Name: toechter
Members: Marie-Claire Schlameus, Lisa Marie Vogel, Katrine Grarup Elbo
Nationalities: German (Marie-Claire Schlameus, Lisa Marie Vogel), Danish (Katrine Grarup Elbo)
Occupations: Cellist, composer (Marie-Claire Schlameus), violinist, composer (Lisa Marie Vogel), violinist, composer (Katrine Grarup Elbo)
Current release: toechter's sophomore album EPIC WONDER is out via Morr.
Recommendations: ‭Christian Petzold is a German film maker, whose cinematic language we truly love. His‬ ‭movie Phoenix from 2014 starring Nina Hoss is out of this world.‬
Also,‭ check out the Mexican artist Fuensanta. She is a multifaceted artist playing the double‬ ‭bass and singing. Her performances are very exceptional and absolutely incredible.‬

If you enjoyed this interview with toechter and would like to know more about the band, visit their official website. They are also on Instagram, and Facebook.

For a deeper dive, visit our earlier toechter interview.

‭

For a while, it seemed as though the model of the bedroom producer would replace bands‬ ‭altogether. Why do you like playing in a band rather than making music on your own?‬

We‭ started out as a band in 2019 in Berlin where we all lived at that time. When we met and‬ started‭ playing together, the three of us would hang, cook, listen to music, go for walks,‬‭practise together and improvise for hours. At the end of the week we’d listen to recordings of‬ ‭our sessions and create pieces out of it.

Sometimes there was a onetake and we would just‬ release‭ it with a homemade video, slowly unfolding the universe of toechter for ourselves‬ and‭ our audience. Other pieces needed a little more polishing or post production work. But in‬ the‭ beginning, our composing process consisted primarily of improvising and capturing the‬ ‭mood of the day - like a shared diary.‬

What‭ we all find inspiring about working together is how we gently and carefully push each‬ other‭ in learning new tools or trying new things out, like singing, new ways of playing,‬ ‭creating individual sample libraries, and prioritising a focus on producing.‬

From‭ the beginning on, we wanted to create something together as a group; to curate a safe‬ ‭playground where the ideas flow between us and a joint creativity arises.‬

What,‭ to you, are some of the greatest bands, and what makes them great?‬

At‭ the moment we are very inspired by the British duo Jockstrap, a band which experiments‬ with‭ sound, production and songwriting. They bring a very inspiring playfulness to the‬ musical‭ table and we cannot get enough of it! Taylor Skye, who is mainly in charge of the‬ ‭production part of the duo’s output is on our top 3 list of people we dream of working with‬ ‭one day.‬



Eartheater,‭ Arca, Mica Levi, Laurie Anderson, James Blake, Mabe Fratti and Weyes Blood‬ are‭ other great inspirations at this point. Not to mention all the classical composers we grew‬ up‭ with, who refined the ways we play and understand string instruments. In general, we are‬ listening‭ a lot to others and sharing what we find inspiring between the three of us on a‬ ‭monthly if not weekly basis.‬

[Read our Mabe Fratti interview]

‭

Before you started making music together, did you in any form exchange concrete ideas, goals,‬ ‭or strategies? Generally speaking, what are your preferences when it comes to planning vs‬ ‭spontaneity in a collaboration?‬

‭toechter was founded as a result of a shared desire to not only use the lyrical and‬ ‭atmospheric range of our instruments, but also focus on the whole percussive palette of the‬ acoustic‭ instrument by creatively manipulating and processing the strings with our machines‬ ‭(that we use live, but also in the studio) and the DAW.‬

‭Up until now, our focus as a group has been put entirely on researching the use of the‬ ‭instruments and our abilities to play them, deriving from our classical backgrounds. From the‬ very‭ beginning of toechter, we had a common vision to explore the possibilities and realms‬ of‭ string instruments when manipulated by electronic effects.‬

Each‭ of us had different wishes with regards to what we wanted to learn and try out, e.g.‬ ‭creating beats or playing chamber music with the pedals functioning as our 4th instrument.‬

