The Microcosm OF
Hazy Pockets
Noble Savage: WeeOoo... Hold your horse, cowboy, and pull over! As it goes during the unwarranted body search & seizure procedure, the classic case, how about you empty your pockets first.
Joel Isaac Black: 1) The world is in motion. Nothing stays the same. I always carry an adapter – just in case I also change; 2) You never judge a man by his shoes. Rather by his belt buckle; 3) Dream Boogie, an epic portrait of one person, singer Sam Cooke, the father of soul music, striving to achieve his vision despite all obstacles during the turbulent and hopeful 1950s and 1960s in America. I dig the sound of that. In fact, you will soon have some of it, too; 4) I was searching and have found the missing link between the American southern folk blues traditions and the DDR socialist workers' repertoire of songs. And it's this particular book. Righteous blues behind that wall; 5) Keep your lights on in the dark!
Joel Isaac Black: 1) The world is in motion. Nothing stays the same. I always carry an adapter – just in case I also change; 2) You never judge a man by his shoes. Rather by his belt buckle; 3) Dream Boogie, an epic portrait of one person, singer Sam Cooke, the father of soul music, striving to achieve his vision despite all obstacles during the turbulent and hopeful 1950s and 1960s in America. I dig the sound of that. In fact, you will soon have some of it, too; 4) I was searching and have found the missing link between the American southern folk blues traditions and the DDR socialist workers' repertoire of songs. And it's this particular book. Righteous blues behind that wall; 5) Keep your lights on in the dark!
Noble Savage: All this implicates you alright. Now, who the hell is Hazy Pockets?
Joel Isaac Black: Hazy Pockets is a drummer. As a time-served and accomplished soul drummer, you get to know your way around the pocket. The pocket is the push and pull of the beat that despite a regular tempo, takes you somewhere forward and massages you into ecstasy. Now ecstasy could be a pneumatic steam-hammer pounding mechanically, but it could also be saucy strut, or a lazy sashay… Knowing how to put those moves together is where it gets complicated. It gets real Hazy.
Joel Isaac Black: Hazy Pockets is a drummer. As a time-served and accomplished soul drummer, you get to know your way around the pocket. The pocket is the push and pull of the beat that despite a regular tempo, takes you somewhere forward and massages you into ecstasy. Now ecstasy could be a pneumatic steam-hammer pounding mechanically, but it could also be saucy strut, or a lazy sashay… Knowing how to put those moves together is where it gets complicated. It gets real Hazy.
Feeling is king, and the job of a DJ selector is to get his majesty's word out. This job takes a special language. You want to really know what the song is about and that is a hard-earned skill. Where it is all coming from, and to whom it is addressed – the context matters! I have to break it to you, but everything counts in ridiculous amounts. The unspoken qualities of music are deafening in the buzz of the nightclub. Disco-histrionics, rock 'n' roll pout, acid house throb all harmonizing in the same room… Where it gets real Hazy.
Technique and ambition can carry a dance floor only so far. After that, it's the learned intuition that comes from decades of molding audiences and listeners into the place that you want them to be. When the energy is there, when the dance floor is with you, it's a tightrope walk, and every wobble or every graceful step forward is felt by all, and duly responded to. No one wants to see you plunge into the abyss, and it is certainly not fun on the way down for the performer. Do what you need to do, but lord knows… Stay in that Pocket!
Noble Savage: Sounds to me like "oh my god we work so hard we gonna have a good time tonight" gibberish. Lo, what's all that goddamn steam billowing up from your pants? Gotcha! You and your horse are both under arrest!
The Microcosm OF
Franz Matthieu
Don't we want to know more about this fine talent, observing Matthieu Brismontier (his real name) from more than one angle? And so, instead of shooting in the dark for revelations, blindly soliciting answers from Franz to questions that might easily be of no relevance or much importance to him personally, we have come up with this cute free-association "Microcosm" game. By extricating the artist from any particular topic, imposed from outside, this game is set to open the floodgates to his philosophy, aesthetics, the full gamut of his interests, memories, and anything else he might want to share with the world – purely on his own impulse. After all, Noble Savage enjoys hearing stories told in a natural voice.
