Christian Löffler: “I go crazy when I remember last year’s concert in Athens”, Interview – Music
From
Harris Symvoulidis –
On the occasion of his return to Greece (Wednesday 3/11, “Fuzz”), the German producer talks to us about the new album “Parallels: Shellac Reworks”, with which he brought his electronic sound alongside Bach and Beethoven.
March 2020: Your appearance on “Fuzz” was one of the last concerts held in Athens before the pandemic. Now you are getting ready to return to the same place. Are we going back to normal times?
I go crazy when I remember that concert at “Fuzz”. We talked behind the scenes about Covid-19, believing that it would not affect my already planned tour, which would start shortly after. I was sure, in fact, that the matter would be over in a few weeks. So I took my lesson. I feel so happy that I can play again, but also so grateful that I travel, visit different places and meet people up close. I think we are returning to normalcy. As more and more people get vaccinated, we will learn to live with the virus.
Did you really spend the period of confinement on the Baltic coast? Did this isolation help you to complete the new album “Parallels: Shellac Reworks”?
Yes, in fact Deutsche Grammophon’s request came as soon as I returned from Athens and was informed that the tour was not taking place. At the most opportune moment, that is, when I realized that I was spending a lot of time at home. I was really lucky to have worked on such a big project, having plenty of time at my disposal.
As far as I know, the Deutsche Grammophon archive is very large. How easy was it to set boundaries for “Parallels”?
Fortunately, there was such a limit from the beginning, as I had to choose between 40 pieces. Of course, we are still talking about a lot of music and in the beginning it was devastating. And I really had to come up with a strategy in order to find my way. So I closed my eyes and listened carefully to all the material, in random order. Then, I started writing down topics and passages that caught my attention. Another challenge was to identify moments when I would leave enough space to add something. The main goal was to create music that satisfies me, but also has the proper respect for the original songs.
You like to listen to a lot of different kinds of music. Was it the classic among them? Did you already have preferences in Bach or Beethoven, say, before you started the new album?
To be honest, the most shocking names in this music were not in my ears before “Parallels”. I followed the neoclassical movement more and I almost never dealt with the old teachers. Of course I recognize the melodies of some very representative songs. Working on the album, then, I learned a lot about these historical composers.
You are an artist closely connected with the new technologies and the latest techniques of music production. How did he manage to “communicate” with the audio world of these old 78 rpm discs?
I did research – both for the recording techniques and for the studios of that time. In fact, learning about all these great orchestras and the theaters in which they performed, sparked my own inspiration. Another thing that inspired me was to photograph the Berlin State Opera and then to make the visual part of the album from the photographs.
Is it a start, thanks to “Parallels”, with the Deutsche Grammophon? Would you be interested, for example, in making something original for the famous record label?
Definitely yes. I really enjoyed working with her team: everyone showed great enthusiasm and passion for the project. So I am very happy that we will continue to work together.
Regarding the upcoming concert in Athens, what have you prepared for Greek fans?
I have made a lot of new music in recent months. I will try some new ideas like this. Recently, I also changed all my live performance. So in “Fuzz” you will see something different compared to my appearance last year.
3 records beyond “Parallels”
“A forest” (2012)
Three years after his timid appearance on the discography, he submits a work with a quiet location and melodies with shades of sadness, which could also belong to a folk album.
«Mare» (2016)
An electronic reflection of the shores of the Baltic Sea in an endoscopic mood, enriched with samples from field recordings, but also careful touches of natural instruments (eg marimba, steel drums).
Lys (2020)
The Little Brother of “Graal” (2019), which, however, offers stronger emotions, as we try to dive into a microcosm of sunny melancholy, which is rendered sound with an almost crystalline minimalism.