There‭ are many potential models for creativity, from live performances and jamming/producing in‬ the‭ same room together up to file sharing. Which of these do you prefer – and why?‬

When‭ the pandemic came and we were locked up in three different countries, we were‬ forced‭ to find other ways of working together. In preparation for our first record, we shared‬ ‭playlists on a monthly basis; listened together remotely and exchanged thoughts and ideas,‬ ‭like small sketches or even sheet music.‬

As‭ we still live in different citites, this has become our way of keeping the creative fire‬ ‭between us alive. But we also prioritise improvising together whenever we have the chance‬ ‭and try to always create space for small drips of the unforeseen when we play live.‬

‭How do your different characters add up to the band's sound and in which way is the end result –‬ ‭including live performances – different from the sum of its pieces?‬

‭toechter was founded as a result of a shared desire - an impulse to explore and an urge to‬ ‭expand the classical sound ideals by bringing in and adding on electronic effects. What we‬ quickly‭ found out is that if you want to create something new, you have to be wild and just go‬ ‭ahead and try stuff out. But for that, you need a safe space and you need trust.‬

Everybody‭ speaks with her own unique voice and it all comes together in something that is‬ ‭more true and larger than each one of us individually.‬

Is‭ there a group consciousness, do you feel? How does it express itself?‬

Our‭ new album‬ Epic‭ Wonder ‬seeks‭ for connections.‬ Connections‭ between people, between humans, animals, plants, fungus, rocks, soil, oceans,‬ ice‭ caps, stars, planets. The world as we see it is in desperate need for a deeper‬ understanding;‭ for compassion, for empathy.

We need to understand that we are all part of‬ the‭ same organism.‬ Epic‭ Wonder ‬is‭ a dream, a wish,‬‭a longing for kinship between all‬ ‭species sharing the world -‬‭all that is alive.‬

Creating‭ the music for the new album, we allowed ourselves to waft away with the aspiration‬ that‭ connections are possible. Sometimes dwelling on subtle, yet marvelling phenomena like‬ the‭ evening fog covering a valley on Midsummer, sometimes on grandiose splendours like‬ the‭ genesis of mountains or the birth of a child - letting interactions and encounters with‬ ‭other beings float through the musical universe as drips of emotional perceptivity.‬

‭Tell me about a piece or album which shows the different aspects you each contribute to the‬ ‭process particularly clearly, please.‬

‭”Epilogue‬‭,” the final track on our first album, is based‬‭on an improvisation which we decided to‬ ‭notate and play the exact same way, as we all found it somewhat perfect from the beginning.‬

‭

When we improvise, we always decide on a dogma before we start playing. This is an‬ ‭extremely interesting way of opening up the collective creative space, as it sharpens‬ everybody's‭ minds and ears. Before we started playing what turned into “‬Epilogue‬‭,‭” we‬ ‭decided on the dogma of ‘let’s play a string trio’ and the track on the album is a 1:1 reflection‬ ‭of what came out of this shared energy.‬

With‭ other pieces the process of researching and defining the core of the track takes much‬ more‭ time and the initiative bounces between us; constantly changing, constantly in flux.‬ ‭Maybe one writes a line or a theme, another adds an interesting voicing, the third comes up‬ ‭with a structure and has a new effect she wants to try out - and suddenly we are building a‬ house‭ from three different focuses.

This takes a lot of back and forth, as you sometimes‬ ‭realise you are moving in the wrong direction, or it just doesn’t feel right. Then you ought to‬ break‭ down the piece and find your way back to the core of the idea.‬ ‭Sometimes we disagree, of course, but luckily most of the time there is space for the ideas‬ ‭to be given a fair chance and be tried out.‬

‭What is your sense of ownership like as part of the collective songwriting process? What is the‬ ‭balance between the lyrics, melodies and harmonies, and the groove in terms of your sound?‬

We‭ share all rights equally between us. The workload of being in a band goes far beyond the‬ creative‭ output. There is an endless amount of work to do in between rehearsals, sessions,‬ ‭shows, tours, etc. To balance that out, we need to all feel and take ownership and‬ responsibility‭ of the entire process, hence sharing the creative rights as well as the‬ ‭administrative tasks.