We asked Franz to pick a few objects in his habitat, things of some spiritual, intellectual, practical, or any other value to him; those things he would be most reluctant to dump, should he have to relocate for the rest of his life. And then to explain to us the significance of them, piece by piece. This way each item turns into a living, non-trivial, and very intimate question: Why am I here, maestro? What makes me so timelessly special in your life?..
Could it be that this path is much more conducive to revealing the depth and breadth of one' s personality?
We asked Franz to pick a few objects in his habitat, things of some spiritual, intellectual, practical, or any other value to him; those things he would be most reluctant to dump, should he have to relocate for the rest of his life. And then to explain to us the significance of them, piece by piece. This way each item turns into a living, non-trivial, and very intimate question: Why am I here, maestro? What makes me so timelessly special in your life?..
Could it be that this path is much more conducive to revealing the depth and breadth of one' s personality?
Roland SH01-a Synthesizer: This little beast has much more to offer than its cabin luggage friendly size, and this is why you'll get to see it in action very soon, as this is my go-to live synth.
Trabant Car: This classic East German car is the only car I ever bought, and it reminds me that I will be celebrating my 10 years living in Berlin in a couple of months. This is a long time, and I might be getting old, but I'm never gonna be as old as this car, so everything's fine in the end.
Aztec Calendar Necklace: Bought a few years back in Mexico, you won't see me often without this necklace on, except when I put it out for taking this picture. Anyway, the Aztecs predicted the end of the world for December 21, 2012, the date that makes this calendar totally outdated, and always reminds me nicely that time is a relative concept, and that everything passes, like the due date of this calendar for example.
Uzbek Flute: I love travelling, and I love making music (the simple pleasures of a simple man), and both of these things always give me an excuse to bring an instrument back from every place I visit. This flute is the last treasure that I brought back from Uzbekistan. I still haven't used it on a new track, and I need to address this important issue very quickly.
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle: This book changed my life, and I surely hope it will change yours too, if it hasn't already. But most importantly, this book also changed the way I make music, and was one of the reasons that brought me to add more depth to my music by integrating spiritual messages into it. I especially think that this also makes a lot of sense on a dancefloor, which is, by essence, a place of spiritual communion. If just one clubber can bring a little bit of a positive message home with him/her, I'll consider my mission as complete.
Lomo Holga Camera: I don't do it as much as I should, but I love taking analog pictures when I travel, it always gives me great memories, especially when I wait 6 months to have them developed (I'm definitely an expert for this). That being said, I don't find this specific camera particularly good and wouldn't recommend it, but I thought that it sat nicely on this picture.
Brush aka Another One Bites The Dust Brush: Most essential and cheapest tool that I ever bought for my studio, point.
Garlic: As my friend Hazy Pocket's father used to say : "The Romans didn't conquer Europe without their one secret weapon… garlic." He might be right, but that being said, I'm not planning to conquer Europe anyway, or at least not with a bad breath.
Trabant Car: This classic East German car is the only car I ever bought, and it reminds me that I will be celebrating my 10 years living in Berlin in a couple of months. This is a long time, and I might be getting old, but I'm never gonna be as old as this car, so everything's fine in the end.
Aztec Calendar Necklace: Bought a few years back in Mexico, you won't see me often without this necklace on, except when I put it out for taking this picture. Anyway, the Aztecs predicted the end of the world for December 21, 2012, the date that makes this calendar totally outdated, and always reminds me nicely that time is a relative concept, and that everything passes, like the due date of this calendar for example.
Uzbek Flute: I love travelling, and I love making music (the simple pleasures of a simple man), and both of these things always give me an excuse to bring an instrument back from every place I visit. This flute is the last treasure that I brought back from Uzbekistan. I still haven't used it on a new track, and I need to address this important issue very quickly.
A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle: This book changed my life, and I surely hope it will change yours too, if it hasn't already. But most importantly, this book also changed the way I make music, and was one of the reasons that brought me to add more depth to my music by integrating spiritual messages into it. I especially think that this also makes a lot of sense on a dancefloor, which is, by essence, a place of spiritual communion. If just one clubber can bring a little bit of a positive message home with him/her, I'll consider my mission as complete.
