Name: Muito Kaballa
Members: Niklas Mündemann (tenor sax, main songwriter and composer), Nora Beisel (vocals, percussion), Tim von Malotki (bass clarinet, flute, baritone sax), Luna Weise (bass) Benjamin Schneider (guitar), André van der Heide (drums, percussion), Jan Janzen (keys, synth), Leonard Gaab (percussion, congas), Reinel Ardiles Lindemann (trumpet, flugelhorn, grand piano, keytar)
Nationality: German
Current release: Muito Kaballa's Like a River is out via Batov.
Recommendations: I recently came across the new album by the German Duo Modha from Berlin. They’ve created a stunning masterpiece and also created a short movie alongside the album. Both - the movie and the album - are absolutely incredible and I recommend checking that out to everyone. The album, as well as the movie, is called: Through the Cycle.
The other recommendation would be for the Argentinian movie Wild Tales. I just recently saw it for the first time and it’s really nice. I think I have that in mind right now because one of the questions in the interview was about extremes … this movie definitely depicts extremes. But I am not gonna tell too much ;-)

If you enjoyed this Muito Kaballa interview and would like to stay up to date with the project and their music, visit their official homepage. They are also on Instagram, and Facebook.



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

For me it really depends on the situation and the context in which I'm listening. Sometimes I love to listen to music and cook something in the meantime or maybe do sports or something like that … in these cases I usually choose music to sing along to or music that pushes me a little bit :-)

But when really listening to music closely and concentrated I love doing that with eyes closed. Often when taking the train or so it’s the way I spend my time. Might also be looking out the window but often also eyes closed.

I don't necessarily see colors. But if the music touches me I usually have a strong physical and emotional sensation in my hole body … the music just moves me :-)

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

My first steps in music were when I was about fourteen / fifteen. I used to play drums in a metal band then and was actually trying to push that project a lot. I was taking care of the management side and always trying to reach out to people to get gigs and so on. I actually managed to pull a gig in front of 3000 people. We played the opening to a show in Wuppertal that was quite huge.

I definitely think anyone can be active in an artistic way. For me the essence of artistic expression is rooted in oneself. What I had to learn (and still do as this process never really stops I guess) is to be honest and authentic and actually have the courage to express the things I experience.

For me personally this is not always easy, since it means overcoming doubts like: does anyone want to hear that? Is it cool? Is it not cool … stuff like that … but also inhibitions about showing intimate insides that can be exposed through art. Anyways - that’s how it is for me.

And of course when I make music I always do think about “does anyone want to hear this” and it definitely does influence my music. I also think it’s not an invalid point, since I want to make music people can relate to (at least some) … but the artistic expression is the outcome of dealing with these dimensions.

And if I am able to learn it - anyone is. So yes, I think anyone can be an artist :-)

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

I disagree with these studies. From age 13-16 I played drums and was only listening to metal and stuff like that, thinking that all other genres are stupid … my deepest musical experiences were definitely later, when I was more open to it.

I actually started opening up to all sorts of genres with sixteen and then more and more in the coming years. Mostly because I started producing hip hop beats and electronic music with 17 and really started to dig through a lot of jazz music, always searching for new samples, etc. This is also how my love to jazz music started.

So what changed the most since I was 13: I find joy in (almost) all genres of music - ironically except metal and stuff like that haha.

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

I thought about this and I can't really tell what the key ideas would be.

I think for the last album Like A River there’s definitely a thematic concept involved but this actually evolved together with the music and the album. So I can't really say my key approach is this and that and that’s always how it works for me. It’s more fluid. Everytime my approach to a song could be different. But - to be honest - I guess it often starts with a melody or a bassline which I then go to explore.

My main motivation is the urge to express myself. It can be a true relieve to create a piece of music that expresses something deep within myself. Sometimes it happens that songs seem to create themselves on their own, when it’s really something rooted deep within. Sometimes it’s more like exploring a thought or an idea and it then takes me somewhere …

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

To me it feels more like I'm discovering.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I can totally relate to that. I find it super interesting how much the overall sound can have an impact on the music and the musical experience. You could hear the very same song in two very different sound-styles and maybe wouldn't even like the song anymore if it’s a different sound. Like if it was mixed differently or so.

