2013 | June | Page 4

Thoughts of life…

Culture

I usually spent my lunch break in a small bakery. Most of the time I meet an old lady there, and we always chat about many things. The first time I saw here, I noticed her immediately as she always looks so chic- wearing a skirt from the Twenties, a white blouse, a felt-hat, pearl earrings and a smart hairstyle- and I have to mention that she is already 92!

In any case, she told me many things about her life, about her former job, about things she did in her free-time,- and about her fiancee that had never returned from the war. She said that she had experienced many things, good and hard times -and that she used to have lots of friends, but noone is alive anymore, nor one of her family or friends.

Everything in life passes. Things and people that are important.

You can not hold onto anything and you always start over again. You create and achieve things. But all that remains are the memories.

What stays with us at the present moment of life, if everything that happened before, all that we created and all that was important to us, is no longer there?
Can you then still be happy with only your memories?

by Sigrun Guggenberger

FASHION BERLIN

Fashion

It has happened to me before. I am in a shop and really like a piece of clothes, but then I decide not to buy it. Because this might have been produced by a child under really bad conditions. So there is this bad conscience… But to buy eco-clothes have never really been an option for me either. Anything I have seen so far, I didnt like design-wise.

It is a real shame that I should have to chose between my bad conscience and a cool design, or fair trade but not really my taste… So when I attended THEKEY.TO, an international event for „Green fashion sustainable lifestyle and culture“ that took place in Berlin in January, I was really curious to see how this market has developed in the last years.

And I wasn´t being dissappointed. Several international creative designers, where showing their great designs, manufactured with high quality fabrics, -and also shoes, bags, etc. So my former images about eco-fashion have been replaced by a good feeling that things are finally progressing into the right direction. The fashion fair was organized really well,- on two floors you were able to inform yourself, shop and be inspired, eat something nice or try yourself as a designer. And just be happy that fashion can be fair and eco without having to abandon being stylish.
Well, it should be normal for the human to not exploit others and to treat nature with respect when producing goods. But unfortunately right now this is not the case with most companies.
And so events such as THEKEY.TO are important steps to show a new direction and you can only hope that it is not going to be just an event, but really the key to a long overdue change.

more infos on www.thekey.to

Text by Sigrun Guggenberger
(ISSUE 20)

My Thoughts Of Life…

Culture

As a child many things are being taught in a playfulness way and you get told that learning is fun and the world is colourful and friendly. When you grow up, at work the only thing that counts is your achievements and work is very often monotone and colourless.

It is almost just all about being efficient and being better than the others. And because of all the stress, even a basic human need such as eating, very often just happens while sitting in front of the screen. Would you ever ask that from a child? We tell children not to lie, but the world of grown-ups seems corrupt and full of lies sometimes.

With children we are always friendly and everything they do and say is cute or funny. As an adult you constantly have to prove a point and defend yourself. A child is being praised- when you are grown up things are often taken for granted or you are being criticized.

On purpose I have written down everything in “black-and-white”, but of course I know that not everything is like that. And I am aware that we do need to accept certain responsibilities and all life can not only be about fun and play.
But is it really necessary that being an adult means to only be a functioning instrument in society? And why can we not create the world a bit more the way we picture it for children?

by Sigrun Guggenberger

Sportfreunde Stiller

Music

„Music means happiness, is always being invented new and makes every moment more intense. Thank you for the music…” says Peter Brugger from Sportfreunde Stiller. But at the moment Peter Brugger, Florian Weber, Rüdiger Linhof are on a creative break, therefore we are even more pleased that they still agreed to do an interview with us. And so we say: Thank you for the music!

Hello, first of all many thanks for taking the time to speak to us. You have a full tour schedule in December and change places quite often. Where is the centre of your lives at the moment? At the moment we are spending a lot of time back home in Munich, before we travel all across the country in order to play unplugged during pre-and after-xmas time. So at the moment we are busy with pleasant anticipation, hanging out ,to hang out the laundry, to carry the wastepaper downstairs, to cheer up ill tempered friends, discussing about crisis ( FCB, Löwen, climate, economy) and dress the hair of „Frisen“ ( Flo, Rüde, Peter) etc.

Are you still on the break that you have announced after „MTV Unplugged in New York“or are you already working on new musical projects? We are taking time out now, in a way we are on a standby-modus at the moment, not wasting any energy and recharging our batteries and at the same time we have our sensors on a high sensibility modus. Here and there we boot up and beam us to conspirative music events, such as 1 Live Krone, ( always the most amusing jamboree of the year) and our 9 concerts at the end of the year in order to burn up and to fuse with everyone into a high- energetic pulp. For sure it will take some time before we will start making a new record. Next year we want to mainly occupy ourselves with saving the world, our free-time and the nature and maybe paint the town red a couple of times. (Rock am Ring, Rock im Park).

