No Fear Of Pop

5 Years of NFOP

Come celebrate with us: Urban Spree, May 24, 4pm

Listen to the NFOP Radio Show on Berlin Community Radio

Every Friday at 4pm CET

Berlin Current #1: Moon Wheel

02 Oct 2013 — Henning Lahmann

As I've said myself probably a hundred times at various opportunities, for example here, Berlin is a city that is not easily grasped in terms of music when it comes to both 'scenes' and genuine innovation. It's easy to get carried away by that fact and to keep complaining about it, especially in view of London or New York, and I am certainly guilty as charged when it comes to that. The smarter thing to do, no doubt, is to make an attempt to actually explore and map the musical undercurrents that exist in Berlin probably like in no other city at this very moment in time. Enter Berlin Current, a new joint initiative by CTM, Berghain, Boiler Room Berlin, De:Bug, and BLN.FM, and sponsored by the surprisingly forward-thinking and interventionist (in a good way) Musicboard Berlin. Putting "an ear to the scene and presents new, future-oriented musical ideas from Berlin", the project will showcase selected young talents at various events in the coming months. There's some more conceptual underpinning over here (including a definition of pop that's convincingly/alarmingly close to our own), and a list of currently selected artists right here. It's a very compelling list indeed.

The first two musicians to be highlighted are "Neukölln native" Kobosil and Moon Wheel aka Olle Holmberg, a Swedish expat whose music neatly falls in line with recent North American tape-induced psychedelic experimentalism. If you happen to be an avid reader of this site then the name should sound familiar; in fact, Holmberg supported the great Dylan Ettinger at one of our very first showcases at Mme Claude back in October 2011. Earlier this year, LA powerhouse Not Not Fun released the strongest Moon Wheel material to date on a self-titled cassette. In anticipation of forthcoming events, we briefly spoke with Holmberg via email. Read the interview below the break.

This Friday, October 4, both will perform at Berghain as part of CTM's Polymorphism #8, supporting a truly breathtaking line-up that features Oneohtrix Point Never, Stellar OM Source, Lorenzo Senni, and Ital. More details over here. See you there.

How long have you been making music?

For ten or fifteen years. Can't remember exactly. Started out in QBASIC and FastTracker II in MS-DOS as a teenager.

When and why did you come to Berlin?

In 2011 I got kicked out of Australia and didn't like the vibe back home in Sweden. I checked out several other European cities, but when I visited a friend here I decided to not leave.

Does Berlin inform the music you make in some way and if yes, how?

It taught me how to dance, which lead me to explore music with more corporeal intention.

What do you think about the city's music scene and opportunities for musicians?

In the beginning it was not difficult to get small shows, and the rest followed slowly but steadily. I've met some very talented, generous and encouraging musicians here that helped me grow. However, I wish the corporate infiltration of our culture would cease, even if it meant the spectacle became a bit less shiny.

How did you get in touch with the NNF people?

I emailed Britt the first three Moon Wheel songs right after I'd written them and he asked for more. Two years later I sent him the album when it was finally finished. I was afraid he'd forgotten about me, but was still keen.

What is your setup on stage, and what is the relationship between your recorded tracks and your live improvisations?

Varying bits and pieces (controllers, fx, keyboard, drum machine, sequencer, guitar) plugged into a hardware/software sampler with some additional software behind it. It varies from show to show. Most of my recordings are live jams from the studio, so to take it to a show feels like a natural step. Spontaneous arrangement and intuitive jamming from sets of sounds and patterns.

Is playing at Berghain for the first time an exciting or rather intimidating imagination?

A dream come true. I feel humbled to be given the opportunity by CTM even though I'm unknown. When I asked somebody who has played there for advice they said it's like driving a tractor. Grandpa showed me how to do that, so it should be fine. Just hoping it'll be as loud as it should be!

Moon Wheel's self-titled cassette is out on Not Not Fun. Get it over at Boomkat.

