Superpitcher grew up in the south of Germany and started to collect music at 16, seduced by the soft sounds of Prefab Sprout, Scritti Politti, and Roxy Music. A decade later he found himself working in the distribution department of KOMPAKT and found new heroes – Wolfgang Voigt, Chain Reaction, Joerg Burger and Air Liquide – men that linked his sonic youth and adult aspirations. Superpitcher's second studio album "Kilimanjaro" is out now. Here is how he did it:
Where are you based at the moment? Still in Cologne?
Yes. Most of the time in Cologne. Then also Paris from time to time.
How does your studio setup look like?
It´s a beautiful mess. Lot´s of records, some old Moogs and other synths, a very precious "Studer" mixing console from Switzerland, trumpets, accordian, melodica´s, organ, Sonor Drumkit "Jack DeJohnette" and lots of percussions...
Is there any instrument or effect that you always use on your productions and why?
Actually there is an effect i'm always using. It´s a Dynachord srs 56, an old delay/reverb machine, one of the first things i´ve bought for the studio and i´m pretty sure i´ve used it on every piece of music i ever did.. it´s very special and it can be used in a lot of different ways, very subtle or very noisy, sometimes it just does what it want. I love it!
How is your approach towards recording? Is it some sort of live-jam or do you really 'write' music step by step?
I mostly start with some kind of ambience or a simple loop and then start to think where it´s gonna go, step by step. For Kilimanjaro i recorded endless jams with all kinds of instruments, edited them and start jamming again, singing on it and so on... sometimes it went totally out of control and i almost was going crazy. It´s not easy...
If you could create your own instrument, what would it sound like and how would you like to use it?
It would be a pocket size piano with a sound of a really big Steinway. I would use it all the time...
How will the Superpitcher liveband going to look like?
The band will look super flashy but they will need to learn how to play the instruments. My original concept was that they just need to look good but maybe that´s not enough...
What has been the most fun while working on the new album?
Singing naked!
Where are you based at the moment? Still in Cologne?
Yes. Most of the time in Cologne. Then also Paris from time to time.
How does your studio setup look like?
It´s a beautiful mess. Lot´s of records, some old Moogs and other synths, a very precious "Studer" mixing console from Switzerland, trumpets, accordian, melodica´s, organ, Sonor Drumkit "Jack DeJohnette" and lots of percussions...
Is there any instrument or effect that you always use on your productions and why?
Actually there is an effect i'm always using. It´s a Dynachord srs 56, an old delay/reverb machine, one of the first things i´ve bought for the studio and i´m pretty sure i´ve used it on every piece of music i ever did.. it´s very special and it can be used in a lot of different ways, very subtle or very noisy, sometimes it just does what it want. I love it!
How is your approach towards recording? Is it some sort of live-jam or do you really 'write' music step by step?
I mostly start with some kind of ambience or a simple loop and then start to think where it´s gonna go, step by step. For Kilimanjaro i recorded endless jams with all kinds of instruments, edited them and start jamming again, singing on it and so on... sometimes it went totally out of control and i almost was going crazy. It´s not easy...
If you could create your own instrument, what would it sound like and how would you like to use it?
It would be a pocket size piano with a sound of a really big Steinway. I would use it all the time...
You have collaborated with several people on Kilimanjaro. Can you please describe their role? Is there any particular person that you still want to work with some day?
They were mosly friends who just dropped by the studio, spreading good vibes and playing instruments, singing choirs and doing handclaps.. i love to collaborate in this "easy" and intuitive style. It makes everything easier and more fun. There is of course a number of people i would love to work with but i´m too shy to name them. For me, it must happen naturally... How will the Superpitcher liveband going to look like?
The band will look super flashy but they will need to learn how to play the instruments. My original concept was that they just need to look good but maybe that´s not enough...
What has been the most fun while working on the new album?
Singing naked!
© 2010
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