For me personally I feel like I'm just now starting to become more aware of the fact that sound has a huge impact and is also a huge part of the creative process. So I'm starting to think more and more about that and also searching for ways to create a unique and personal sound.

But it’s definitely still a long way for me to go. I don't feel like a have found my uniquely personal sound yet.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

In general I don't think I'm such an extreme person and extremes in music are nothing that really grabs me. Of course I find it inspiring when people come up with new ideas that push the boundaries of what has been possible up until then, and often times these ideas somehow come from something extreme.

But in my own music I am more looking for ways to make music accessible for more people. Especially since I come from jazz and in jazz related genres there’s always this issue that people find this music to be quite elite and exclusive. Which I can understand because there are definitely spheres of this music that are totally exclusive, especially the institutionalized dimension of it.

As a result I find that many people don't think jazz could be a music for them because they wouldn't understand anyways … I find that very sad because I think jazz was never meant to be like that and no music should.

So I - as a jazz musician - am always searching for ways to combine jazz elements with other genres, creating a mixture that is somehow more inclusive in a way … but I guess you wouldn't find many extremes in that mixture …

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

Like I mentioned before I mostly feel like I'm discovering something when writing music. This was especially the case when I wrote the song “Little Child.”



The music as well as the lyrics just came to me. As if I had stumbled upon this treasure hidden somewhere. I just had to open the treasure box and let it out and there it was - the entire song was suddenly there. It’s like I didn't even have to do so much. That was a really special experience for me.

For the song “Let Go” this was quite different.



I actually wrote the song Let Go for the album in a totally different way than it turned out to be on the record. I had written all the arrangements, we had even already rehearsed the song and were pretty much ready to record. But suddenly I just started to dislike the whole song. Something was wrong about it and it really started bothering me. So at some point I told the others to forget that song and that I would do another version.

While experimenting I stumbled upon this arpeggiator that's now really prominent in the song. Luna then played that super nice bassline on top of it and from there it just hit me. I rewrote pretty much everything, the only thing that stayed the same was the name of the song.

Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

No, I don't think so. When I'm making music it’s absolutely not scientific. It’s more a manner of processing emotions and going into a dialogue with myself.

How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

I can’t really say how it reflects my way of life because it’s too intertwined I guess. Making music for me is my way of life … but I do think that it’s possible to learn about life from music. For me this has been true at least.

Songs have often been able to open up certain perspectives and think about things from a different point of view. My biggest dream is that I'm able to invoke that in other people as well with my own music.

Do you feel as though writing or performing 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?

Well, I guess if one is able to express themselves artistically through making a cup of coffee this could be the same to them like making music is to me. But for me that's hard to imagine. But doesnt mean it’s not possible …

I do think that music may have some deeper dimensions that coffee couldn't really get to. I feel like music is rooted deep within the entire human existence and actually even beyond. It’s just part of the universe we live in and it’s everywhere if you think about sounds and vibrations. This may be the reason why music has always been such a huge part of human existence as well. And compared to that coffee is just a simple stimulant that's consumed in some parts of the world … not even everywhere.

I do love coffee by the way :-)  

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

When I think about it: I guess most of the time I am able to tell why or on what level a song is affecting me. The reason is that music for me has the ability to release something that's already inside me.

What I mean is: say you are super sad but don't quite know why or what's bothering you or you just don't quite find the space and setting to just let loose and give these emotions the space they need. Music then creates that space and sets loose all these emotions. It’s like the key to something that's already inside and usually if this is the case I somehow know what it is that it sets free. But I just wasnt able to do so without that certain music.

But surely there’s also songs that have touched me in a totally unforeseen way. Songs that just struck me when I heard them the first time. For me that's for example “Ezra” by Kurt Rosenwinkel …



or also “Circle Song” by Misha Mullov-Abbado and Jacob Collier …



… and “Walking by Flashlight” by Maria Schneider.



But those are just some examples :-)

If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

I would love to witness the creation of a new genre … like a new era or something. Like when I think about when bebop came up or rock music with the first distorted guitars and also when hiphop was kind of found … this must have been quite stunning and something completely new.

I would love that to happen again and maybe even be part of it. This would be incredible.