Win Tickets for Kookoo at Shift

30 Sep 2013 — Henning Lahmann

This Friday, one of Berlin Mitte's most endearing clubs Shift (located within the massive Kraftwerk that is also home to Tresor) will for the first time host the upcoming edition of Kookoo, a series of nights initiated by Mieko Suzuki and Arno Raffeiner aka Ara, "driven by the best house music, electro, and techno has to offer" according to the founders, and we see no reason to doubt it. The October 4 event will welcome female:pressure founder Electric Indigo as a very special guest, who first met Suzuki about ten years at Vienna's legendary club Flex, a happy coincidence that resulted in numerous joint DJing ventures all across the globe. To witness another night of shared passion, make sure to be at Shift on Friday.

To win 2x2 guest list spots for the event, write something nice into the comment box below before Thursday, 12pm. Check Facebook for more details and listen to two of the protagonists' mixes below to know what's up.

Win Tickets for RBMA’s SIGNAL 03 at Watergate with Moodyman and DJ Koze

25 Sep 2013 — Henning Lahmann

Since early September, Red Bull Music Academy Radio has been broadcasting an excellent, widely varied program out of a remarkably upscale pop up studio at the heart of Kreuzberg's Wrangelkiez. Surely a great contribution to Berlin's musical landscape, sadly the whole project will come to its end this weekend. This however won't happen in silence: instead, the radio folks are taking over the esteemed Watergate for a farewell night with a truly stunning lineup, featuring performances and sets by Detroit veteran Moodyman, Hamburg deranged house legend DJ Koze, plus Ninja Tune's FaltyDL, resident DJ La Fleur, Resom, and Spencer.

We're giving away 1x2 guest list spots for SIGNAL 3. To win them, just write something nice into the FB comment box below before Friday, 12pm, and make sure we can reach you to let you know that you've won. Find out more details about the event over on RA or Facebook.

To get a more proper idea of what it was (or still is, for a few days) all about, check out FKA Twigs' recent appearance at RBMA Radio Berlin below:

Win Tickets for TOYS with Lando & Essáy at Loftus Hall

24 Sep 2013 — Henning Lahmann

This Saturday, September 28, Berlin-based producer/DJ collective TOYS is going to take over Neukölln's Loftus Hall for a night of dazzling and perfectly balanced contemporary electronics, featuring Berlin via San Francisco artist Antaeus Roy aka Lando Kal or simply Lando, of Rush Hour and Hotflush fame and probably equally well known as one half of Lazer Sword. He will be joined by one of Germany's finest young producers, Heidelberg resident Essáy – recently featured on this site as part of the compelling Blank Tracks #1 compilation – who will bless Loftus Hall with a live set of his "emotional electronica" (his words, not mine). The bill is completed by local DJ and TOYS member Asa 808 and CutOff!CutOff!.

Listen to Essáy's official promo mix below.

To win 1 x 2 guest list spots for the event, write a comment into the box below before Friday 12pm CET (and make sure we can reach you via Facebook). For further info head over to RA or Facebook.

Decibel Festival 10 Preview: Cosmic Adventures with The Orb and Juan Atkins

23 Sep 2013 — Evelyn Malinowski

There will be bolstering traces of nostalgia this upcoming week in Seattle, just in time for the fresh arrival of the autumn, post-apocalypse year 2013.

On board for this occasion are historical acts such as The Orb and Juan Atkins, a brief but satiating line-up for Saturday's Cosmic Adventures showcase at Showbox at the Market, starting at 10pm. Warming up the adventure will be San Francisco's Nick Monaco, a shining star on Dirtybird and notable figure America's contemporary contribution to the global house community, produces tracks and remixes that possess a type of refreshing, kind-hearted voluptuousness:

It excites me to have the opportunity to preview one of my long-time favorite acts who will be throwing their hands up in accordance to the anniversary spirit afoot in Seattle. Alex Paterson and Thomas Fehlmann, aka The Orb, are also celebrating an anniversary; however, theirs is a longer and perhaps more obscure duration. While dB has been bringing live and international electronica, as well as premiere technology, to the vicinity for ten years, 2013 marks The Orb's twenty-five year partnership, and the duo has been touring in order to help spread the vibes of longevity.