Lomo Holga Camera: I don't do it as much as I should, but I love taking analog pictures when I travel, it always gives me great memories, especially when I wait 6 months to have them developed (I'm definitely an expert for this). That being said, I don't find this specific camera particularly good and wouldn't recommend it, but I thought that it sat nicely on this picture.
Brush aka Another One Bites The Dust Brush: Most essential and cheapest tool that I ever bought for my studio, point.
Garlic: As my friend Hazy Pocket's father used to say : "The Romans didn't conquer Europe without their one secret weapon… garlic." He might be right, but that being said, I'm not planning to conquer Europe anyway, or at least not with a bad breath.
The Microcosm OF
Thomas Freudenthal
Noble Savage: To avoid being too typical and boring, how about we, Thomas, do the following to kick it off by way of quick introduction. You pick some objects around you – a few small things of spiritual, intellectual, or/and sentimental value to you. Then you briefly explain the significance of each. Just as devils dwell in details, small things in one's possession speak volumes about the person.
Thomas Freudenthal: These are the first things that came into my sight:
1) My red Roland SH101, a clone of the classic analog monophonic synthesizer from the 80s. Though it was a commercial failure when first manufactured in 1982, the synth was later rediscovered and given a whole new life to become a staple of electronic music in the 1990s. Today it is used by my favorite acts, including Dombrance.
2) Durability is part of what makes music great. My purple Urbanears headphones. I love them. I have them in various colors, too. Their cables are amazing and they are very durable.
3) My favorite brutally tough item. A cast iron pan. I love to cook. I use it a lot especially for stir-frying mixing stuff up.
4) Sugarless chocolate nut butter which represents my ketogenic lifestyle (at least on weekdays, haha). Keto is my thing: it keeps one in shape.
5) A vocoder which I used to produce Power to the People, my Pardon Moi project's biggest hit. It features the classic Beasties Boys' Intergalactic sound of the nineties. A child from the 90's with the sound of the 80's and retro mind reincarnated from the future.
1) My red Roland SH101, a clone of the classic analog monophonic synthesizer from the 80s. Though it was a commercial failure when first manufactured in 1982, the synth was later rediscovered and given a whole new life to become a staple of electronic music in the 1990s. Today it is used by my favorite acts, including Dombrance.
2) Durability is part of what makes music great. My purple Urbanears headphones. I love them. I have them in various colors, too. Their cables are amazing and they are very durable.
3) My favorite brutally tough item. A cast iron pan. I love to cook. I use it a lot especially for stir-frying mixing stuff up.
4) Sugarless chocolate nut butter which represents my ketogenic lifestyle (at least on weekdays, haha). Keto is my thing: it keeps one in shape.
5) A vocoder which I used to produce Power to the People, my Pardon Moi project's biggest hit. It features the classic Beasties Boys' Intergalactic sound of the nineties. A child from the 90's with the sound of the 80's and retro mind reincarnated from the future.
Noble Savage: Shall we proceed through free association, the stream of consciousness of sorts? No buffet of staple questions. No questions to direct your answers. Just hints. Here are some words which I feel may stick to you personally and relate to your creative processes. You are free to entertain them in any way you please. And we call it The Alphabet of Thomas Freudenthal.
D for Discotheque: Disco is good. A good disco with a good sound system is better. A good disco with a good sound system and a good backstage spells ultimate goodness!
G for Goosebumps: I get a lot of goosebumps in the studio when I feel like Yes. That's it. That's the way to go!
M for Moroder: That is, Georgio Moroder. His bass lines are hypnotic. He is a timeless master.
O for Offbeat: I thrive on offbeat bases! I use that technique a great deal to get that pumping sound of alternating kick and bass. Off beat hi-hats – not so much.
U for Utopia: Something in the way our world is organized needs to change. I often entertain thoughts on different models of society. Libertarianism, Ubuntu Contributionism, Anarcho Capitalism...
A for Analogue: I have been looking into analogue music production a lot lately – primarily thanks to Behringer (Uli Behringer, a Swiss engineer, founder of Behringer, an audio equipment company to his name). I'd love to make a fresh concept for a live performance using analogue hardware soon.
D for Discotheque: Disco is good. A good disco with a good sound system is better. A good disco with a good sound system and a good backstage spells ultimate goodness!
