the things as a fan and consumer of this broad genre of music is the attention to detail to the product, the sense that you are buying into more than just a recording and are provided with something really special. As label owners can you tell us about how it is to distribute music in such a way?

Monique:  We are both actually running the labels in very different ways!  Firstly, if I didn’t live in Berlin I wouldn’t run a label as everything mainly happened by accident. I was running a radio show before and started to organise concerts in Berlin. Nils Frahm had a tour last year with Peter Broderick and had released “The Bells,” on Kning Disk. He had this other mini album “Wintermusik” which I knew before and really loved and he wanted another record to sell on tour so he asked me to do some packages for it. He had wanted to put it out on cd-r, but I encouraged him against this. After I received his blessing to do a proper printed release, I knew I had to take greater care in the distribution.  So while it appeared that there was a new label on the scene it didn’t really feel like that!

Josh: Why do you choose to go for limited editions? Do you try to keep the releases as treasured pieces for consumers?

Monique: It’s not really a case of wanting to do limited editions; it’s just that with the packaging I do it simply isn’t possible to produce thousands of copies so it naturally happened that way. On the one hand I’d like to have the music available so we have digital distribution with Morr Music here in Berlin, but the special edition with the special package is something that people really want and I try to do what is right for the consumers.

Josh: Erik, what would you say are the key thought process behind Miasmah?

Erik: The label also came about for me by accident and although I’m not doing the limited edition style releases, I’m doing this because it’s something that I really love and I want to have an output to express this. I look for artists who can represent what I really love in music and most of these artists are turning out to be friends also which is great. I tend to release around 3 releases a year which is perfect for me as it means we can keep focus on making the music great.

Josh: What do you look for in an artist to make you think “I really want to put your music out there?”

Erik: I look for originality and for artists who have a personal touch to their sound. Anyone who knows my music would say it’s atmospheric and dark and while that’s what I love I also want to do different things within this. Some people may say “oh that has the Miasmah sound” but I also have some records coming out which are quite different. I think the new FNS record is a good example.

Monique: It’s funny, as a label if you are releasing a particular style, people automatically who are into that genre start sending demos. So for example I receive a lot of piano music!

The conversation continued for a while after this and we enjoyed croissants, scrambled eggs and cheese all from the comforts of a sunny balcony. Erik had to shoot off to meet with Nils Frahm, and before my departure Monique showed me through the Sonic Pieces collection and generously passed on a copy of the new F.S Blumm and Nils Frahm record to add to my collection.

I left the apartment humbled by the laid back and hugely welcoming nature that both Monique and Erik possessed. There was a refreshing quality in being amongst strangers who were so approachable and Monique’s delicious coffee set me up well for the rest of the day.

I spent the afternoon exploring the city. It was strange to think that despite the countless cranes in the skyline, and with the fresh knowledge that Berlin really was a musician’s city, that it was also such a peaceful one. Despite the occasional drone let off by an airplane in the sky or the low hum of urban ambience, the streets were quiet. The clear blue sky was supported by a radiant sun, the occasional gusts of wind would bring with them blizzards of pollen and my resulting sneezes were about the only additional sounds to those already described.

After a spot of sunbathing by the river, albeit with beer in hand, I had to travel across town for my next appointment; a visit to Nils Frahm’s studio.  Here was a quite beautiful space filled with pianos, guitars, organs and computers. Erik was there from earlier and was working with Nils, who was donning his producer cap, on a new record. As Erik put on the headphones to listen to his latest work I had a chance to discuss Berlin with Nils:

Josh:  What does Berlin mean to you as a city and how does it impact your creativity?

Nils: I think Berlin has a special mark for me because since I’ve been here I can basically live from making music. The first six months I had day jobs in advertising and mixing; jobs that were all musically related. I’m not sure what creative impact the city has had on me, but what makes it really special is that there are so many musicians here now. You can hang out with them every day. It’s not all about making music with them either as most are really individual performers, but there is a strong feeling of togetherness, like a family. For artists in this electronic, new classical movement it’s a pretty great city. Berlin feels like a magnet right now, it’s cheap enough to give it a try and artists are coming from all over the world as you can get by without speaking German.