What were your best moments at the „MTV Unplugged in New York“? Waiting underneath the gully cover for the starting shoot, the explosion on „rock‘n‘roll queen“, Zen Fang with her chinese violin, our strings, to watch and to listen to the „Mio-Quartet“, playing music with the Subways, Meret Becker, Udo Jürgens and all the other wonderful guests. Damn, when I think back almost everything was great, because the people received favourably what we puzzled out months-long and our visions were more than fulfilled. Even when a camera crane packed up for an hour, hilarious moments came up.

One of my favourite songs is „Ein Kompliment“, – it has beautiful lyrics! Was it written for somebody? Yes, but it stays a secret who it is for. Here are 3 solutions: My dog „ Max“, Rüde´s cat „Mietzi“, Flo´s raven „Karl“? In reality it is lovely that many couples in love chose „Kompliment“to be their song and listen to it. We hear that time and again. And we are happy about that! If music brings people together then this is a great thing.

Is there a certain way of how your songs emerge? F.e. do you have jam-sessions together? Least often we come up with our songs through a jam-session. When we jam it sounds awful. In most cases it sounds like funk of the worst kind. A good song usually emerges when one of us comes up with a concrete idea and the others add their own musical part to it. This is followed by intense discussions about the lyrics and if after sleeping on this about 3 times all 3 of us still think it is a great song, then that´s it. Then the last hurdle to be cleared is to change the title of the song, such as „the horny donkey“ into something more melodic.

Do you have any musical or private role models? Looked at that way we don´t have any role models neither do we emulate somebody, but there is an incredible number of bands and artist, that inspire us. At the moment the new record of „Muse“ blows my mind. It´s just wicked how courageous they are stylistically and the way they play their instruments is incredible. In general I like people who don´t fall into line and have the courage to do what they want and don´t get discouraged by imponderableness. And I admire people that act empathetic and not selfish.

What kind of music do you like to listen to? Many different things such as Oasis, Foo Fighters, Beasty Boys, MGMT, Beethoven, Blur, Julian Casablancas, Muse, Monta, Soundtrack of our lives, Adriano Celentano, Morrissey

When you hear your own songs on the radio, do you turn up the volume? I really did that recently. Embarrassing, isn´t it? It is a bit like swallowing your own sperm, isn´t it? On the other hand it is just awesome, you just shouldn´t get caught. Besides that, I was only checking if the song is mixed well…

I have read that already a couple of times you have performed under an assumed band name or you appeared as a surprise. What is your main motivation for doing that and what is the reaction of the audience when they suddenly see the Sportfreunde Stiller in front of them? It is a change for us and a surprise for the people. Most of the time there was some really funny moments and it was great fun. The reactions were like: „ what´s going on?“ or „ „jipppieeeehhh“ as far as:“ are you crazy“. Most recently we were performing at the Audimax at the University Munich to declare our solidarity with the protesting students there. I really hope that the students manage to stick together and don´t tear each other apart (the business students against the hippies), so that the protest can bear fruits and doesn´t fall apart because of petty wars. At the end of the day everyone would benefit from a better education.

With all the success-what has changed most in your lives? The success has given us the great opportunity to live from making music and mainly be occupied with music. That is a wicked present! Saying this- we are shouting for joy a „ Thank you“! Through this we are really privileged. On the other hand you have to learn how to deal with being in the public eye. It can be unpleasant at times, f.e. when you are picking your nose. The most difficult thing though is not to start thinking that what is being projected onto you through the success, has anything to do with reality.

Can you tell us a funny story from your beginnings as a band? Once I jumped into the audience and did some crowd surfing. When I wanted to get back on stage, the security didn’t want to let me back on stage, because he thought that I was one of the fans. It was quite strange to discuss with that guy ( me:” come one, let me back up, I really belong to that band… and he answered: well I hear that about 100 times a day, so f…off.”) while Flo and Rüde had a wank in order to bridge the time.

