Tag Archives: Minimal

Damien Kamil Sahri: The shamanic mixture

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By simply setting foot in Damien’s world in Berlin, I was astounded by his openness and almost carnivorous need for constant melody. Young and passionate, Damien has cut himself a world that seems almost apart from the rest of Berlin, creating a fierce and driving energy of his own. His contagious laughter and high spirits make a fleshly, wild concoction, while in his studio or behind his turntables he strikes a dapper figure in combining sounds from the four corners of the world. Far from colorless, bland productions, Damien’s musical universe brings you in an intricate jungle of tribalism, deepness and honeyed vocals. Through soothing, relaxed arrangements, Kamil’s music is able to carry us to a lolling atmosphere, trailing back to the chill-out, primitive roots that lie within each one of us.

And you can listen to so for yourself through this exclusive set made especially for this blog: “Berlin My Heart”.

Graziella Buontempo: Who is Damien Kamil Sahri?

Damien Kamil Sahri: It’s just me.

GB: What is your earliest childhood memory when it comes to music? At what point in time did you decide that you wanted to be a musician?

DKS: I don’t know if there was a precise point in time at which I realized that I wanted to be a musician, but my desire for creativity has always been really strong and not only for music. My earliest important childhood memory related to sound was probably when scratching my first hip-hop records at house parties in the late 90′s.

GB: If you had to choose 5 words to define your music, what would they be?

DKS: Five Words Is Not Enough

GB: You lived for a long time in NYC and you currently live in Berlin. Both cities are extremely vibrant and energetic both from a social and artistic point of view. What are some of the differences you have noticed among the cities? How have these cities empowered you as an artist?

DKS: NYC and Berlin are the most influential cities of the planet for me and they both teach me equally a lot, but in their own ways.NY is tough. It grabs you by the guts and pushes you to swim faster than one another in a big ocean of competitive challenges. Berlin is not so rough, it’s completely the opposite but it’s also dangerous…I would say that in NYC you have to be careful not to spend too much time working and in Berlin not to spend too much time chillin’.

GB: What makes Berlin so special to you?

DKS: Salvador Dali once said that freedom is like intelligence: it is a nuisance to people.After spending some time in jail, Dali found himself completely redirected through his own freedom because it was taken away from him. The same happened to me. After having a lot of freedom in NYC, I was restrained and had a lot of time to think for myself, so when I was free again, I knew exactly where to go in my inspiration, and Berlin was here for me.

GB: Berlin is a relatively young city. It is full of young people and great vibes. In the last 5 to 10 years, tourism has boomed, mainly attracted by the freedom and music scene that Berlin invites to. Do you have the feeling that certain types of music that were once labeled as “underground” have become highly commercialized (even in a city like Berlin that lives of art and music)? Do you think that now is the perfect opportunity for music to evolve into something entirely new and different?

DKS: By definition, underground doesn’t have the same incentive as commercial. A song can be famous and still be underground, but a song can also be commercial and completely unknown because it doesn’t “sell” enough so I suppose underground means: music that is created by a precise array of artists for a chosen elite of listeners and their evolution within that genre. Commercial means: music made for a maximum amount of people, success in meeting standard for social and entertainment expectations, and acquisition of financial compensation.Of course, it isn’t black and white. I don’t believe in radical changes and I think that music, like any other artistic activity, involves a lot of research and cannot only include the desire to make something new. Since our primate ancestors were hitting rocks on hollow trees, people have been creating new ways to make music and assemble harmonies and rhythms. I therefore believe that Music will continue its evolution according to the ongoing technological development over time, but only through acknowledgment of its history and its purpose to life in general.

GB: How can artists differentiate themselves when so many productions sound almost the same?

DKS: By pushing their style to next level! You can be influenced, but you have to be able to influence as well. I think it’s amazing when you can touch someone’s soul as much you have been touched by someone else’s music before, but listening to your own stuff all day doesn’t make sense. So by going out, meeting people, exploring and collaborating you can open up yourself to other varieties of sounds and find what you really want. Forge your own appreciation of music and define that one message you want to spread to your audience so that they know what you stand for, always.

