Lyrics to the song “Bye Bye the Elbe”- which will be released later today as part of the album story campaign and features “Dance on the Tightrope”
Tomorrow we are posting the new album story which features “Dance on the Tightrope” who are one of my favorite bands.
We shot it in Prince Charles Club in Kreuzberg, and it was an interesting experience to have one of the most kicking clubs in the city all to ourselves and to re-interpret the space.
Funnily enough it felt very appropriate to play the song with this band, at this time, and in this location. The song “Bye Bye the Elbe” was written on an acoustic by the famous river.
After I got back to Berlin, i started experimenting with new sounds and approaches on my laptop because I felt very determined to move forward from the sound of “The Hermit and the Hedonist”. I got lost in trying to find a new sonic identity, and it was through this song that the new record, “Lunatic Lullabies” started to discover its sound.
It was an exciting challenge to find how far you push a song written on an acoustic into another direction, without losing the essence of the song and its emotional core.
What i really enjoyed about the performance with “DOTT” is that they took the direction of the sound I initially experimented with through to its natural conclusion. So the version of the album story feels like the final step in the songs evolution. Thanks boys.
Photos by Sittig Fahr-Becker (thank you as ever)
Had a freezing day today shooting the album story with Martin and James on a rooftop in Neukölln. “Celebrate” is probably the hardest song to play, so it didn´t help having freezing cold fingers, rain, a ladder too short, not enough cables and several members of the team suffering from vertigo! However we were all in high spirits, enjoyed playing and catching up. I always humbled by their musicianship and talent. Whenever I watch or play with Martin & James I feel inspired to get better as a player.
Guerilla Music.
This shot was taken moments before the security turned up and kicked us out of Tempelhof Airfield. We´d just finished setting up on a perfect day in the snow and sun - so close yet to far. But I think that´s the joy of the album story - that only it knows how it will look in the end! Next week I am shooting 3 more starting with Dance on the Tightrope in Prince Charles. Going to be another busy week! Watch out for “I Will Wait” which will be released today exclusively on Spotify here:
http://open.spotify.com/user/1164471523/playlist/4vLUp1GzC6MPPkWkzR0O4x
The key words given to me before the shoot tonight were:- : transpersonality, mysticism, sublimination, symbollism, transgression, uncanniness, irony, desire to escape.
Realizing I didn´t know what any of that meant, I met with Boris Eldagsen in his Mitte flat to shoot his trailer for Artistdock.
What folllowed was a veritable education in how to transform a tiny space into canvas for whatever you choose it to be. I learnt more about lighting and how to make something from nothing tonight than I have done my whole life.
Watching Boris work was both an education and an inspiration.
If you´d like to get a glimpse of his work, please check out this man´s phenomenal output here.
In the most unexpected spaces, one learns how to disappear completely.
Trailer coming soon!
Jim Kroft | PODCAST #1 | OSOS | I WILL WAIT
We are nearing completion on the first song for the “One Story One Song” EP. It´ll be uploaded to Spotify on Friday and is called “I Will Wait”. I´m really excited about how the recording is turning out.
“Dirty and Twisted” have a really musical but underground perspective on things & seem to enjoy disobeying all the normal studio laws. That´s just as well because we have been recording the songs very DIY style in my little basement studio in the Southern suburbs of Berlin. So not so much gear, but lots of ideas and lots of spirit.
I have to say that I am really grateful to “D&T” because as well as co-producing, they are mixing and mastering too. I just would not have been able to make this on the very small budget we have without their enthusiasm to help out with the project. Big up´s to them.
Every day I take the bus south and listen to the work from the day before and feel it is developing into something quite unique sounding.
“I Will Wait” is I guess a love song of sorts. And it has grown from this little acoustic riff into something widescreen, propulsive, panoramic. And so cool to be able to release it so soon after writing. Anyway, tomorrow I will release a podcast about the process. Onwards!
Top track by a guy with a special voice. I met tonight with 1000 Gram about potentially doing an “album story” song together. We connected over a few hefeweisen & I have to say, I´m really excited about the next steps! I think “Through My Weakness” would be great as a collaboration. He´s had a colourful history & my hope is that we can record the song right there in the bar called “Mama” where we just met in Neukölln - having a drink, a sing, and watching the world crawl by the window….a good spot for a howl, a tune & a chat….keeping my fingers crossed!
A beer mat genetically modified in the Sunst laboratory to create the perfect hefeweisen experience….
I´m working with a company called “Artist Dock” on a series of trailers to help build artist´s gain more exposure in Berlin.
I´m enjoying the project personally and professionally. Personally because it is a wonderful to experience to shoot artists in their studios, a little insight into how other people work, what ideas they have, and what´s going on in the heartbeat of the city.
Professionally, because it´s just a good feeling to lend a hand to people working hard and doing something independently and for the love it. There´s just nothing I respect more, and it´s nice to be a small part of different people´s journeys.
Today I videod Nuno Vicente at his Joao Cocteau gallery which he runs. I´ll keep you up to date as this side project progresses, and hopefully there will be the first trailer to see, as Nuno is a fascinating, spiritual character.
Here´s a couple of links if you´re interested to check out more:
LOSER STREET
The Story of Loser Street
I wrote Loser Street on the 9th April 2010. It was the day morning after I left my last band, and I woke up wondering what the hell to do with my life. I decided to take a walk to clear my head and ended up walking 24 hours straight. During that time everything that became the lyrics to the song happened.
It was one of those days that you experience a deranged mysticism. An experience of collapse complimented by the most profound illumination. Complete confusion overcome with the single most clarity.
You wake up feeling your life has ended, then in the course of a 1000 footsteps realize that you are exactly where you are meant to be. Somehow life decides to strip everything away for you. And though at the time you don´t have the hell of a reason why, you know that it is because it is challenging you. Challenging you not to “dilute” yourself, but to stand firm. Challenging you to clarify why you are going about your path in a certain way, rather than drifting in obfuscated lines. If you want to have a message, you have to find that message, and more over live that message, it´s just how it has to be.
And it was Loser Street. That point where you get back to nothing. What are you going to do with it? How are you going to evolve from it? I made the resolution that I would write my way off that mattress.
Anyway, i got up, wandered the streets, contemplated the past, resolved the future, made a vow to a “pro”, exhaled a “contra”, and walked on.
I walked into a church, had a rambling conversation with a priest, found a busker playing a broken violin, danced to the music - badly - found a gallery showing a Dada art show, met the artist (who I joyfully didn´t understand), found myself in a bar, got into an argument with an idiot uppity drunken Republican, made friends, discussed history and the potential perils of our age, ranted about what could be done, what couldn´t be done, left the bar, kept walking, saw what seemed like a spaceship, wondered if I was hallucinating, listened to the voices in my head arguing over the mishape of my future, realized that at the last we all grow most through the crooked lines we are made to walk.
I got home, tired, high, happy, confused, resolved, and wrote “Loser Street”. And that´s how my life as a solo artist began.