Have you ever had “artistic differences”? Always, steadily, now and then and afterwards. It is absolutely normal that within 13 years you develop into different directions and have different preferences and perceptions. We notice that we need to exchange our thoughts over and over again and we need to deal with things and we notice that in fundamental things we are very close, even when we have to compromise from time to time. This is great and super but sometimes also exhausting, just as a threesome-marriage is…

Completely different topic: Florian, you have written a book (You´ll never walk alone, 2006) Can you tell us what it is about? It is a one-off thing or do you have more authorial ambitions? I have to ask Flo about that. FFFFFLLLLLLOOOOOOHHHOOO?
Yes, what? The question? Sure. It is a football-music novel, where the brotherly love plays a big part, where the big names of football predominate, where music is being portrayed as a sparkling energy and the novel answers the question why goalkeepers are not good guitar players. It is a humorous reminiscence of the juvenile life. A further book will follow that will be about a completely different topic. It will be crazy and turned in. And I can tell another secret: There will be dead people!

And now some typical C-Heads questions… So first of all a short brainstorming: What comes into your mind when hearing the following: Music: means happiness, is always being invented new and makes every moment more intense. Thank you for the music…. Love: keeps people together and is endlessly big. Power: often shows a hideous face. To most people it appears attractive. It is interesting to see what happens with some people when they gain power. Very often all the good intentions are gone and it is just about keeping that power. Fear: is protection and repression all in one. When you manage to overcome your fears then this is an unbelievable feeling. Facebook: as a band we have about 2000 best mates on Facebook. Recently I invited all of them, but 1000 of them didn’t have time. Udo Jürgens: One of the biggest ones! Quite old, but superb young at the same time. Cherie, merci!

5 things you cannot live without? Ball, book, woman, sea, music (and here and there something to munch)

The most important thing in life is…? Liebe, Love, amore per sempre!

Last question: Who is going to be football world champion 2010? FC Özil

Many thanks for the interview and good luck with all your performances! Thank you for the questions and good luck. Best wishes! Peter

www.sportfreunde-stiller.de

Interview by Sigrun Guggenberger
(ISSUE 19)

Interview Sono

Music

Two years after their last album” Panoramic View” Sono releases fresh material for the dance raging fans. We use the opportunity to interview Lennart A. Salomon, Martin Weiland and Florian Sikorski about their newest work Plus.

To your current album Plus: The album is clearly more club-orientated than your last album! Do you want to go back to your roots? Exactly. Two steps ahead and one back. We fancied clubmusic again and the feeling to show the fans of our first track the current version of Sono.

The current single is: “Better”. Despite the financial crisis what do you think is better this year? As musicians we are used to financial crisis: Since we started the turnovers of the industry have decreased about 30 percent. The positive side effect is that you close ranks and get into contact with people that several years ago probably wouldn’t have even looked at you.

“Better is also being promoted on YouTube. Are you curious about the reaction of your fans when publishing a new song or as musicians do you have to be neutral and keep a certain distance to personal comments? You should keep a distance, but this is not that simple. You put your blood, your sweat and tears into a song and you do scarf down quite a few comments. That is always dangerous, but we are so much involved with the material, that it is impossible that it leaves you cold.

The ballade “Back to me” is the slowest number on the album. It is one of my favourite. It shows the variety of Sono. Do you have a personal reference to that song or did you dedicate this song to your fans and all the people that are in a difficult phase? The song doesn’t rest upon a real story; insofar there is no direct relation to it. However from time to time there are people leaving you that you would have loved to be around for longer. We wanted to catch this mood. But the idea with the dedication sounds beautiful!

My favourite song on the album is “Talking”. With this song I start my day, every morning. With who would you really like to have a conversation, who would you be nervous to meet? Oh, for now many thanks! I think there are a lot of people where we would be nervous. Everyone has its own heroes and idols- but in the ideal case you meet a person on one or the other level and a conversation happens. Then the exchange starts and the nervousness disappears.

Your album also appears as a special edition with a Live-CD. A great present for your fans. In the future will such special editions be standard in order to motivate fans to buy Cd’s? That is possible-nowadays it is not enough to sell an album only on a CD. In order for people to buy a CD they always want to have a bonus. Who knows, – one hears that the concept of the album is outdated. Probably then you can only convince with extra things.

How is your approach when working on an album? Are there songs that you reject completely? Would it be an idea that such songs find their way to your fans on the special edition of your next album? This time we even had a lot of songs that didn’t make it onto the album. However we didn’t even finish them as you notice that they are not on the level they should be. Therefore they probably will never be published on a special edition, because there are good reasons why they are not on the album.

