Ben and Hannes are the creative heads of UM:LAUT. They present exciting projects of artists that bring together electronic and classical instrumentation. We met with them at the beautiful river Spree terrace of Radialsystem V, where the next UM:LAUT event will take place.
On Sunday 8th of July, artist Kira Kira will perform a record release concert of her new album Feathermagnetik. Beforehand, the event will feature a presentation of Kira Kira’s film Grandma Lo-Fi. The filmscreening starts at 6 p.m. and the concert at 8 p.m. at Radialsystem V, Holzmarktstr. 33, 10243 Berlin.
Where are you from?
We both live and work in Berlin.
What do you do?
Ben works for the press and PR department of Radialsystem V in Berlin and I am responsible for its artistic prodution. Formerly a pumping station, RADIALSYSTEM V – situated in the urban centre of Berlin – currently functions as a cultural centre where new ideas ‘radiate’ out in all directions, attracting artists and the public from within as well as beyond Berlin.
What do you find most fascinating about the creative process?
It is probably this moment in the middle of a concert when you realise how intensely focused and somehow “lost” everyone in the audience is, being completely taken in the grasp of the musicians on stage. At this point the creative process behind and within the music involves so many more than just the musicians themselves.
In 2011 you launched the project UM:LAUT, tell us something more about it…
With UM:LAUT, we are offering a live platform for artists and labels realising ambitious and unique projects, aiming to present music in dialogue with other art forms such as film, video, dance, and performance. It all started with a concert night with Nils Frahm and A Winged Victory For The Sullen and has then turned into a new and exciting series of events.
How did you come up with the concept?
Since we both met about two years ago, we were somehow haunted by the idea to bring attention to a certain current of musicians and composers whose works all have in common that they make use of both classical and electronical instrumentation and often work on an interdisciplinary basis without caring all too much about musical genre boundaries. From there on, we were thinking of bringing a format to life and at some point then came up with UM:LAUT.
Your next UM:LAUT event will be on July, 8th. Who did you invite to perform?
Our next UM:LAUT event is actually a double event in that it presents the German film premiere of the lovely film Grandma Lo-Fi: The Basement Tapes of Sigrídur Níelsdóttir and the record release concert of Kira Kira’s Feathermagnetik. We’re excited to see this wonderful cinematic tribute to a special artist as well as the live performance of Kira Kira with some of her great fellow musicians happening!
What plans do you have for the future?
In October 2012, we’ll welcome the great people of Erased Tapes for their fifth anniversary with concerts of Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds and others. For later this year and next year, we are already in the middle of planning more um:lauty events. UM:LAUT all started as a mere leisure-time project and still mainly is one in addition to our daily jobs at RADIALSYSTEM V, but we’ll see where things will be going…
By Julia Illmner
