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Name: Tom Hessler aka Der Assistent

Nationality: German

Occupation: Producer, singer, songwriter
Current Release: Der Assistent's "Das Objekt", the latest single off his solo album scheduled for 2023, is out now via Papercup.

If you enjoyed this interview with Der Assistent and would like to stay up to date on his music and releases, visit him on Instagram. Or head over to the official homepage of his band FOTOS



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

My main inspiration are music and sound. So I constantly try to find new effects, plug ins, samples and instruments to create instrumentals that touch me. I mostly try to remember the vibe my favourite music gives me. To discover new stuff is crucial as an impulse for creating my own sound.

To make a song out of theses instrumentals is often a different game. To write lyrics that accompany the vibe of the music on the one hand but bring something new, funny, weird or deep to the table is a tough challenge. I found out that this works best for me in the early morning after waking up or late at night.

So I guess dreams or rather the subconscious plays the main role for me. To get in touch with my subconscious rather than overthink lyrics and/or music is very important. It’s all about the question: does it feel right?

For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I can visualize the vibe and then try to make a plan in my head which kind of chords and sound sources will help me to create that vibe.

But in the process „happy little accidents“, as Bob Ross called them, are also most welcome guests in my process.

Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

This album partly existed in a completely different version. It was a very sad breakup album originally and still close to indietronica. When my label heard it they dropped me. Then I remembered that my original plan was to do a dub album anyway and started to use the existing tracks to create re-dubbed versions. I remembered that original dub tracks were created out of existing Reggae tunes. So why not do the same with my first draft?

When „W“ came out of this process I realized I was on the right path. So I guess early versions always play an important role for me.

Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

I am an absolute coffee junkie. My Moccamaster and good, freshly ground beans help me to kick off each day. Brewing coffee is the most important every day ritual for me.

What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

Sometimes it just happens very quickly and sometimes it is a painful process. It depends on how good I can get into contact with my subconscious.

If I checked social media or had a phone call or checked my emails it can already be too late to create something.

I guess meditiation would be helpful. But I have yet to learn how to do that.

What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

Tasteful lyrics in German are tough. I have very strong feelings about that. I want to use as little words possible to create an atmosphere. Sometimes being cryptic is good, sometimes being as direct as possible can do something good too. It all depends on the music the lyrics are combined with. There needs to be a „dementi“ moment.

For instance the combination of melancholic music and somehow funny or weird lyrics would be a common way to reach that.

Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

When it flows it flows. Afterwards I always wonder how it happened.

That is why I think the constant visual documentation that social media requires nowadays is a creativity killer. You could only do it if everything would be prepared upfront. Like in television cooking shows. And then it is not a real creative process, is it?

If you are truly in the zone you do not start an insta-story. Maybe that's why so much music sucks nowadays. But people do not realize it since they are also doing stories while they are listening to music. Tough.

Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

During recording and mixing I need to focus very hard, during the creative process I need to not think about anything.

That is why it was so hard to finish this first solo record, I needed to switch a lot between those two modes. And somtimes I did not even know which mode is required. I guess this can be practiced though.

Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

This is actually something I enjoy very much. Sometimes songs emerge from other songs. On every album there is one early song that just doesn’t sound right. In order to find the right production for it I often create tons of different instrumentals. Often those become new songs.

But I often ask myself if it wouldn’t be easier to throw away that one „bad“ egg and just do fresh stuff. My OCD keeps me from doing that. I just need to finish what I started. Then I need to deal with an abundance of instrumentals.

There could be worse things I guess.

There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

I would say it is my form of meditation. To not think about anything and just feel sound and vibe is the best music can do. It expands the mind and helps to deal with mortality in my opinion.

That is why it is so sad that music has become something that is being produced for a short life in a streaming service playlist. Probably a reason for the huge vinyl comeback on the other end of the spectrum. Music, culture, art - they help us with dealing with our transience, help us to connect with the vastness of the universe. Social media is doing the opposite. It is stealing our lifetime in order to create wealth for the few. Making us crave for more, leaving us hungry.

It is like eating the Mc Donals cheeseburger. It doesn’t feed you. Art does.

Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

I just feel it. Sometimes it takes forever. But when  I am done with something a wonderful feeling emerges: clarity.

Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practise?

This time I allowed myself for the first time to redo a completely finished album. Even the mixes were done. But it seems that that was part of the process too. I did not need to let it lie though. I just knew almost instantly that it wasn’t what I wanted.

Being dropped by my label was a big help in accepting that. Because when you put a lot of work in something it is hard to let go of the idea that it will be released.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

This time I did almost everything myself. With a little help from my friends. Only mastering is something I love to leave to the expert.

Luckily I had funding of Initiative Musik / Neustart Kultur. With all the software out there you can do everything yourself nowadays and sadly we do not have budgets anymore to pay mastering engineers if we don’t get funding. Streaming just doesn’t pay enough. Only the boomer acts and bands and certain kinds of rap- and dance-acts will be able to pay for the big producers, mixing and mastering engineers. The others need to DIY.

This can be a good thing. But only if people keep listening to the „real“ stuff and buy physical releases. Because streaming is not the solution.

After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

At the moment this is exactly the state I am in. And everytime this happens I go through a few weeks of trying to find some new obsession.

I guess the best way to deal with this is to get back on the horse as they say.

Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

There is a difference between creating art and performing a craft. Both processes can be fulfilling though. I just enjoy doing something my own way. Constantly improving hopefully.