G for Goosebumps: I get a lot of goosebumps in the studio when I feel like Yes. That's it. That's the way to go!
M for Moroder: That is, Georgio Moroder. His bass lines are hypnotic. He is a timeless master.
O for Offbeat: I thrive on offbeat bases! I use that technique a great deal to get that pumping sound of alternating kick and bass. Off beat hi-hats – not so much.
U for Utopia: Something in the way our world is organized needs to change. I often entertain thoughts on different models of society. Libertarianism, Ubuntu Contributionism, Anarcho Capitalism...
A for Analogue: I have been looking into analogue music production a lot lately – primarily thanks to Behringer (Uli Behringer, a Swiss engineer, founder of Behringer, an audio equipment company to his name). I'd love to make a fresh concept for a live performance using analogue hardware soon.
S for Spotlight: I always prefer and ask spotlights on DJ booths down as I think in the club environment it is all about the crowd, not a DJ. When it's a band on stage – I played in a number of bands in the past – the situation is different.
I for Ingredients: Musicians are often compared to cooks. It's true in many ways. It's all about mixing up the right ingredients in the right proportions.
F for Festival: My next major festival is Bazique, a 3 day reverie of music, art and absurdism in South Africa. The highlight last year was definitely Melt. Also to mention Yaga Gathering, a transformational fest in Lithuania. I literally fell in love with Lithuania.
C for Collaboration: I love collabs. My last project was a collaboration under the alias of Pardon Moi and my favorite tracks at the moment are original collaborative works and remixes. I also often cooperate with various crews organizing and hosting parties around the world.
N for New: I'm brainstorming a new project. I want to make it a live performance using some analogue hardware. Maybe even spoken word.
I for Ingredients: Musicians are often compared to cooks. It's true in many ways. It's all about mixing up the right ingredients in the right proportions.
F for Festival: My next major festival is Bazique, a 3 day reverie of music, art and absurdism in South Africa. The highlight last year was definitely Melt. Also to mention Yaga Gathering, a transformational fest in Lithuania. I literally fell in love with Lithuania.
C for Collaboration: I love collabs. My last project was a collaboration under the alias of Pardon Moi and my favorite tracks at the moment are original collaborative works and remixes. I also often cooperate with various crews organizing and hosting parties around the world.
N for New: I'm brainstorming a new project. I want to make it a live performance using some analogue hardware. Maybe even spoken word.
The Microcosm OF
Jeremy Black
Called Microcosm, this game is set to hopefully open the floodgates to their philosophy, aesthetics, the full gamut of their interests, memories, and anything else they might want to share with the world – purely on their own impulse. After all, Noble Savage enjoys hearing stories told in a natural voice.
So we asked Jeremy Black, one of the Tegel Boys we were fortunate enough to reach, to select a few items in his immediate environment that were of spiritual, intellectual, practical, or any other value to him – objects he would feel most unwilling to abandon. And then to briefly explain the significance of these things, piece by piece. This way, each item turns into a living and very intimate question: Why me? What makes me so unconditionally special in your life?..
So we asked Jeremy Black, one of the Tegel Boys we were fortunate enough to reach, to select a few items in his immediate environment that were of spiritual, intellectual, practical, or any other value to him – objects he would feel most unwilling to abandon. And then to briefly explain the significance of these things, piece by piece. This way, each item turns into a living and very intimate question: Why me? What makes me so unconditionally special in your life?..
U87 Microphone. This is the first real microphone I owned. I bought it off my studio partner in San Francisco when we parted ways, but it's been with me since the beginning of my professional recording journey and has probably made an appearance on every record I've made for the past 20 some odd years. I believe that the main job of a microphone is to capture the soul. Sound is secondary in this regard. If you think about it that way, there is a lot of soul poured deep into this microphone.
Pearl Syncussion Drum Machine. This was a gift from an ex-girlfriend who passed away recently, so there is a sentimental quality to it. It's an incredible drum machine built in the late 70s by Pearl drum company. It doesn't take MIDI, so I have to trigger it by hand or with an external sequencer.
Oblique Strategies. A series of cards created by Brian Eno to provide perspective and types of advice when having creative blocks in the studio. I'm a big fan of comparing sounds to feelings and other senses. These cards are always at least thought-provoking and can be interpreted many different ways depending on how it applies to your specific scenario or mental roadblock.
