D/B 11+3 | interview with JEAN-MICHEL

Posted on | January 4, 2010 | No Comments

11+3 is a section of Digital In Berlin dedicated to personal interviews with all the musicians and bands that have appeared in our Artist Features. 113 JEANMICHEL D/B 11+3 | interview with JEAN MICHEL

Each artist is asked 11 set questions and to contribute 3 “facts” which can be any statement from them on absolutely anything: their own views on politics, religion, the environment, sport…or just something they read in the paper or saw on TV. 11+3 is designed to give you an insight into the motivations and aspirations of the best creative minds in the world. This time with the German musician Thomas Bücker, head of JEAN-MICHEL and Bersarin Quartett.

FACTS:

1): “tons of fun”
2: the philosophy of my small eins-a graphic design-bureau:
“die dinge sind nie so wie sie sind, sie sind immer das, was wir aus ihnen machen.”
(und jetzt erzähle ich euch ein geheimnis: es gibt dinge, die sind
einfach mist – egal, was man aus ihnen macht!!! aber die postkarten mit
diesem spruch sind nun mal gedruckt … )
3: die realität ist oft grausamer als die wirklichkeit

QUESTIONS:

1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
music I like.
music I don’t like. (always good for sampling a sound-particle)
friendly musicians.
technology.
films.

2. How and when did you get into making music?
oh no … this is so boring!!! :)
alright … actually I´m happy you asked for it:
my first intense electronic experience was the German
radioshow “schwingungen” (wdr 1) with winfried trenkler 1989.
he played music with “no vocals” — this was very important
for me at the age of 14 … don´t ask why … pure electronic
instrumentals worked pretty fine for me when I was a teenager…
tangerine dream, klaus schulze … and yessssss …
jean-michel jarre! (and this is really a secret, I tell you!)

luckily some years later I was socialized by some friends with
lots of different interesting music — the analog way or digitally made.

3. What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
huh … difficult.
“favorite” in the term of “most often heard”
or “favorite” in the term of “most important
album which influenced your musical awareness”!?!?
probably the last one:
portishead — dummy
mouse on mars — iaora tahiti
lusine — serial hodgepodge
burial — untrue
jean-michel jarre — zoolook
[... and much more ...]
(no special order)

4. What do you associate with Berlin?
it depends on the venue or the area:
very friendly, culture-interested, open-minded people …
or people who get on each others nerves with
their coolness (maybe this habit is a capital-thing!?!)

5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
my bedroom.

6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
silly things … like breaking mercedes-stars of big cars or
beating lighted street lamps … or watching
“wetten dass” … such things.
I don´t even want to think about it!

7. What was the last record you bought?
elemental — “messages from the void” (runtime)
2562 — “unbalanced” (tectonic)

8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
jean-michel jarre … no just kidding.
but … no definitely … yes.
nope. in no case.
although …

9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
as a performer:
it feels like a very long time ago …
the “madeira dig festival 2009″ — this month! (december)
best environment, friendliest people, best
active and caring technicians …
as a spectator:
the gig of “love666″ a long time ago
at the gleis 22 in my hometown münster.
a totally fucked up great wall-of-noise …
and the keyboard was thrown off the stage
exactly in front of my feet. the keys bashed
to the ground … and “love666″ left us
spectators with our chins dropped.
(this was a performance-element I always
wanted to copy someday — although it looks
ridiculous in my performance … so be aware!)

10. How important is technology to your creative process?
it’s one of its main aspects.
its important to protect yourself not
being the bitch of technology …
but it’s difficult not to be.

11. Do you have siblings and are they proud or jealous of you?
none of it — they don´t understand what I´m doing,
but I love them anyway.

D/B Artist Feature: JEAN-MICHEL | MySpace: JEAN-MICHEL
MySpace: BERSARIN QUARTETT