Name: Florian Naegeli
Occupation: Guitarist, producer, composer, improviser
Nationality: German
Current release: Florian Naegeli's debut EP It's Getting Better is out via Vokall.
Recommendations: Every Album by Stevie Wonder haha. And more recently. Mk.Gee

If you enjoyed this Florian Naegeli interview and would like to stay up to date with his music and activities, visit him on Instagram.



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?

I know it sounds cliche but for me it’s a necessity.

I just love it so much! Creating sound worlds that can bring you in a certain mood. Music is crazy.

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?

For me it’s almost all by chance. I like to work fast so I don’t get into the head as much. Overthinking is the enemy of flow here. The process of creating is the most joyful thing I can think of and it’s hard for me to really "plan" it.

Also if I’m visualizing the finished piece that would probably be a guarantee that it will turn out completely different. Surprising myself is something I’m keen to do when creating.

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'?

Hmmm that’s an interesting one. I think my preparation phase would be learning new songs on the guitar or the piano. Singing them. Playing them on the drums.

I usually go through an artist's entire catalogue. Like learning all of Stevie Wonder's music album by album and recreating the sounds I hear on them. You can learn a lot from mic placement of the drums to synth sounds, melodies, musical phrasing etc …

Trying to find out why the songs make me feel the way they do. And then I try to recreate this feeling.

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 think the answer would be quite similar to the one before. I have a pretty set routine on getting to my inner creative space through practicing my instruments and my voice.

This way, when creating something it always feels kinda fresh and exciting for me and I set myself up to dealing more with feelings rather than the technical side of things.

What do you start with? And, 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?

Hm I think I want to answer this one with a quote by Karl Valentin (German Comedian):

"Everything may already have been said, but not yet by everyone!"

When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

It really depends. When I think I have created a sonic landscape that paints a picture in my head then I usually go from there. But the music is usually first.

I often show it to my girlfriend and ask her what it makes her feel and she has that nice sensitive way of adding a theme to the vibe. And then I sing and sing and sing until I find some lines that vibrate with me.

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

For me, good lyrics leave some space for interpretation. That’s what I’m aming for.


Flo Naegeli Interview Image by Karl Kindermann

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 or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

Hmm good question. For me personally I feel like I have quite a lot control in the beginning of writing. But the more the song comes to life it wants to write itself.

You just have to let it. Which can be hard sometimes.

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?

At first I just see what is there and let everything flow out.

But after I have waaaay too many layers and ideas I try to really seek for the core of the song. That can be quite a process since you have to get rid of stuff that you liked in the first place.

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?

Haha I think there is something I’m aiming for, yes. It’s that sense of nihilism that nothing really matters much which for me makes it possible to create in a more relaxed and open manner.

If I’m too much in my head, judging every idea that comes along I’ll freeze and won’t move on. So I really try to keep the pressure out.

When you're in the studio to record a piece, how important is the actual performance and the moment of performing the song still in an age where so much can be “done and fixed in post?“

Uff, that’s something I’m thinking about a lot lately. For me, I tend to get more and more towards that the performances really matter a lot.

I’m really into Stevie Wonder and 70s music in general. And if you listen to Stevie’s work it’s really all a performance. I think there was not a lot of cutting involved. And I really like the spirit of that kind of music and I think it’s mainly because it’s been recorded as a real "performance" rather then some loops.

Which is also ok. Everything leads to different outcomes and that’s also something very beautiful. So I try to stay open to whatever feels good.

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?

Tough one since I rarely think of a piece as finished.

When I make something I try to work fast so I can have a fresh emotional perspective. And once I hit that first phase of "oh it’s a song now," I usually move on to the next one. And after I have a few sketches like that I go into the finishing phase.

But I’m really bad with finishing haha. It’s hard to let go sometimes.

Even recording a solo song is usually a collaborative process. Tell me about the importance of trust between the participants, personal relationships between musicians and engineers and the freedom to perform and try things – rather than gear, technique or “chops” - for creating a great song.

Hmm, I think it’s important to work with people that make you feel good. I usually record everything myself but if I have some guests for some horns or strings I really want to let their personality shine through.

As far as working with mixing and mastering engineers, I try to work with people who I trust and are good at communicating.

What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? In terms of what they contribute to a song, what is the balance between the composition and the arrangement (performance)?  

Jack Stratton once said: "Mixing is the most and the least important thing to a song" or something like that. This is a very complex question.

But in general mixing and mastering has to serve the song. It has to contribute to the songs full emotional potential. I try not to focus on too much technical stuff there.

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?

Word! I never stop making stuff to avoid that emptiness.

Music is a language, but like any language, it can lead to misunderstandings. In which way has your own work – or perhaps the work of artists you like or admire - been misunderstood? How do you deal with this?

As soon as you give something to the public it’s not yours anymore. I try to stay away from the thought that I have control over things like that.

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?

Hmmm, I think creating music is something that you have to train and practice. I think inspiration can lead to great things but I try not to rely on it too much.

All the artists I love were constantly creating. Look at Prince or Stevie, they had such a fast paced output it’s crazy. I think they knew that it’s like everything. Doing it will make you better at creating.