Part 2

Can you talk about a breakthrough work, event or performance in your career? Why does it feel special to you? When, why and how did you start working on it, what were some of the motivations and ideas behind it?

The opportunity to do this great interview only came about because, during the lockdown, I founded the band T:W:O with my colleague Claudia Lippmann, with whom we released our debut EP What if in September 2021.

This project is special for me for two reasons: I've dreamed of producing and releasing my own music for a long time, which time has not allowed in recent years. And secondly because working on our EP gave me a lot of emotional support at a time that hit me hard as an artist, not only fnancially but also personally.

Experience has shown that a crisis in life has always been a good catalyst for me to get creative. Claudia and I have been very friendly since our frst meeting in the Rundfunktanzorchester, Ehrenfeld 2017, and already had the idea to write together years ago. Due to the pandemic, we suddenly had the time to do so and almost immediately began to implement our long-cherished wish.

Not only was the collaboration a success, working with Claudia also gave me a lot personally. We built each other up, got excited together and drew hope. We were almost in a frenzy and within a day we had the basis for our single "Alive", which was released in April 2021. We worked out one title after another and celebrated it, while outside everything came to a standstill.

I'm not a great optimist myself, but Claudia infected me with her sunny nature and got me out of my lethargic mode through our common goal.

When the EP fnally came out in September, it was a really nice feeling for me. A kind of triumph over last year's powerlessness.

There are many descriptions of the ideal state of mind for being creative. What is it like for you? What supports this ideal state of mind and what are distractions? Are there strategies to enter into this state more easily?

For me, the best strategy is not to have a strategy. When I'm in the flow, I just don't stop until my stomach growls or I can't keep my eyes open anymore. When I notice that I'm empty and have nothing to offer, I try to accept that and do something else.

Basically, extreme emotional states are always a special drive: falling in love or grieving over a loss. It's no different with me. But I think that nobody would like to live on such an emotional roller coaster continuously for the sake of creativity.

There are a few little things that I can do to make things easier for myself.

A tidy environment is important to me, for example. When I sit down to work creatively, I often clean the apartment beforehand and thus create a space in which nothing distracts or negatively infuences me. But tidy thoughts are also an important point. Anyone who still has a list of things to work through will probably fnd it harder to be inspired.

I also often just have creative moments when I'm outside, taking a walk in nature, or when I'm in the car and got some time. I then just take voice memos with a melody or a groove.

Music and sounds can heal, but they can also hurt. Do you personally have experiences with either or both of these? Where do you personally see the biggest need and potential for music as a tool for healing?

It is clear that vibrations have an impact on our body, as we are largely made of water. Different frequencies can have different infuences on us.

I know a colleague who works with vibrations, for example, to help people who are out of balance. Physically or mentally, both of which are related in my opinion. I believe that there is great potential in this scientifc branch and areas such as music therapy or dance and movement therapy are being taken more and more seriously.

It seems completely logical to me that everything is in vibration and that every living being is also accessible for it. But I personally believe that you can differentiate between musical experience and active music making. For me, music has always been an opportunity to deal with emotions and to have an outlet. That put me on the right track in my life and gave me relief in diffcult phases.

There is a fne line between cultural exchange and appropriation. What are your thoughts on the limits of copying, using cultural signs and symbols and the cultural/social/gender specifcity of art?

Since I originally come from jazz, this overlapping of cultural infuences feels completely natural to me. Fusion, for example, is exactly that in the literal sense: A fusion of style lists that come from different cultures. I find that it is quite beneficial for our own cultural perception to get involved in other musical perspectives. In a way, this is a reflection of what we are already experiencing as a natural process in times of globalization. Art always also refects the social norms which we live in.

Appropriation, on the other hand, describes a process in which something is taken away from someone else. I don't know whether this is even possible in art, because it is always an expression of the free spirit and that ultimately doesn't belong to anyone.

Copying can also be a kind of appreciation, one has for a role model and is also a natural way for humans to learn and develop. This does not mean, of course, to pass off someone else's works as one's own.

Our sense of hearing shares intriguing connections to other senses. From your experience, what are some of the most inspiring overlaps between different senses - and what do they tell us about the way our senses work?

I am often fascinated when I hear from people who have synesthesia. They are actually able to see colors when listening to music or taste sounds. I think that's a very interesting phenomenon.

I do not have this gift, but personally I often feel about smells in such a way that they can lead me back to situations associated with that fragrance. Music that I have associated with certain phases of life can also trigger a very precise memory of the associated feeling in me.

This simply shows that we perceive many things only subconsciously on the edge, such as a smell or a melody, which, however, stick to us and can then open a door to the past when we experience it again.

Art can be a purpose in its own right, but it can also directly feed back into everyday life, take on a social and political role and lead to more engagement. Can you describe your approach to art and being an artist?

For me, art has an almost selfish purpose, namely to be able to give in to my urge for expression. I just can't stop doing that.

I am not politically or socially motivated, especially since I mainly write instrumental pieces which, due to the lack of textual components, would be less suited to getting a clear message across. I primarily convey emotions through my music.

In the end, it is not up to me whether the listener can make use of it. Once the music is fnished, everyone can decide for themselves how they perceive it, or what message it has for them.

What can music express about life and death which words alone may not?

I faced death early in my life when my father passed away in 2004. My experience was that the words the people around me spoke to me were just empty shells that could not reach me. It was just opinions, wishes and advice from outside, while I was in a state that could well be described as encapsulated and closed in on myself.

Emotions are both overwhelming and numbing in such a state and for me, listening to music was the only way to bring some clarity into the chaos and find comfort.

I believe that music can give you access to yourself when you want nothing else to get through to you.