The Chop #3 by The Chop

music magazine & concert calendar number three april 2016 free

E D I TOR IA L Three issues into The Chop and spring is in the air. Birds are chirping, bees are buzzing, and hippies are gathering their hula hoops, hand drums, and other hippie things in preparation for another long season of bothering people in parks. Luckily, you’re making some good life choices and are holding The Chop instead of those ball-onrope things*. Now it’s time to read this paper and engage with your local music community. One of the ways to do this is by contributing to The Chop. How do you like the new paper we’re using? Do some of our uneven margins bother you and your formal education in graphic design? Isn’t that article about going to shows alone great? Whether it’s just to say hello or if you want to completely redesign our paper, shoot us a line at the email address to the right. Godspeed, Ryan *I am of course here referring to the ancient art of Poi which has been practiced by the Maori people for centuries and ruined by hippies only recently

The Chop Team – Amande Dagod Andreas Ergstrom Barry Cliffe Bill Fred Carla Mercedes Hihn Emilie Beffara Helga Kurzman Joe Copplestone Luise Vörkel Marian Bodenstein Martin Dziallas Ryan Rosell Sophie Atkinson Tanja Krokos Therese Koppe Yannis Trouinard – The Chop Issue #3 April 2016 Auflage : 750 Stück – www.thechop.de FB : @thechopmag hello@thechop.de – Cover photo by Therese Koppe Funkhaus Berlin – Submit your events to shows@thechop.de

Drei Ausgaben von The Chop und Frühling liegt in der Luft. Vögel zwitschern, Bienen summen und Hippies kramen ihre Hula-Hoop-Reifen, Handtrommeln und anderes HippieZeug raus und bereiten sich darauf vor, eine weitere lange Saison Leute in Parks zu nerven. Zum Glück triffst du gerade ein paar gute Entscheidungen im Leben und hältst The Chop in der Hand statt dieser Ball-am-Seil-Dinger*. Jetzt ist es Zeit, dieses Blatt zu lesen und dich in deiner lokalen MusikCommunity zu engagieren. Einer der Wege, dich in genannter Community einzubringen, ist zu The Chop beizutragen. Wie gefällt dir unser neues Papier? Gibt es ungerade Ränder, die dich und deine Graphikdesign-Ausbildung stören? Ist dieser Artikel übers allein-zu-Konzerten-Gehen nicht großartig? Ob du nur Hallo sagen oder unserem Magazin ein komplettes Redesign verpassen möchtest, schreib uns gern an die E-Mail-Adresse rechts. Gutes Gelingen, Ryan *Selbstverständlich beziehe ich mich hier auf die alte Kunst des Poi, die schon seit Jahrhunderten von den Maori praktiziert wird und erst kürzlich von Hippies verdorben wurde.

Q&A

Interview mit Alexander Ullmann von Nothing Nice To Say Festival by Bill Fred

Was ist das NNTS? Das NNTS ist ein internationales DIY Festival mit Wurzeln im Punk/Hardcore. Es findet in 5 Locations statt mit Bands aus Berlin sowie einer Auswahl von Acts aus Europa und USA. Warum macht ihr es? Wir veranstalten seit Jahren Konzerte oder sind mit Bands auf Tour. Festivals dieser Größenordnung waren immer Highlights. Dann hat sich bei uns der Gedanke „das können wir auch“ manifestiert und da wir in Berlin eine gute Infrastruktur selbstorganisierter Läden

haben, wurde irgendwann beschlossen unser eigenes Festival zu organisieren. Zudem erlebt unserer Meinung nach die Berliner DIY Punk/Hardcore Szene gerade ein Hoch wie seit mindestens 10 Jahren nicht mehr, es gibt sehr viele gute neue Bands, Künstler_ innen etc., das gilt es auch international zu repräsentieren. Tickets gibt’s nicht mehr – wie kann man trotzdem noch teilhaben? Wir sind sehr glücklich darüber wie der VVK gelaufen ist und auch über die immense Unterstützung aus der Szene im Vorfeld. Trotz ausverkaufter

Karten kann man auf den Afterund Pre-Show Konzerten dabei sein, für die es nur Abendkasse gibt. – Nothing Nice To Say Festival findet vom 21.-24. April statt mit Konzerten im SO36, Statthaus Böcklerpark, Wowsville etc. und einer Art Show im West Germany. Line-up und mehr Infos auf Facebook.

