Ambient-jazz-electronica outfit Ishmael Ensemble is Pete Cunningham’s brainchild. We sat down with him and bassist Jake Spurgeon to talk about what inspires them musically, why they love playing in Berlin, and why they don’t consider themselves a typical jazz outfit.
Each month, in our segment Leitmotifs, opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg talks to creatives in the world of opera and classical music. In this edition, Fredrika speaks with Adrian Jones, the orchestra director of the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB).
This week’s show features tracks an interview with Larry Schemel and Bonnie Bloomgarden from Death Valley Girls, plus a playlist of synth punk, post punk, Neue Deutsche Welle and new wave tunes.
We have a pair of tickets up for grabs to see Chinese electro-indie band Stolen, whose latest album “Fragment” was produced by the legendary Mark Reeder. Stolen will headline a show at Maze on October 8, fresh on the heels of their stint supporting New Order on tour. The packed lineup for the night also includes Ryskinder, Zachery Allan Starkey, Valerie Renay and more. Go to our website to find out more. Competition ends at midday on October 7.
It’s October already?! Gabe Dunn and Olamiju Fajemisin from Berlin listings magazine Schmutz joined us in the studio to recommend a whole month’s worth of live shows happening in the city.
Host and opera singer Fredrika Brillembourg speaks with conductor Paolo Bortolameolli, associate conductor of the L.A. Philharmonic and guest conductor in residence of the Orchestra of the Americas.
Laura Lee and Andreya Casablanca formed their band Gurr after meeting at Freie Universität Berlin. The two dropped by our studio to talk about friendship and the merits of German versus English lyrics.
The Torstraßen Festival takes place on Saturday, September 7, at the Volksbühne, for a full day and night of musical discovery. We caught up with one of the festival’s founders, Melissa Perales, to find out more about what lies in store.
What are Berlin’s live music options this September? We invited Gabe and Mark from Schmutz for their monthly chat to help guide you. Listen to Amplified for the lowdown.
Keith Duncan and Johannes von Weizsäcker from The Chap join us in the studio ahead of their performance at this year’s Torstraßen Festival, to talk about their recent series of concept albums, midlife crises, and how a long-distance songwriting partnership works.