Lola's Pop Art. This picture was made recently by my 4-year-old daughter. She constantly makes things for me and specifies that I need to bring them to my studio. I love her artistic expressions so much, and I feel that she is deeply connected to this work. It's also representative of the role that she plays in my artistic expressions. Learning about her taste in music and art is mind-expanding for me. I also love to sample her voice since she was a baby. I have used her sounds regularly in my productions, and I'm so excited to have this connection with her as well as being her father.
ATX 50 Headphones. These are the headphones that I travel with. Before this pair, I had another pair that was the same kind.
Moroccan Castanets. These were a gift from my friend DEYO. He brought them from his trip to Morocco. We were making a record together at the time. I didn't know much about them at the time, but I've since been to Morocco and fell deeply in love with the sound of their traditional Gnawa music. It's kind of like a trance version of blues, and the castanets play a central role in the groove. The music is performed at lila, communal nights of celebration dedicated to prayer and healing guided by the Gnawa maalem, or master musician, and their group of musicians and dancers. They actually perform the music for different types of rituals and ceremonies.
People Festival: A beautiful group of artists had a dream to come together and collaborate freely in the utopian-like setting of the Michelberger Hotel. My approach to working and connecting with fellow artists was forever changed by this magical week in 2016.
Cassette Recorder. It reminds me that the possibility of recording music is truly magic, and we are so lucky to be able to capture the sounds and visuals around us. And knowing that there was a time when none of it was possible is just as mind-blowing as knowing that the future holds many things that we can't even imagine.
Drive Wallet. This provides peace of mind that my drives and work are safe and by my side. I find it necessary to be organized when being creative, and having different compartments for things helps me get to the finish line, whether it's organizing my productions, cleaning my room, or organizing my physical things. It's a path to completion, one of the hardest things when making music.
Pearl Syncussion Drum Machine. This was a gift from an ex-girlfriend who passed away recently, so there is a sentimental quality to it. It's an incredible drum machine built in the late 70s by Pearl drum company. It doesn't take MIDI, so I have to trigger it by hand or with an external sequencer.
Oblique Strategies. A series of cards created by Brian Eno to provide perspective and types of advice when having creative blocks in the studio. I'm a big fan of comparing sounds to feelings and other senses. These cards are always at least thought-provoking and can be interpreted many different ways depending on how it applies to your specific scenario or mental roadblock.
Lola's Pop Art. This picture was made recently by my 4-year-old daughter. She constantly makes things for me and specifies that I need to bring them to my studio. I love her artistic expressions so much, and I feel that she is deeply connected to this work. It's also representative of the role that she plays in my artistic expressions. Learning about her taste in music and art is mind-expanding for me. I also love to sample her voice since she was a baby. I have used her sounds regularly in my productions, and I'm so excited to have this connection with her as well as being her father.
ATX 50 Headphones. These are the headphones that I travel with. Before this pair, I had another pair that was the same kind.
Moroccan Castanets. These were a gift from my friend DEYO. He brought them from his trip to Morocco. We were making a record together at the time. I didn't know much about them at the time, but I've since been to Morocco and fell deeply in love with the sound of their traditional Gnawa music. It's kind of like a trance version of blues, and the castanets play a central role in the groove. The music is performed at lila, communal nights of celebration dedicated to prayer and healing guided by the Gnawa maalem, or master musician, and their group of musicians and dancers. They actually perform the music for different types of rituals and ceremonies.
People Festival: A beautiful group of artists had a dream to come together and collaborate freely in the utopian-like setting of the Michelberger Hotel. My approach to working and connecting with fellow artists was forever changed by this magical week in 2016.
Cassette Recorder. It reminds me that the possibility of recording music is truly magic, and we are so lucky to be able to capture the sounds and visuals around us. And knowing that there was a time when none of it was possible is just as mind-blowing as knowing that the future holds many things that we can't even imagine.
Drive Wallet. This provides peace of mind that my drives and work are safe and by my side. I find it necessary to be organized when being creative, and having different compartments for things helps me get to the finish line, whether it's organizing my productions, cleaning my room, or organizing my physical things. It's a path to completion, one of the hardest things when making music.