MOTHER OF THE UNICORN & SLOW STEVE Interview by Ryan Rosell Synergy. If someone tries to use that word to sell you something, don’t buy it. But sometimes cosmoses collide and unite forces which do indeed produce very purchasable commodities. That’s what happened to Slow Steve’s Remi Letournelle and Mother of The Unicorn’s Joe Kelly. Through unknown forces the front men of each band ended up in the other’s project and are releasing albums that can only be described as synergetic. The Chop got a chance to sit down with Remi and Joe over mexican döner kabobs known as “burritos” to talk about life playing in each other’s bands and its effect on their music. Neither of you are original members of each others’ bands, how did you guys become parts of each other’s projects? J: Well I went first on that one. We met at other gigs and were both recording with Tad (Thomas Chousos). Originally, Remi was just going to help out with a few shows but then we had the recording coming up and Remi knows Tad super well and after the first gig I guess we just decided that we’re in a band together. When I joined Remi’s band it was because he had a drummer who dropped out of the band a few days before the release party. R: I’m not going to say the name of this GUY, but he just got too busy sessioning for bigger bands and when Joe hopped on at the last minute it worked out really well and just carried on. What are the problems playing in each other’s bands? J: All in all its really cool. We share a rehearsal room, we’ve shared some tour dates and with Charley and Sarah in Slow Steve it means we also get to play with their bands: Tetron and Tendre Biche. R: I don’t think there are any real problems but something interesting that has happened is that the bands are going

„Imagine if a girl came up to you in a bar and was like “Look, I’m looking for a relationship, I’m thinking we move in after 6 months.” It’s the same thing.“ in the direction of the other’s original sound. MOTU used to be much more indie and guitar oriented while Slow Steve was purely electronic instruments. And now MOTU is adding more and more synth and Slow Steve is having less and less synth... and more guitars. As your styles sort of merge, what do you think are the sonic diffenences in your upcoming albums? J: Well I think Slow Steve is playing to the more fun, weirdo side of the alternative scene and MOTU is playing music that is much more melancholic. So actually we share a lot of sounds, but we use them differently. What advice would you give to members of bands who are considering a similar merging? J: I think if you try and force it and two bands jump in together its harder. Its better when it happens organically. I’ve had bands ask me to join where it was really intense and like “Hey man we want to make this band. This is the goal and this is what we want to do. It’s going to take five years and blah

blah blah” and its like, Fuck. Imagine if a girl came up to you in a bar and was like “Look, I’m looking for a relationship, I’m thinking we move in after 6 months.” Its the same thing. With us it was just “Do you wanna play the next gig?” and let’s see after. That’s how it’s gone and that’s the best way to take it. If your albums were the soundtrack to any film, what film would it be? J: Wayne’s World 3 R: A french soft-porn movie set on a planet far far away. – slowsteveamour.tumblr.com www.motheroftheunicorn.com Mother of the Unicorn’s album comes out on Späti Palace on April 8th, release party same day at Marie Antoinette. Slow Steve’s album comes out on Morr Music on May 6th, stay tuned for release party details.

APRIL – 2016

“DurchBlick”, Holzschnitt, 50x70cm, 2008

Carla Mercedes Hihn www.carla-mercedes.de

Mission of Burma – Bi Nuu

The Chap – Berghain Kantine

Experimontag: Einfall + Non-Ensemble + DJ Oscar Der Winzige – Madame Claude

Monday / Montag

Wednesday / Mittwoch

des Todes – Urban Spree

Male Gaze + Zentralheizung of Death

Gurr* + The Silver Furs* – Bassy

Glyders + Yay Nay* – Monarch

Fabian + Pigeon* – Chesters

Camera* + Mugstar – Urban Spree

Soft Milk + Soft as Glass – Madame Claude

Animal Collective – Postbahnhof

Desertfest – Astra (4pm)