The Orb has always been a unique experience. Their sound has for long been one encompassing the allusive intersection between dancehall and ambient noise while remaining positive and fun-loving, unapologetically quirky and interested in the whole world. Their soundscapes have presumably matured with the technology; yet, not much else appears to have changed, most of all their strangeness. Displaying this with their most recent release which features vocals from the one and only Lee Scratch Perry, we find their celebratory mood at an elevated level of playfulness in the redux of the classic “Little Fluffy Clouds,” re-centerd as “Golden Clouds.”

Fehlmann and Paterson have been plenty busy over the years. Beyond touring this last year for their anniversary, the duo releases an album once a year on average, most recently the collaboration piece with Lee Scratch Perry, preceded by a second greatest hits album and soundtrack to the short film Battersea Bunches, which links the 2005 favorite Okie Dokie It's the Orb on Kompakt to a not so distant place. The enchanting “Land of Green Ginger” appears on Bicycles & Tricycles, released one year before.

Surveying the most recent Orb releases and connecting them back to the classics also reveals that their 90s electronica sound has unabashedly remained the same. It is a staple of what Paterson and Fehlmann wish to convey to those who participate in Orblivion. Atkins can be considered one of those participants, however coming from an independent, even more impressive history. Atkins' most recent work, Borderlands, is a collaboration with Moritz Von Oswald (Basic Channel, Maurizio, Rhythm & Sound), whose work and sharing Berlin with Fehlmann confirms a full-circle of cured and professional techno design. The album likewise complements the longterm "techno alliance" between Detroit and Berlin.

This aside, it is at no mistake a part of techno's common knowledge that Atkins is one of the primary pioneers of Detroit techno and the coiner of the name of the epic genre. In excusing the heaviness of generalizations, he is agreeably treated as the father of the genre. Along with his early companions in exploring this field (Saunderson, May, AKA the Belleville Three), the earliest and best techno hits have unmistakable ties to Atkins: Cybotron's "Clear," Model 500's "No UFOs," and more. Catching Atkins live during a festival full of anniversary and coming-of-age enthrallment seems rather imperative.

A 2007 remix album of Model 500's beautiful “Starlight” works to immortalize Atkins' tradition of simplicity. The original single from 1995 features the stunning remix from MVO, while the recent re-release broadcasts the hypnotics of Echospace, Deepchord, and Soultek.

Indeed, there are many causes for celebration and reflection in store at the 10th Decibel Festival. It seems to me that the Cosmic Adventures showcase will serve as the center crux for looking back and not fearing the future, but instead, as was the case in Detroit and Berlin toward the end of the former century, dancing to its uncertainty in the organized rhythm of four to the floor.

Be sure and check out dB's anniversary teaser, and see you on the dancefloor!

NFOP Recommends: Everything Is True #1

13 Sep 2013 — Henning Lahmann

"Everything Is True" is a new, (semi-)regular night at Chesters launched by two of Berlin's finest UK expats, the long-time friends, acclaimed producers and DJs Call Super and Objekt, seeing its premiere this Saturday, September 14. According to its founders, the event will feature a back-to-back set by the two for the whole night, providing an "opportunity to experiment and learn in a way that only a residency will allow." So expect hours and hours of cutting edge techno, house and electro alongside "whatever musical tangents they see fit" – if you've ever been to an event that hosted one of the two, then you know that there is no need to say more. Highly recommended.

Learn more about the event on RA or Facebook. Entry is 4 Euros before 1am, 7 Euros after. Future "Everything Is True" nights may feature guests, keep yourself updated over here.

Preview: Perspectives Festival

09 Sep 2013 — Evelyn Malinowski

A couple of weeks ago, I had a nightmare about going to a Berghain where there were only women. No male bar staff, no discriminative bouncers, no male DJs, and only women dancing out on the floor. I woke up laughing about my backwards anxiety toward a female utopian take-over of Berghain.

While in reality Berghain is predominantly a male realm – no different than the unarguably large percentage of all techno related scenes – serving as a beacon for the music world that, according to Wolfgang Voigt, still just doesn't have as many female artists as male ones, it is nonetheless unlikely to not see female artists listed frequently. An all male line-up, staff, and, for sure, a gender-utilitarian crowd, will never be encountered any given weekend inside Berghain. That said, it appears that the club has become more inclined to put female artists behind the decks (but not the sound board?), and we may be surpsied to go for more than two weeks without seeing another female headliner. Yet, the male-female ratio is meager enough to imply some kind of bashful, easying-into the fact that women have a groundbreaking grip on contemporary electronica. The current times are indeed historical moments and it is becoming difficult to deny. But, as for Berghain, either there is no revolution being taken out on it, or they are hiding the war evidence very well.