We haven’t yet found a completely bullet proof solution to all of it, but‬ ‭we are on our way.‬


‭toechter interview image by Camille Blake

What tend to be the best songs in your opinion – those where you had a lot in common as a‬ ‭band or those where you had more differences? What happens when another musician takes‬ ‭you outside of your comfort zone?‬

Different‭ pieces require different focus and processes. Some pieces just need an impulse‬ from‭ one of us; everything lines up and the piece is complete. For other pieces, the details‬ need‭ more cultivation and the writing process turns into an investigation of the contours and‬ ‭potentials of the piece.‬
 
‭It is our ambition and wish that everything we send out has a certain toechter-ness to it. We‬ ‭aim for our universe to be distinguishable and for the outcome to stay true to the aesthetics‬ ‭we share. Therefore we cherish all processes and explorations, as especially the harder and‬ ‭more turbulent ones tend to encourage the three of us to constantly tune in to the heart and‬ ‭soul of the toechter cosmos, regardless of self-esteem and private aspirations.‬

What‭ are your thoughts on the need for compromise vs standing by one's convictions? How did‬ you‭ resolve potential disagreements?‬

We‭ are three rumbling waves of strong individual qualities and aesthetics, and in order to‬ work‭ together, everybody has to trust the others and the process of the collective ears and‬ brain‭.‬

‭Like in any relationship, private or professional, communication is key. Finding a way to stay‬ open‭ minded, considerate, receiving and generous towards each other is a constant‬ ‭challenge, especially if you are emotionally and artistically involved, like we are.‬

‭Do any of the band's members also have solo projects? If so, how do these feed into the band's‬ ‭creative process?‬

‭We all work and create individually and with other artists as well.‬ ‭The toechter universe is obviously and fortunately not inalterable. The dynamic of the group‬ must‭ be adaptable to change and capable of embracing new energies and directions,‬ ‭otherwise the creative process would stagnate.

This is when the personal bonds between us‬ once‭ again contribute to the professional workflow, as we appreciate, trust and respect each‬ ‭other’s individual journeys and thus try to integrate these in the body of work.‬

In‭ a live situation, decisions between band members often work without words. From your‬ experience‭ and the performances of your current tour, what does this process feel like and how‬ ‭does it work?‬

‭From the beginning on, we decided to always create space for the human connections and‬ ‭interactions between us, meaning that we are first of all friends playing and creating‬ together‭.

Our goal is to bring this relationship with us on stage and to share and invite the‬ ‭audience into this playground consisting of dreams, hope, emotional work and fun when we‬ ‭play live.‬

‭How has the interaction within the group changed over the years? How do you keep things‬ ‭surprising, playful and inspiring?‬

We‭ deeply believe in and worship this way of working together. What never stops fascinating‬ us‭ about music as an art form is how it transcends language, time, minds, even worlds.‬

Being‭ human amongst other humans is an experience we all share and we wish for our‬ ‭musical universe to somehow propose new angles and perspectives to this experience.‬

‭Have you worked with outside contributors - from session musicians via producers to other‬ ‭songwriters? How did this change, improve or challenge the established dynamic and how do‬ ‭you look back on that?‬

Whenever‭ a new energy enters a group the dynamic changes. Luckily all three of us are‬ curious‭ to learn and always interested in challenges.‬

‭Of course everybody is different and is differently inspired by collaborators, but thanks to the‬ work‭ of constantly aligning with one another within the dynamic of the trio, all our‬ ‭collaborations so far have been very enriching.‬

‭Most bands eventually break up. What makes you stay together? What are essentials for a‬ ‭successful band?‬

We‭ are very close friends and enjoy creating together. It is hard to let go of that, even when‬ times‭ are tough and you feel overloaded with practical work.‬

‭Even though we are peers, we are not at the exact same stages of life, which sometimes‬ ‭calls for time to genuinely dive into one another’s emotional state in order to understand‬ where‭ everybody speaks from.

Without an empathic approach to everybody’s personal‬ ‭challenges, it would be impossible to work together this closely.‬