Damien Jurado – Columbia Theater

Angela Aux + 4 Shades – Schokoladen

# Rrose Sélavy #49 – Neubar

# Das Jenseits Von Millionen Bingo – NBI

Blanka + Black Fawn – Bei Ruth

Lust For Youth + Drangsal* + First Hate + Less Win – Lido

calendar key : * local band # non live music event but music related (party / Dj set / market) venues addresses and U/S-Bahn stops listed on page 6

Tuesday / Dienstag

Radiation City – Berghain Kantine

The Burning Hell – Fluxbau

Saturday / Samstag

White West* + Pari Pari + Kumpel von Lars (DJ) – Antje Öklesund

Odd Couple + Fewer Few – Urban Spree

Xiu Xiu plays the music of Twin Peaks – Silent Green

# A Conversation with James Stewart (Xiu Xiu) – ACUD (5pm)

Mother of the Unicorn* (album release) + Celsius Panda* + Adventure Team* – Marie Antoinette

Kitty Solaris* + Gem Andrews* + Laisse Moi* – Flittchenbar at Südblock

Chorusgirl + Martha Rose* – ACUD

Acid Baby Jesus – Urban Spree

Great Lake Swimmers – Berghain Kantine

Quintron and Miss Pussycat – Urban Spree

Soda Fabric* + La Vent – Badehaus Szimpla

biegungen im ausland: Anker/Mayas* + Ernst/Gartmayer/dieb13 – Ausland

A Place To Bury Strangers + Rape Blossoms – Lido

Flennen about Antje Geburstag & The Chop #3 Release with Fun Fare + Pigeon* + Lorraine aus Wien – Antje Öklesund

Besides + AG Form* – Schokoladen (7pm)

01 > 02 : Denovali Festival – Heimathafen

Friday / Freitag

Kontraklang: Stock 11* + Umlaut Berlin* – Heimathafen

The Blank Tapes + 111* – Monarch

Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra* – Roter Salon

XB Sunday Matinee: Schadensersatz in Form von Gerümpel + Barnaby Tree + Mumbles* – XB Liebig

# Wood & Plastic (music gear market) – Marie Antoinette (2pm)

Sunday / Sonntag

Nightflowers + Sfir* – Schokoladen

Nunofyrbeeswax* + Mumbles* + Random Is My Name – Trxxx!?ta

Little Clara & Les Chacals + The Adelians – Berghain Kantine

(from 6pm on the 29th and from 11am on the 30th)

#29 > 30 : Underground Europe - Record fair and swap ! 2nd Edition – Marie Antoinette

Roky Erickson & The Hounds Of Baskerville – White Trash Ballroom

Messer Chups – Badehaus Szimpla

Damon & Naomi + Richard Youngs – Grüner Salon

21 > 24 : Nothing Nice To Say Festival SO36, Statthaus Böcklerpark, Wowsville, Koma F, Rauchhaus, West Germany, Bei Ruth, Tommyhaus

Michal Biela + Eric Shove Them In His Pockets – Antje Öklesund

A.melodie* & Gil Delindro* – Spektrum

Music for Jaw Harp: Marios Visvikis* + Panos Tsigkos* – Echo Buecher

Pictorial Candi + Exit Someone + Karolini* (DJ) – Loophole

Thursday /Donnerstag

FEATURED SHOWS

by Barry Cliffe

April 8th, Marie Antoinette

April 12th, Chesters

April 15th, Silent Green

Local record label Späti Palace bring you another quality release from the Berlin underground in the shape of Mother of the Unicorn’s Variations (read band feature on page 3). Joining on the night to get things going are Celsius Panda with their excellent and stylish indie-pop and Adventure Team open up the evening with a refreshing dose of inspired classic 90s indie-rock. Entry price includes a copy of the Variations CD.