Is there musicians ( DJs, singers and producers) that you would like to work together with, or Lennart would like to sing a duet with? For every album we plan a duet with a singer, but it never happens. Either it lacks on the management or there are legal issues, or …money. We just had a gig, where Ida Corr performed as well. I can imagine doing a duet with her or Annie Lennox. But… see above.

Have you also planned a gig in Austria on your current tour (if not, there are a lot of fans in Austria)? We would love to play in Austria! Our booker tries to mobilize clubs, but so far the reactions are not as if there is a big interest. Unfortunately.

Can you imagine to publish Sono songs with German lyrics? What do you think about the “new German Wave” that is being promoted a lot in the last few years? To sing in German is not that easy. Sounds strange, but that’s the way it is. In order to be able to put across the lyrics you first have to find a “spoken language”. Because there is nothing worse than someone singing in German, but actually wanting to do everything the American way, if you know what I mean. But we are not ruling out any possibility!

What are your plans for the New Year’s Eve? Are you performing or do you spend New Year’s Eve with your families? New Year’s Eve we are going to spend with our friends and families. Unless there is a last minute request from Austria, that we cannot refuse.

Any thoughts at the turn of the year? Any New Year’s resolutions? Clearly: To take over the world domination.

Many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions. It was a pleasure!

www.sono.fm

Interview by Manuel Ahornegger
(ISSUE 19)

Manfred Baumann

Photography

When driving through Austria or Switzerland at that time, one commercial really catches your attention. Because it is sexy and creative. And of all things, it is an ad for a burger. To us that´s very unique and we asked Manfred Baumann, the photographer of the campaign, about it…

What is the idea behind having the placards in black and white as well? We have chosen black and white motives in order to stand out against the others. Therefore the logo comes into its own and the picture language speaks for itself. Purposely we didn’t want to use an ordinary promo-subject.

I assume that you have received a lot of feedback for the placards – What reaction were you most pleased about? I was most happy about the reaction from the advertising industry. The campaign was received really well and showed me that I have chosen the right picture language, because people talk about it.

As far as I know further Burger King campaigns are being planned. Can you already give away a bit about it? Yes, in February we are already starting with the new production. The difficulties for me will be to capture spring and summer in my pictures. Furthermore we have a 14-days surprise planned in summer, but I cannot tell anything particular about it.

The year 2009 is almost over. Do you have any New Year’s resolutions? 2010 is already fully planned with exhibitions, productions and other projects. We will also spend about one third of the year in LA.

Last but not least a short brainstorming. What comes into your mind when hearing the following words?
Perfection: A technical perfectly shot picture doesn’t necessarily have to be a good picture!
Freedom: Münchner
Love: Nelly – my soul mate, for the last 14 years we are a team
Success: diligence
Dreams: can be compared to goals.

Thanks for your time!

www.manfredbaumann.com

Interview by Christine Gugggenberger
(ISSUE 19)

Interview GummiHZ

Music

Already some time ago I took notice of Alexander Tsotsos @ aka GummiHz, who back then was not so well known. His tracks have always been detailed minimal techno in its top form and a number of times I was not able to sit still while listening to it. I really like to recall the track: „Headfull Of Loops“. Alexander was born in Edessa, a small town in the north of Greece. In the meantime he lives in Berlin- a city that somehow still seems to spread the biggest hype and vibe for techno. His debut album „Sleepless nights“ has just been released on Mobilee Records and shows his change to a more diverse direction. A wind of change for the clubscene…

As a Greek living in Berlin, the obvious question is what made you leave your country? First you moved to London, but actually you are living in Berlin. How come? Do you miss Greece sometimes, maybe the great weather?
I left Greece in the mid nineties to follow an engineering degree course in England. It was a very exciting time for me. It helped me learn and expand my horizons. Then around 3 years ago i decided to move to Berlin. It’s a more relaxed place than London and it helps me more to get inspired at the moment. Also most of my friends and partners in crime are based in Berlin (laughs). Of course, I try to be in Greece every summer for a short holiday.

I have read that you said that “Mobilee” is like a big family with a creative dynamic but also very well organized. How did you get onto this label? And how important is the good connection between the people for you? What got me on Mobilee records was a demo I sent out back in 2006. It was aptly named „what shakira wouldn‘t sing on“. Around a month later I received a mail from Anja offering me a record deal. Since then we have worked very well together and managed to produce around ten releases during the last three years. It is the nature of our work that makes it crucial to be able to communicate well when working on a project. As creative and sensitive individuals, artists need to be pushed at times, inspired and good communication and understanding between people helps in this direction.

Is there real friendship in the music business? For sure there is. At the end of the day we all have the same passion in this business. To express our selves through music and reach out.