GB: You have a residence in Berlin at Stattbad, a unique place inhabited by artists of all kinds. How is it working with so much diversity surrounding you? How does it influence you?

DKS: It’s amazing. After living across the street from Stattbad for one year now, I can say that my friends are having a hard time getting me out of the neighborhood. I’m not only resident there, I’m also the proud member of a beautiful team. Whether it’s a simple breakfast with the skateboarding crew before a competition, a street art exhibition in the disaffected olympic swimming pool, or a heavy underground party in the basement, it’s always pure Berlin energy and it feels just like home. Continue reading →

Gecko Chamber: The intriguing unpredictability of minimalism and melody

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Two things that many people in the music business lack today are boldness and originality; because it takes some audacity and inventiveness to stand out from the crowd, but even more to have the constant interest to discover and experiment with unflinching determination different musical backgrounds and genres. Gecko Chamber are two bright, fearless daredevils that have decided to go on an adventure, and to embark a thriving battalion of enthusiasts across the Bosphorus all the way up to the UK along with them. Two weeks ago, their first album “The Other Side of Sanity” was released, and their intricately playful, psychedelically dark tones are a true delight for the ears. From throbbing, exuberant melodies to layered waves of mysterious, dusky percussions Gecko Chamber have this captivating and unchanging quality to excite the body and trigger a progressive, almost unnerving curiosity. Without a doubt Cem and Coskun, the two Geckos, are set to fluster and shake up more than one ear with their balanced brews of warm, sweeping tunes, dubby beats and vividly entangled layers of experimentation.

Graziella Buontempo: Who are Gecko Chamber?

Gecko Chamber: Hello! Gecko Chamber are just another drop of water in the ocean, but namely we are Coskun Akmeric and Cem Serter.

GB: Describe each other in 3 words.

GC: Coskun is zen, intelligent, and unique, while Cem is insane, creative, and hyper.

GB: How did you come up with such an unusual name?

GC: Our name is just a word-play on the phrase echo chamber; which was a purpose-built room, long before the dawn of effects units, with loads of microphones and speakers and reflective, jagged surfaces. Engineers used these chambers to create artificial echo and delay effects, so what you would do is for example blast the vocals into the echo chamber, and the microphones would pick up the new sound, the one that includes all the echoes from the sound bouncing around the walls, and ta-da!

GB: How do you complement and differentiate each other? Do you always get along? Is there one of you that spends more time producing rather than actually playing and vice versa? Or is there total balance between you two?

GC: Absolute, total 100 per cent balance between us. We don’t always agree, but we do always get along. We forged a brotherly bond spanning over a decade; we know each other inside out, we know how to talk to each other, how to behave and treat one another.

GB: Your debut album “The Other Side of Sanity” is set for release on February 27th. What is the inspiration behind it? Tell us about its process of creation.

GC: OSOS is a concept album, one that was born out of difficulties in our lives. It began accidentally and working on it quickly became our soul cleansing ritual, our therapy.

(Click on the player below to listen to an amazing exclusive set Gecko Chamber recorded especially for this blog!)

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Masomenos: The liveliness of a colorful multisensory experience

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When I first listened to “Bon Voyage” and “The Third Eye” by Masomenos, I was mindblown like I hadn’t been for some time by music in the techno-minimal scene. In a world of (sadly too often) excessive repetitiveness and unoriginality, for the first time in years I was listening to something deep yet magically colorful at the same time. Punchy and soft, dubby and enthusiastic, mellow and vigorously jumpy, Masomenos have the consistent ability of tingeing their productions with nuances that carry to a rainbowed parallel universe that is cheerful yet playfully mysterious at the same time. Venturing in the Masomenos universe, is not only a delight for the ears, but for the eyes as well: a captivating collection of jolly, bright little animals and multicolored artwork, a concoction of miniature companions and more abstract figures with beaming smiles and exuberant expressions. As a breeze of fresh air, for over five years now, Joan and Adrien of Masomenos have been able to passionately combine their talents to bring to life a new experience. One that, with its brilliantly fun graphics and incredibly textured sounds, makes bodies dance and minds travel with a smile.

