Arnold Kasar is a musical jack of all trades: in countless projects around the Berlin based label Sonar Kollektiv, the musician grown in the southern area of the picturesque Black Forest left his traces, among them Nylon, AtomHockey or with Volksbühne-player and latest Internet-Hype Friedrich Liechtenstein („Supergeil“). However, the trained sound-engineer is also capable of going solo, as he proved with his solo debut „The Piano Has Been Smoking“ in 2012. Now he returned to his first instrument and his timing couldn’t be better, since the piano returned to new strength in the music world, as the numerous releases of pianists in the past few years have shown. The pianist & electronic producer’s new Album “Walk On” is out now on Sonar Kollektiv.

Facts

1: War is not the answer.

2: You can cut a vinyl record groove not only outside-to-inside, it is also possible to cut the groove going inside-out.

3: More than 5000 wild boars are native in Berlin.

Questions

What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
Switch off hand y & internet and go analog w/pencil & paper :)

How and when did you get into making music?
At the age of 10, first jammin’ around on a hammond organ (!), afterwards on a piano, classical education and improvising as well. Due to the absence of notes, I mostly learned piano pieces and songs by hearing from cassette & radio.

What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
Bill Evans – Portrait In Jazz
Matthew Herbert – Bodily Functions
Arthur Russel – World Of Echo
The Tape – Perpetual Dubbing
Richard Wagner – Tristan & Isolde

What do you associate with Berlin?
Berlin is always morphing into something new . Berlin is not really Germany.

What’s your favourite place in your town?
Flea markets.

If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
I really can’t imagine life without music..OK, writing & gardening.

What was the last record you bought?
Japan – Tin Drum / Elliot Carter – Catenaires

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Cecile Schott (Colleen), Tomasz Dvorak (Floexx), Elbow, Herbie Hancock.

What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Performer: Vienna, Porgy & Bess (solo piano) // Dresden, Wettbüro /w/Friedrich Liechtenstein) … Spectator: The Roots @ Montreux 1994, Goldfrapp @ Volksbühne 2000.

How important is technology to your creative process?
When creating music, I have to focus AND forget about technology at once.

Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career?
My brother is also musician… great guitar player… so we spend almost every minute talking, sharing & doing music.

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