The Perspectives Festival, launching next week in Berlin, will aesthetically and calmly rumble the disproportionate gender profile of techno/electronica. Proudly and poignantly stating that, as there are stunning numbers of female producers on the global scale, the Berlin club scene simply does not take them seriously. The festival attacks the polemical trap by inviting some artists who have frustrations getting gigs because they're too inexperienced; yet their ability to gain experience is interrupted by the fact that they cannot get gigs. These artists happen to be female. Occurrences such as this most of all point to a pattern of neglect, disinterest, greed.

With a strong line-up including Gudrun Gut, Sarah Farina, Electric Indigo, Chra, Acid Maria, plus more, we are sure to acquire a rich musical experience governed only by seasoned and dedicated female musicians. Unfortunately, such an experience is overshadowed by its very mission in politely yet confidently rebelling against “mainstream,” taciturn, male-dominated events. We have to ask: how effective is reverse psychology in the case of gender discrimination in electronic music? Does a resistance such as this greater divide the gap? Does on-sight resistance created by diversity serve as a consistent detriment? Does femininity as opposed to feminism have an aural influence on music?

Perspectives will be September 12th and 13th. Be sure and catch the showcases as well as lectures at about:blank.

07 Sep 2013 — Evelyn Malinowski

Seattle proudly hosts the 10th Decibel Festival this month. The program is packed full of both recognizable and unfamiliar names and labels, ranging from classic to up and coming, while hybrid artists fill the space of the polarity.

Decibel of course declares and celebrates its ripe age, its seasoned deliverance and steady growth. It seems that this year they want to do something bigger, better, defending its maturity, that they know what they're doing more so than ever. The line-up does this, and also conveys a subtle nostalgia. Like Kelsie reflecting on the way the festival has grown, there is a whiff of looking back in the air, something indicative of transitioning from its first decade into its second, and something that makes moving forward slightly less pronounced.

On Wednesday, September 25, Hyperdub will be showcasing at the Crocodile beginning at 9pm, motoring through any hints of squishy nostalgia. Appearing on behalf of the fierce and friendly London label which has seen so much action this year, is Kode9, Ikonika, DJ Rashad, and flashy local Jimi Jaxon.

Steve Goodman aka Kode9 is the head of the eclectic label as well as a new breed of techno intelligentsia. Whereas Goodman is known as a very busy man, Kode9 is reputed for noisy dance music and jarring pitches which accommodate fast, indecipherable movements, and usually hostile environments. As a visual extension to Goodman's soundscape, Zach Walker's work with organic electronic representation will likely provide an overall strong sensual experience which may remind some of us of Goodman's redux of the 1962 Chris Marker film La Jetée, premiered at Unsound Krakow in 2011.

Leading up to Kode9's late night ambush is Ikonika, who has been well-received since her first release on Hyperdub in 2008. Outright, she consistently displays an amazing capability for navigating through techno labyrinths with a smile emulated by 8-bit melodies. Her sounds, both comical and driven, focus on concentrated techno-scopes that are gateways to futurist nostalgia. We can imagine that she will cast a glow of concentration and joy on the 25th. This year's Aerotropolis is exemplary of that concentration.

With his recent release “I Don't Give a Fuck,” and with a reputation for working the crowd, DJ Rashad's set will surely provide a rush of urban aggression and rhythm. He has a tendency to slap vocal samples around as if they don't pose a problem for beat syncing. Such craft excites and engages an audience in a brutally unique form.

More brutality will be had from Jimi Jaxon, as he will be providing the showcase audience with some progressive sensuality and sharp-edged house crunches. His pairing with the Hyperdub line-up confirms a type of awareness that Decibel, in conducting its biggest year yet, undoubtedly possesses.

See you on the dance floor!

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