Josh: On that note what are your feelings about Berlin being this hub for international artists from all over the world? I find there to be this interesting juxtaposition here in that you have a multicultural, dynamic community in contemporary Berlin and historically ‘the nation’ was at the epicentre of German thinking, so how do you feel about the progressive nature of Berlin in that sense?

Nils: I think it doesn’t change too much for me as I come from a very liberal background. My father was an artist and I was always surrounded creative people from a very young age. So I’m not sure if there is anything extraordinary going on here. However I do think this is the only city that has the size to create a certain kind of energy which is unique for Germany at least. London and Paris have it to some extent, but from touring and talking to other artists I can tell you everyone is dreaming about this city because it’s a paradise. It’s half the price and there are many interesting places and options to make a living. The life here is different, particularly in summer time people don’t work as much, I’m always busy because I like to be that way, but you don’t have to work as much to get by as in other cities.

Josh: What do you think is behind this increase in popularity for music that uses traditional instruments in a modern context?

Nils: I try to avoid making a wrap around it because I really enjoy the heterogenic nature of music. It’s basically a group of friends who are into electronic music as well as instrumental music. Peter Broderick, for example, digs electronic stuff the same as he likes acoustic music. He experiments with both, as do I, but it’s a nice addition to the palette of possible ways to express oneself. It also allows you to pick up your old school instruments in a way that won’t have people laugh at you! I hope it’s not a fashion thing because it’s good to bring back the classical roots when it comes to the instruments but performing it to fans of underground music. I’m not a fan of totally classic music, but I think it’s really interesting to use these instruments to create something new. Perhaps the popularity of film music, like Amelie for example, has seen more people show an interest in this sound.

Josh: What impact does the feedback you receive from fans have on the evolution of your music and your creative approach to making music?

Nils: It kind of blocks me right now! Maybe it’s the nature of every second album, I count ‘The Bells’ and ’Wintermusik’ as a double pack of sorts, but it’s a challenge for sure. It was interesting to read the reviews. Some people loved ‘Wintermusik’ and didn’t enjoy ‘The Bells’ while others saw it as the opposite.  It’s interesting to see how a challenging album can be hard to reach a wider audience but the people who get it really love it as one of their all time favourites. So sometimes I think of all the ideas in my head and all the things I could or won’t say over 40 or 50 minutes on a record, but I tend to create variations of my sets when I tour so it’s not like I have a set of pre existing songs and collect and promote them. As such I don’t feel the need to record piano music as much, but I understand the fans would like to have something to listen to, and I need something to sell at my merchandise table! I take it really serious because I know what it means for ones future. I want to play nice venues and great pianos and it all depends on the quality of the record and how people think its put together. It makes it pretty difficult right now to be selective as I like so many different things. For example I really like atonal stuff but when it comes to selling records you need to find a way to make it interesting enough but not too ugly to put people off as it’s also a present for the listeners!

After the interview had concluded, I had initially planned to head back to my hotel, drink some beers and go to bed. Instead the next round of surprises were about to kick in. Firstly, Nils and Erik invited me to listen to their new recording in its entirety. The three of us sat back with drinks and each in our own mediatory states listened in silence. It was fantastic. I was then invited for a late night swim in one of Berlin’s famous lakes. We arrived after a 20 minute walk to the most serene of surroundings. Bearing in mind it was now after midnight, the warm evening air was enough to tempt us all to take a plunge into the lake which was lit only by the half moon and distant lights. We were joined by Erased Tapes owner Robert Raths and the conversation about Berlin continued at length, supported by a chorus of frogs who croaked in unison amongst the rushes.

Two days is not a sufficient amount of time to make an accurate assessment of a place. However the creative and bohemian qualities of Berlin were as clear to me as they are ever likely to be. I was also taken back by the approachable nature of the people whether German born or foreign inhabitants. With business set to expand and commercial investors lying in wait it remains to be seen how long Berlin can retain its charm in such a capacity, but as fans we should hope it long continues to exist in this form for it truly stands as the epicentre for output of the music we know and love.

- By Josh Atkin for Fluid Radio

Special thanks to Josh, Monique, Erik, Nils and Robert for your love and support.

www.sonicpieces.com
www.miasmah.com
www.miasmah.com/eks/
www.myspace.com/nilsfrahm
www.durtonstudio.com
www.erasedtapes.com