Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: Hi, I’m from Germany and have been making music for over 30 years. I started as a guitarist in a punk and later alternative rock band in the nineties and early two thousands. I have been producing urban music for several years now. Already in the time as a guitarist I was mainly responsible for the songwriting. This I have continued after the dissolution of the band.
Q: Did you have any formal training, or are you self-taught?
A: I had some guitar lessons in the beginning, then taught myself the rest later.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences?
A: In rock: Life of Agony, Deftones, Korn, Faith no more, etc. In Hip-Hop: Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre, B.I.G., Wu-Tang… I look for something from all genres that I then incorporate into my music. In whatever form.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Thoughts’. Is there a story behind it?
A: “Thoughts” describes a walk on the beach in late summer. The view goes to the sea. The rhythm sets the pace. One is calm, balanced and free … and yet a little melancholic rises at the “Thoughts” that this moment of peace is finite.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: Besides my hiphop productions for other artists, I limit myself for now on singles. But I can also imagine a concept EP or album. Who knows!
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: In each of my productions resonates a certain melancholy. I don’t think I’ve ever produced a beat that is 100% happy. No idea why! But I also think that the transport of this feeling is one of these key elements.
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I think the standards rise with achievement. At the end of last year, I produced the title track to the album by Wombat, a Tasmanian rapper, which debuted at #1 on the official Australian hip-hop albums chart, which was already a milestone for me. But the most important thing for me is that the listeners feel my music, or understand what I tried to express with it.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: My creative process usually starts with the idea. I already have a kind of construction manual in my head and then just work it out. In the rarer cases it “happens” during free jamming.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
A: Unfortunately, I have already had to experience some strokes of fate in my life, without wanting to go into detail now. But the love of my wife, my family and my love for music have always helped me to cope with it.
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: The chart placement last year was very nice! I could even be a little proud of myself.
