Samuel Rohrer’s flexibility and capability to move around effortlessly in different styles, from atmospheric and free sounds to straight and energetic grooves make him a very dynamical and one of the most creative drummer in the European music scene today. He recorded several albums for ECM and other labels and built his own label arjunamusic records in 2012. Besides working on projects like ambiq, his band Noreia or different collaborations in the field of improvised music, he has toured worldwide and performed and recorded with numerous artists including Sidsel Endresen, Skuli Sverrisson, Harmen Fraanje, Nan Goldin, Eivind Aarset, Max Loderbauer, Claudio Puntin, Vincent Courtois, Jan Bang and many more. After meeting so many wonderful people all over the planet and feeling at home in many different places, he would consider himself as a nomad and world citizen.

Facts

1: We are here to take space

2: to give space

3: because no flower is blooming 365 days a year.

Questions

What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
hmmm… Nature. Encounters. Traveling… Love. If you are compassionate, everything becomes an inspiration. In terms of a logical follow up, if you love what you do very deeply, ideas and inspiration come to you very easy, you float in the environment and you become energized while creating as well as while just being, thats a wonderful, peaceful space. Everyone should experience this, everyone should only do what they really love. It would have a huge affect on our society. If you dive into something very deeply and sincere, without any thoughts of its outcome, you come very close to yourself. The challenge is to avoid distraction and to calm the mind. If music brings you into some kind of trance, its spiritual. Music in its pure form is always spiritual. This attracts me. It’s the most beautiful thing. You can receive and share in the same moment. And if the creator and the audience become one with the music, stylistics don´t matter anymore. …also the challenge to find complexity in simple ideas is a big inspiration for me. If something is simple but charged with a complex background, this is what makes me happy.

How and when did you get into making music?
I took piano lessons very early as a child. But I always wanted to play drums. I bought a first drumset with my first self earned money when I was 14.

What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
difficult…
Making Space – by Brian Eno
Dummy – portishead
Old and new dreams – by Don Cherry/Dewey Redman
Died in the Wool – by David Sylvian
String Quartets – by Bela Bartok

What do you associate with Berlin?
Urban freedom. quiet city life. long, cold & dark winters. home.

What’s your favourite place in your town?
My new studio. I just moved into a new place a friend of mine built. I am looking forward to have finally time to work there regularly and start also a new project with him in the coming weeks.

If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
hmm, there would be now life without sound… I would probably fly around as a free floating planet and see whats around.

What was the last record you bought?
Vladislav Delay Quartet and „Tummaa“

Who would you most like to collaborate with?
David Sylvian.

What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
Its hard to say, I heard so much good music. But I remember one concert very clearly. I was 16 years old and I saw Joey Baron playing
with Bill Frisell. It was a very powerful moment and after this I knew my life will be filled with music.

How important is technology to your creative process?
I use the computer to note musical ideas, to record sketches or to write scores. More and more technology influences the music in an earlier state and becomes a part of the music itself and the development process. I like to experiment with electronic sounds in combination with acoustic instruments. This is the field I want to focus on.

Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career?
I have a great sister. She always seems to be there for me.

Our Favourites:

codes of nature