Graziella Buontempo: Who are Masomenos?

Joan & Adrien: Joan Costes + Adrien de Maublanc = Masomenos

GB: Describe each other in 3 words.

Joan about Adrien : Spirited, intense, optimistic

Adrien about Joan : Colorful, inspiring, clever

GB: You are a married couple, how are you different from one another, both as artists and at home in your more private life? How do you influence and complete each other, in your artistic projects and everyday life?

J&A: Well, not married, just under Masomenos and that’s already a lot :) We are indeed really different, but weirdly we have the same taste for almost everything. I don’t remember anytime we disagreed on a movie, an exhibition, or a style. For sure, since we met, we have influenced each other a lot, and started on some level to look alike. It would be too long to describe and to give examples on how this all fits, but it does for sure, considering how many things we have done since we met.

GB: Describe a typical day in the life of Joan & Adrien.

J: Well, during the week we’re not early birds. We do wake up around 9:30…then the days are different…more based on music, drawing, or office work. I exercise often, so it’s part of my daily organization. We also have a family routine Tuesday and Wednesday. Weeks fly by, especially when you travel on the week-end.

A: Pretty much the same…except I don’t exercise lol

GB: Welcome to Masomenos is not only a music label, but a creative project that includes colorful T-shirts, jumpers, stickers, clutch bags and much more. What are the reasons behind your choice to be more than just a music label? In the world of music, how does this diversity help?

J: It is not a choice, it’s a reality. We do make music and image. We do stuff, then it gets organized. The first t-shirt was only for Adrien to wear. Then friends asked us if they could have one. Thus we started proposing them online. We were asked to do some collaborations like with Pellat-Finet (cashmeres), or Sylvia Toledo (clutch bags), because they had seen our graphics and liked them. Now we have what we can call a brand, and considering this, we’re getting organized to make it good. We just founded Masomenos-Art with our third partner, Antoine, who is going to help us to display and sell all these “products” we’re making. Nothing of all this was planned. Diversity doesn’t help at all, in any world, because people can’t classify you. We did it because we wanted to, not because we thought we could get an advantage from it.

A: I think this has answered the next question…

GB: Do you think the vivacity behind your artwork influences the relationship you establish with your audience? Aren’t you afraid that having developed so many different outlets (t-shirts, candles, even Iphone cases) will make the audience see you as more of a brand rather than an artistic couple?

J: Well, to keep on what I’ve said before, we know it doesn’t help us in this specific underground scene, and being part of this doesn’t help the “brand” development either. But, we don’t look in this direction to please an audience, we just do our stuff. We keep on working, developing our project, having fun, getting challenged and excited. We were already like that independently before we met, experimenting different medias to express ourselves. So in a way, it’s kind of natural we keep on doing it this way.

A: Didn’t I say clever?

GB: How was the “Masomenos & Friends” project born? How did working with such diverse artists like Lemos, Tobi Neumann, Vadim and dOP change or influence you in any way?

A: Definitely it is super inspiring to work with others, you learn a lot from this experience. In the “& friends” series it is based on one or two sessions in the studio. It happens very fast. It has this nice feeling you have when you have only a little time with someone and therefore you give your best.

GB: What is the inspiration behind your last project “Technocolor”? How did you come up with the name?

A:  We often use Masomenos as an adjective referring to colorful tinges, especially picking up items for the shop, I guess our music sounds a little techno and we are trying to put color into it…like every year putting together the music in a project Technocolor sounded cool, even if we spelt it wrong…

(Click on the player below to listen to Masomenos’ new album “Masomenos & Karat” featuring collaborations with Ark, Cabanne and Laetitia!)

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