Tell us, how a typical “GummiHz” day looks like! Well……most of my weekdays‘ look like this: firstly a gooood breakfast…….then most of the day is spent in the studio with short breaks for lunch or coffee…..at night meeting some friends for dinner or drinks…..then again in the studio until the early morning……sleepless nights!!!!

Ok then let´s talk about your debut album “Sleepless nights” which has been released now. What´s your favorite track on it? Hmm…well i must say I like all tracks on it- let’s say at the moment I play more sunshine dub.

How long did you work on it? It took me around 6 months. I started working on it in December 2008 & finished it by May 2009.

There are some great vocals on it. How did you “find” the singers you want to work with? Well, I met Malena Perez through a friend of mine. I knew her work already so I asked her to have some sessions together and see what comes up. It didn’t take us very long to start working on the title track for the album. She is a true professional with a lot of charisma. The rest of the vocals I did myself as drafts initially, but decided to use them & came up with Emena, which in Greek means myself.

If you wouldn´t do what you are doing today, what would have been “Plan B”? Sorry no plan B!!!!

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? To be honest with you it’s a long time from now. I got a few things in mind that I want to accomplish in the next years. Such as working with more session musicians, maybe having a family & building a proper studio amongst others.

Is there anything you are afraid of? I like to take risks in general and not always move on the safe side of things. So fear is not a parameter I spend too much time thinking on.

What would be your dream gig to play, and with who? Dunno……maybe a party with all my friends from all over the world on an island in the Aegean. Sun, sea & rum

What do you attribute your success to? Staying true to my ears.

What are your top tips to young producers? Stay true to your ears.

What‘s the funniest thing you‘ve done while playing a gig? Hm… hm…..i am very serious when i play (laughs)!!!

What are your inspirations/influences? There are so many influences that inspire me in this life. Such as cities, sceneries, nature, attitudes, thoughts, people, friends, family, good food, flirt, music, synthesizers amongst others.

After hours: yes or no? Yes & no!!

In the end, is there anything you want to say us? Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you got a glimpse of my way of thinking. Wish you well.

Many thanks for your time!

www.myspace.com/alextsotsos

Interview by Christine Guggenberger
(ISSUE 19)

Interview Sharon Schael

Music

Born in Caracas, Venecuela, Sharon Schael was raised by a family of artists who supported any form of creativity. Sharon Schael studied arts history and chose music as her medium of choice to create and share with the world. When she moved to Mexico, Sharon not just became a part of the local scene, she also coordinated the editorial of the Mexican electronic music magazine: [In The] Groove. Sharon Schael also hosts „der Schall“, a monthly radio show on www.protonradio.com. 2006 Sharon joined the „female pressure“ collective. Now Sharon Schael resides in Granada, Spain, where she is responsible for international booking and press in one of the most important Clubs in Spain: Industrial Copera (www.industrialcopera.net).

Hello, Sharon! Thank you for taking some of your precious time for this interview! Hola! my pleasure :)

You were Born in Caracas, Venezuela. Was it easy for you to express your passion for music, when your hometown made headlines with the so called „El Caracazo“? This was 1989, when thousands of people died because they went on the streets to fight for their rights?! Well, I was born in France, but that was only by coincidence since my parents were studying there. However, I did grow up in Caracas, and all my family is from Venezuela, so am I. I was relatively young in 1989, although I do remember the time, it never affected my pas-sion for music or the way I have expressed it.What I can tell you is that my country has had serious political problems for many years. That was the main reason I decided to leave my country and family, seven years ago now. It has been long road, giving me lots of experiences and maybe one of the reasons that I am where a I am, working on what I love the most: Music.

When you later on moved to Mexico, did you find your freedom, not just artistically, finally? Cancun is famous for masses of American tourists. Is there also an alternative scene with decent electronic music and decent people? I found peace. Cancún is a beautiful place to live, paradisical, and you can have a parallel life out of that mass of tourists. Unfortunately, there‘s not a good electronic scene at all, that‘s why I decided to move to Spain.

You host your own radio show „der Schall“ on famous www.protonradio.com. When I had a look on the showlist, I got the impression that EVERYONE who is into electronic music has his own slot there. Is it very important for you to be online to share your favorite music? Absolutely. I have had this radio show for almost 4 years now… and I can tell you that some times I don‘t find the time to do it. I‘m very demanding with my mixes…. but whenever I receive a positive feedback about the show, no matter where it‘s coming from, it makes it all worth it.