Fabian from Leipzig bring their unique sound to Berlin where they play with local post-punks Pigeon. Fabian are a breath of fresh air with a strong female vocal lead which promises to be electrifying in a live setting. Their debut LP is a real treat with a style that ranges from a jazz-infused post-rock to indie-pop to darker post-punk numbers. It was released on Stuttgart label Treibender Teppich, reason enough in itself to get to the show to pick up a copy.

Xiu Xiu has always kept himself a step ahead of everyone else and now dares to attempt to play the music of Twin Peaks live. Whether he can pull this off is beyond doubt and should be quite a spectacle given this performer’s knack for wowing audiences. That and the fact that a whole new generation of twenty-somethings are discovering Twin Peaks will make this one of the most anticipated shows of the month.

April 20th, Columbia Theater Damien Jurado’s long career has seen him churn out so many different styles of record that it has been hard to keep up sometimes, each one as mysteriously sparkly around the edges as the last. He has just produced yet another cracking record, his third album in four years: the genre-bending Visions of Us on the Land which completes a trilogy of sorts. In a live setting he can silence a crowd with solo numbers, but luckily this time with a full band you’re in for a real treat.

NEGLECTED ESSENTIA L S

Some of the best cuts from bands on this month’s calendar along with some suggested songs by Slow Steve & Mother Of The Unicorn ($). Tracks followed by the * symbol come from local bands or artists. Get a listen at: www.mixcloud.com/TheChopBerlin

Slow Steve - Sloth * Aldous RH - Patience Is The Way $ Mother of the Unicorn - Even Lines * Stereolab - Les Yper Sound $ Martha Rose - Famous Last Words * Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - Opening (Live) * Damien Jurado - Silver Timothy The Chap - Guitar Messiah Mission of Burma - Secrets Mumbles - My Geese *

VENUE LISTING FROM THIS MONTH’S CONCERT CALENDAR NEUKÖLLN / TEMPELHOF

MITTE / PRENZLAUER BERG / WEDDING

KREUZBERG / TREPTOW

BEI RUTH – Ziegrastraße 11 (S Sonnenallee) COLUMBIA THEATER – Columbiadamm 9-11 (U6 Platz der Luftbrücke) HEIMATHAFEN NEUKÖLLN – Karl Marx Str 141 (U7 Karl Marx Str.) LOOPHOLE – Boddinstraße 60 (U7 Rathaus Neukölln) SPEKTRUM – Bürknerstr 12 (U8 Schönleinstr)

ACUD – Veteranenstr. 21 (U8 Rosenthaler Platz) AUSLAND – Lychener Strasse 60 (S/U2 Schönhauser Allee) BASSY CLUB – Schönhauser Allee 176A (U2 Senefelderplatz) ECHO BUECHER – Grüntaler Strasse 9 (U8 Pankstrasse) MARIE ANTOINETTE – Holzmarktstraße 15-18 (U8 Jannowitzbrücke) NEUBAR – Greiswalder Straße 218 (U2 Senefelderplatz) NBI – Zionskirchstr. 5 (U8 Bernauer Str) ROTER SALON + GRUENER SALON – Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz (U2 Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz) SILENT GREEN – Gerichtstraße 35 (S/U Wedding) SCHOKOLADEN – Ackerstraße 169 (U8 Rosenthaler Platz)

BI NUU – im U Schlesisches Tor (U1 Schlesisches Tor) CHESTERS – Glogauer Str 2 (U1 Görlitzer Bahnhof) FLUXBAU – Pfuelstr. 5 (U1 Schlesisches Tor) LIDO – Cuvrystraße 7 (U1 Schlesisches Tor) MADAME CLAUDE – Lubbener Str 9 (U1 Schlesisches Tor) MONARCH – Skalitzer Str. 134 (U1/8 Kottbusser Tor) SÜDBLOCK – Admiralstrasse 1 (U1/8 Kottbusser Tor) TRXXX!?TA (U1 Schlesisches Tor) WHITE TRASH BALLROOM – Am Flutgraben 2 (S Treptower Park)

