EXBERLINER Issue 168, February 2018

WHAT’S ON — Music
Jim Kroft
“
Album release
Just go with it
Laura Winkler, the Austrian-born singer of
Berlin jazz-pop outfit Holler My Dear, speaks
about the political themes of third album
Steady As She Goes before this month’s release
party at Kantine am Berghain.
The album came together
while touring internationally
thanks to the ‘New
Austrian Sound of Music’ cultural
programme. We were welcomed
very openly everywhere. In Tehran,
random people approached us in
the streets wanting to show that
there’s a gap between people and
politics. In workshops, we also
met a bunch of open, young people
with whom we’d write songs during
the day, and at night, they’d
drive us around to the best restaurants.
That contributed to the
political spirit of our album.
It’s also still very Berlin. The city’s
open-mindedness, its liberal, colourful
and queer spirit, influences us
every day. And the song “Afterword”
deals with the city’s gentrification
problems, and what remains when
a beautiful place is suddenly gone.
For us, it was a classic story: we were
kicked out of our rehearsal room like
so many other musicians we know,
and what are they building there
now? A hostel, of course. And so
many bars and clubs we know have
had to fight for their survival and
lost. We shot a video in one of them
before it closed down, and its doorbell
inspired the song. However, the
album title, which we decided on very
early in the process, is a reminder to
also welcome change, to ride with the
waves and not against them. A ship
doesn’t just sail forward in a straight
line, it has to find its balance, be flexible
and respond to the waves; to find
steadiness in the unsteady.
We don’t want to point any fingers,
and we don’t want it to be too heavy.
We want it to be a fun experience. If
the message of a song is important
to me, I’ll announce it beforehand.
Otherwise, the audience is invited to
just go with the flow.” —MH
Holler My Dear album release
w/Oko Feb 8, 21:00 Kantine am
Berghain; Steady As She Goes (Traumton)
out Feb 2
DON’T MISS
Nightmares on Wax
The British electro
virtuoso and Warp
legend George Evelyn
brings the latest
groovy endeavours
off his new album
Shape the Future to
Yaam. Feb, 23, 21:00
Jamila Woods
Laid-back but no less
political neo-soul
from one of Chica
go’s most promising
voices, live at Kantine
am Berghain.
Feb 24, 21:00
Tips
Rieko Okuda
CTM: Hitmakerchinx & DJ Aaron
Classical and
Contemporary
Rieko Okuda
Usually known for her eclectic collaborations,
the experimental pianist
and composer now celebrates the
release of her solo album with a
concert at Ausland. Also performing:
cellist Leila Bordreuil and contrabassist
Zach Rowden. Feb 23, 20:30
Poppy Ackroyd
With electronically manipulated
piano, harpsichord, violin and spinet,
the classically trained multi-instrumentalist
creates dreamy neoclassical
soundscapes. Catch her live at
Roter Salon. Feb 27, 20:00
Clubbing
CTM: New Turf/Native Sketches
Dancehall and reggaeton meets
baile funk and hip hop from all
corners of the globe with Equiknoxx
Music, Hitmakerchinx &
DJ Aaron, Bad Gyal and our local
Hoe_mies at Yaam. Feb 3, 23:00
Owiny Sigoma Soundsystem +
Habibi Funk
Kenyan/British Owiny Sigoma
Band’s DJ alter ego shares the
decks with Berlin’s Arabic funk
importer no. 1, Habibi Funk, and
Eli Pavel at Gretchen. Feb 9,
23:59
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EXBERLINER 168