KCRW Berlin: Amplified

“The only good system is a sound system” is an adage known among music heads and audio nerds. It’s also the name of a festival in Berlin designed to explore the sounds and politics of bass music.

Co-curators Zuri Maria Daiß and Pascal Jurt want to stoke Berlin’s curiosity with the genre of club music and hope the festival will bring together technicians, musicians and theorists to foster an exchange of ideas on sound system culture.

Produced by Charlotte Billing.

Craig Walker, frontman of indie/electronica band Archive, and former Nouvelle Vague singer Phoebe Killdeer have been living in Berlin for a decade, and say the city has been great to them musically – which seems almost an understatement given the past few years they’ve had.

The two co-wrote the 2016 hit “Fade Out Lines,” which was remixed by French DJ The Avener and became a massive hit that lingered at number one on the German charts for 52 weeks, with 100 million listens on Spotify and 42 million hits on YouTube.

Now the duo have renamed themselves “Them There” and are set to release a new album, “Love is an Elevator,” in the coming weeks. The album features a dizzying range of accomplished artists, with Tyler Pope (LCD Soundsystem) on bass, Knox Chandler (Siouxsie and the Banshees, R.E.M., Cyndi Lauper) on guitar, Tim Gane (Stereolab) on keys, Raphaël Seguinier (Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws, Shannon Wright, Rufus Wainwright) on drums. It’s produced by Victor Van Vugt (Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, P.J. Harvey, Beth Orton).

They’ve also just finished shooting the music video for their single BLAZE, slated for release in March 2018. With its warm pop feel and melancholic yet upbeat take on love, Walker and Killdeer may just have another hit on their hands.

Produced by Marlene Melchior

Brisbane-born Michael Brinkworth draws inspiration from Bob Dylan, Neil Young and from the city he now calls home, Berlin, “this weird halfway house that I ended up in.” The 33-year-old traveled the globe before settling down here six years ago.

In the past couple of months, Brinkworth has been releasing tracks from his upcoming album, “Wasted Wonder.” We talk to him about his new music and life in Berlin. (Originally aired July 11, 2020)
Produced by Monika Müller-Kroll

We feature indie-rock musician Ian Tilling.

The 35-year-old Brit moved to Berlin in 2016. After joining and leaving a number of bands, he started his solo project Grief Scene a year ago. Next month, Tilling will release his debut album titled "Bad Times." (Originally aired Oct. 17, 2020)

Produced by Monika Müller-Kroll

We spoke with Michael Culme-Seymour — aka Marlais — about his love of folk music and his life in Berlin. The 33-year-old musician often blends old folk songs with modern elements. “Meeting Is A Pleasure,” is his latest single released in mid-September, a preview of the album to come. (Originally aired Sept. 28, 2020)