FRIEDRICHSHAIN ANTJE ÖKLESUND – Rigaer Str. 71-73 (U5 Samariterstraße) ASTRA – Revaler Str. 99 / RAW-Gelände (S+U Warschauer Straße) BADEHAUS SZIMPLA – Revaler Str. 99 RAW-Gelände (S+U Warschauer Str) BERGHAIN + KANTINE AM BERGHAIN – Am Wriezener Bahnhof (S Ostbahnhof) XB – Liebigstraße 34 (U5 Frankfurter Tor) POSTBAHNHOF – Str. der Pariser Kommune 8 (S Ostbahnhof) URBAN SPREE – Revaler Str. 99 / RAWGelände (S+U Warschauer Straße)

Are you organizing events and want to be featured in our calendar ? Send us your shows details to shows@thechop.de. Deadline for the May issue is April 20th.

A LITTLE LESS COMFORT When did people start combining the most lightweight sentences you can find in management literature with random snapshots of nature and calling it „inspirational quotes“? And how long until we can get our tombstones engraved with JPEGs of painfully bright blue skies paired with phrases like „I am currently unsupervised. I know, it freaks me out too. But the possibilities are endless!“? I’m getting off-topic here, but when I started to think about the practise of going to shows alone, the words „comfort zone“ popped up in my head. And there’s no context in which I have seen these words more often than that of inspirational quotes. Part of what annoys me about them is the fact that there are people who don’t have much of a comfort zone – be it out of financial, social, cultural, psychological or whatever reasons. I assume the last thing they worry about is when it would be a good time again to „feel awkward and uncomfortable“ for the sake of „growing“. Disclaimer: I’m in a super-privileged place, but when I was a teenager I didn’t have a comfort zone much bigger than my computer screen. You know the story: Somebody gets bullied at school

feels all those teenager feels and then thinks s/he wouldn’t fit in anywhere. What does all of this have to do with attending gigs on your own in 2016, you ask ? Not much, except that somehow I started going to shows on my own when I was a teenager and I still do it now and I’d encourage you to do the same. It changed me. Proof: I didn’t type up these words to publish them on my Livejournal. Music created a safe space for me, one that I could bring anywhere in the form of my CD player. One that unfolds itself in front of stages. And with every gig I managed to hang out at on my own I gained more confidence. I experienced a variety of music because I had no peer group to attune to. The desire to get to know people who felt the same excitement about certain bands eventually outweighed my shyness. Since then, going to shows has shaped my circles of friends in every city I’ve lived in. Probably in the same way going to readings, attending soccer matches or joining a local initiative has for other people. At some point I even stopped taking unnecessary walks around the block before

entering a venue. Often I felt super awkward on my own, sometimes I didn’t gather the courage to say hi to this one person I kind of knew. But in most cases I got super excited about seeing a band and that excitement stayed with me long after these shows were over. Well, I assume you, dear reader, are not a teenager anymore. And you might even call a healthy self-esteem AND an awesome group of friends your own. You don’t believe in musical epiphanies but you also don’t believe in going to see a gig at Schokoladen because, duh, that’s in Mitte. You would have really enjoyed that show last week but it didn’t appear in your filter bubble. And you didn’t make it to XY yesterday because all your friends were at this other venue. I think you missed out. Seeing that band would have made you feel so good that you would have posted their inspirational lyrics all over your Tumblr. And seriously, you can do with a little less comfort. by Helga Kurzman

GUESTLIST

Concerts recomendations by Andreas Ergstrom – Edited by Emilie Beffara Emilie Beffara introduces us to Andreas Engström, swedish music critic, editor and curator within the field of contemporary music and sound art. He is one of the organizers of the music series Kontraklang in Berlin. Kontraklang is a monthly new music concert series. Since January 2015, their program presents a rich variety of the most interesting music within the field of improvisation, experimentalism, chamber music, sound art, composerperformer practices, etc. The series reflects the diversity of Berlin’s music scene and supports artists on the fringe. Through an eclectic program that questions boundaries of style, generations of musicians, and gender, Kontraklang welcomes an equally diverse audience. More info at: www.kontraklang.de

