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| Music Is music the universal language that keeps it/brings it all together? Yes, I definitely believe that music is a very essential aspect of friendship and that connections between people are based on a common musical ground. Music takes place on a very emotional level, hence it can be seen as a foundation on which interaction, especially between the younger and the older generation becomes apparent. No wonder musical taste is one of the initial issues when people meet first. I really love to inspire kids and am always driven to broaden their horizon by music I digged, in particular old stuff. The so-called “MTV Generation” is so much overwhelmed by the mass media and simply put, there is so much stuff coming out that they loose sight of the essential tunes, the music that made nowaday’s records appear in the first place. I realized that, foremost, younger kids come and ask me about tracks I play and are stoked that some of that music is thirty years old. It is fantastic to act as link between them and my generation, between new and old sounds, to inspire others and to distribute my vision of good musical taste. |
If you were into
Stüssy 15 years ago you were probably also into hip hop, acid
jazz, etc.? What are kids listening today who love Neighborhood, Acronym,
or Visvim? I don’t think that Stüssy was linked in particular to those musical styles, however it was part of a worldwide movement of people who were and still are constantly looking for the latest shit, for cultural items, be it within fashion, art or music that are forward thinking, fresh and inspiring. If you take a look at that time, the music you are talking about was very ‘happening’ and added parts to the spectrum left, right and center. Moreover it was very appropriate to the vibe the International Stüssy Tribe represented. I think nothing has changed about this. All parts of the cultural industry, especially in such a small niche are always directly linked. Brands such as Neighborhood, Acronym & Visvim follow the same tradition that other brands like Stüssy, Goodenough and Very Ape were part of back in the days. To produce goods that are rare, pretty well designed and not accessible for the wider mass. Cultural knowledge is essential to gain access. Therefore I would say that those rather new brands are linked to the music that is happening now. I think this is a |
constant process that never
terminates. People who tend to look for music that can only be accessed
by putting quite a vast amount of effort into the game will sooner
or later be confronted with brands like Neighborhood if they are interested
in fashion as well. I think that at the very end all this takes place
within a community that is always looking for the latest individualized
shit, a community that is frustrated about the stuff that the mass
media & the cultural industry releases. New York and London could be called the breeding grounds for new music styles back in the days. What made these cities so special in regards to music? Avant-garde culture always takes place foremost in large metropolitan areas because they allow individuals to dedicate themselves to a lifestyle that would never be accepted in rural places. Urban regions are always a medium for people to express themselves in different and in particular new ways and offer a wider public as audience. NYC and London are simply the biggest of those spots. I think a lot of people were important to music in regards to those cities but to my personal taste DJs and bands such as Larry Levan, Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, Liquid Liquid, 23 Skidoo and the Tonka Soundsystem were |
the key players in taking
underground music from the stage to the club. They founded club culture
as we know it today. Is there a city/cultural centre that plays a similar role today? I think NYC and London are still important spots. Nevertheless, I am not as excited as I used to be. I travel a lot to those cities and consider them to be part of my global home but after all those years I realized that Berlin can not only be compared to NYC and London now but that this was always the case. Berlin is constantly growing and new barriers are continuously broken in regard to music, art and fashion. However, I definitely think that what was going on in NYC and London in the 70s & 80s is happening in Berlin nowadays. This is mainly due to the fact that cash is more and more controlling metropolitan cities and Berlin is still free of that shit. A lot of people move over here and are inspiring each other. The Boheme is definitely back but not in NYC or London, Berlin is a good place to be. Furthermore, the cultural items that used to attract me and made me even more motivated to travel are nowadays globally accessible. Why should I travel to New York to buy the stuff I like if I can just walk around the corner to get the same things. |
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