Consisting of a collaboration between two musicians, AFAR seeks to bridge the distance between the natural and the industrial, exploring the paradox between organic and electronic.
In some spaces, AFAR might build dance-oriented rhythms layered with haunting vocals. Whereas in others, the band creates moments of ambience composed of multi-instrumental soundscapes.
AFAR will be part of this years Detect Classic Festival at Schloss Bröllin, August 11-13, 2023.
FACTS
1. If you ask Why often enough, you always end up with capitalism and/or patriarchy.
2. Where there is nature there is no city, Where there is city there is no nature.
3. Less stress would be good for everyone!
1. What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Improvisation! A moment of nothing but our instruments and intuition and flow. A state of trance. Our love of both extremes: big city life and our huge love of loneliness in nature. No distraction while digestion.
2. How and when did you get into making music?
Joseph came from the techno scene, produced himself, put on hard/breaky techno and organized raves. I came from the singer-songwriter corner, even if I never used this genre for myself, but said lyrical-punk-jazz to it, had various bands and recorded my own albums voice and electric guitar.
When we met at a living room jam session in 2014, we were attracted to one another – it was the obvious infatuation for music and the assumed dichotomy of our musical origins.
Without having seen each other a second time, we met to make music. Almost fatefully, this AFAR sound was created there. AFAR was born.
Incidentally, AFAR is an old English word and means something like from far away/far out/from afar.
3. What are 5 of your favourite albums of all time?
Elena:
Radiohead – the king of limbs
PJ Harvey – To bring you my love
Can – Tago Mago
Nick Hakim – will this make me good
She Keeps Bees – Eight Houses
Robert Turman- flux
Joseph:
Nirvana – With the Lights Out
Eric Satie – Gnossiennes
The White Stripes – The White Stripes
Nicolas Jaar – Space is only Noise
Jozef Van Wissem / SQÜRL – Only Lovers Left Alive
4. What do you associate with Berlin?
Home
5. What’s your favourite place in your town?
Our Home Studio
6. If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
Elena: Paint, gardening and once a year a HUGE hiking trip
Joseph: Build Instruments… seriously, I would cook exceptional dishes in a hidden, small restaurant.
7. What was the last record/music you bought or listen?
Elena: Lucrecia Dalt – In Tiempo
Joseph: ANIKA – Eat Liquid, but the vinyl was sold out too fast, and it never reached me
8. Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Fever Ray
9. What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
A completely improvised concert on an ambient floor while looking into the mountains.
10. Please tell us, what the audience can expect from the Detect Classic Festival??
Expect something different. Expect the Silence to find something New. You can find Classic in all Genres of Music and you can find all Genres in Electronic Music. The Detect Classic Festival is the living dream and ongoing experiment of connecting these two open Ends of the same Story…
Every Year it’s a new approach. And this year the programme is even a bit more niche and brave, we’re strongly looking forward to it.
11. Can you share some details about your own Detect Classic Festival show?
Our show will be on the most cosy floor very close to the audience. We will perform some new songs from our upcoming Album „The Refuge“, which will come out on the 13th of October. We are excited to share some very first sounds of this record, while the vinyls are getting pressed… flowy, ambient, ecstatic and noisy, we are looking forward to where this Saturday Sunset Slot will lead us.