“Experimontag” at Madame Claude Monday April 4th – 21:00 Madame Claude is a bar in Kreuzberg’s Wrangelkiez where every Monday there are experimental music concerts of all kinds. This time a UK/Finnish band called Einfall and the Swedish Non-Ensemble are performing. I expect it to be good. But if not, one might just hang out in the bar instead. Flexible tickets – one pays as much as one can afford. “Biegungen im Ausland” Saturday April, 9th – 21:00 Ausland in Prenzlauer Berg is a classical venue for Berlins experimental “Echtzeitmusik”. Performing among others are Danish improv saxophone player Lotte Anker and Berlin’s experimental piano player Magda Mayas.

“Kontraklang” Stock 11 and Umlaut Berlin Sunday April 17th – 20:00 at Heimathafen Neukölln I am organizing this concert together with my colleagues in the monthly Kontraklang music series. Two mainly Berlin-based composer-performer collectives are performing a wide selection of mainly new experimental pieces. This is really a night of the unexpected in the best sense! Heimathafen is a fantastic venue with a nice bar. Let’s have a drink, listen to some awesome music and finish the weekend in the best possible way !

PHOTO OF THE MONTH Tomorrow’s Tulips at Antje Öklesund by Tanja Krokos – www.diproton.de > send your show photos to hello@thechop.de

S H OW - R O SCOPE Illustrations by Martin Dziallas The cosmos might not always control your destiny, but when it does, The Chop has experts on hand to keep you in the celestial-know. GEMINI – This month that candycoloured clown needs a lot of stardust for you to go to sleep. You’re bubbling over with energy. CANCER – You understand now that in the real world we must say real goodbyes. Don’t back down, it’s for your own good.

Missed Connections Did you lock eyes with someone across the dancefloor, but never had the chance to say hello ? The Missed Connections section of The Chop gives you a second chance at romance. All posts will be printed anonymously, and if the apple of your eye responds to us, we’ll put you two in touch. It’s kind of like analogue tinder, just write to love@thechop.de.

MsW: Romano concert, Astra Kulturhaus, on March 23rd - The “Romano & Julia” moment, around 10pm to be precise. When you were asked among the audience to go on stage and have a dance with him for that song.

As you were slipping through the crowd, you we had a quick moment where we smiled at each other. I’m the guy with the braided blonde wig and the jeans jacket with Sepultura & Iron Maiden patches on it. At least I know your name is Julia. But after looking and asking around if you were to be seen, you were nowhere to be found ... I kind of concluded you might be the right Julia for Romano. But what if you’re not, what if you should give me a chance to say hello ? > Send your missed connections to love@thechop.de and don’t let a shot at love pass you by.

TAURUS – When waking from a bad dream, don’t you sometimes think it’s real? Don’t let your thoughts wander too much, focus on what encourages you. VIRGO – Some people say it’s always something cruel that laughter drowns but in your case you are just having a really good time. LIBRA – Endings come to us in ways that we can’t rearrange but with your cheerful disposition and new-found strong will you’ll manage all right. SCORPIO – You feel bound to live it up this month but with the full moon in sight it’s time to cool off, baby. Don’t be a problem child. SAGITTARIUS – No trouble, no booze for you at the start of the month because there are some things that you really need to get done now. Like, really. ARIES – If everybody’s calling for bills that’s due, remember your overdraft. This month there are more important things to focus on besides money. CAPRICORN – If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all and pass those who are dishonest with you slowly but surely. AQUARIUS – You bite the bullet, then you chew it. Passion is your true companion this month. Stay well aware of the consequences. PISCES – Your cabinet would continue to look plain if they only gave gold statuettes for tears and regrets. At least wipe the dust now and then.

Excerpt from Sleep Stalk, a comic created by Joe Copplestone & Marian Bodenstein. Half baked conspiracy theorists, sexually frustrated riot cops and everyone and anyone interested in the spectacle of a pearl made from semen - this one’s for YOU! More info at fuzzzgun.blogspot.de

LEO – Who put out the fire? Seems like your efforts don’t get you anywhere right now. Your time’s better spent outside.