Now you live in Granada, Spain, and work for the Club „Industrial Copera“. The DJ listing for February includes DJ Vadim, Dave Clarke or Jeremy Jay. Also former „The Prodigy“ member Leroy Thornhill showed up at your club. As you are responsible for international bookings, I think you did a good job, didn’t you? Tell us about the work at „Industrial Copera“! I decided to leave the job some months ago, I was working with that club for a year and a half, it was a great experience, I‘ve met many people and I‘ve learned many things. I realized what I don‘t want to do for a living… night club business on a large scale is definitively not for me, I prefer to keep the underground.

When you are not behind the desk in the office, but behind 2 decks and a mixer, what is your attitude to music as a DJ? You offer your mixes as downloads on your myspace profile. I always listen to them and I love your selection of awesome tracks. How would you define your style? If there are words to describe this anyway. I‘m not the kind of dj who wants to enliven the crowd with a specific attitude, I like to watch the dance floor to read the crowd, and feel what they are feeling with the sound I am playing at that point of time. I‘m always focused on what I‘m doing. Some times I see someone or a few in the crowd and I smile. But with me, don‘t expect a DJ with hands in the air or something like that. My style? mmm I have many styles, it depends on my mood I think. I like serious music, with strong bass lines, fresh rhythms, short and acid sounds, deep emotion and nice vocals.

As part of the „female pressure“ collective, did you ever meet electric indigo from Austria? Is this network important for your work as a DJ ? Not in per-son… only by e-mail, she is really nice and professional. I’m looking for-ward to meeting her in person sometime soon. It is a good network, lots of female artists in communication with a same passion. I love it.

Finally , besides music, what are the most important things in life for you? Nature, food and unconditional love.

Thanks a lot for this interview! Thank you!!

www.myspace.com/sharonschael

Interview by Roman Rosenmayr
(ISSUE 15)

GAVIN O‘NEILL

Photography

How did you initially get your start in photography? I got started in my early 20‘s, and just started shooting as a hobby while I was making a living as a drummer in a rock band, but within a few years I had a pretty strong desire to make it my life and my livelihood, and once the band went their separate ways it seems like the next thing to do. For the first few years I shot anything and everything, people, cars, the dog and then all I did a few years after that was turn my attention to shooting models, and the rest just happened.

I understand you‘re „self taught“, in your first few years as a photographer, how did you go about developing your skills? Developing my skills‘ has basically just been the learning process along the way, which I‘ve intentionally chosen to manage on my own. To me it was very important to learn, refine, and believe in my own way of doing things, because ultimately my photographic style, and my individual vision, is what i will get paid for. At the level I‘m aiming to work at, all the photographers going for any particular job are all amazing, and all have access to the same tools, so the thing that ultimately sets them apart from each other is their own style, and way they see things. So for that reason, I‘ve always tried to shut out any other influences and just do things my own way.

Fashion photography is competitive; combine that with the cattiness and sometimes large egos that are involved…what made you choose fashion photography as a focus? Just because I love it. The process of taking something and transforming it into something else is like a drug for me. competition, and crazy people are irrelevant, because they don‘t change what I do, or my enjoyment of it.

When you were first starting out, how did you publicize and get work? I did 4 or 5 years of doing model portfolios when I first started shooting, which was actually a great source of income, and a chance to build my folio at the same time. It also helped that models were then taking my pictures around to all the clients when they met them, and the model agencies talking to clients regularly also, so word of mouth was good for me in the first few years.

How easy was the transition from living/working in Australia to relocating to London?
Well it‘s been one long transition really, in-between Sydney and here I‘ve lived in Milan, Hamburg, Munich, Cape Town, Istanbul, LA, Paris, and now London, so the transition between the 2 has basically just been my ‚life‘ between the 2 places. Relocating is a constant thing for me, so I‘m used to it.

Richard Avedon once said, „My portraits are more about me than they are about the people I photograph“. Do you feel the same way about your work?
Yeah I think so, and I think that‘s always the case. I mean 10 different photographers will shoot the same person in 10 different ways, and they would all do it according to how they perceive that person. So inevitably the pictures end up being as much or more about what‘s in the photographers eye/head than the person they are shooting.

What inspires and motivates you? I‘m inspired by the unknown basically. Where I could be next week, the picture I could take tomorrow, even ‚the next frame‘…and all the things I could see and experience, and the people I could meet along the way, I love all of that mystery. Repetition is a killer for me, mentally. So what inspires me is mystery, and what motivates me is the buzz I get from living in it.

What do you typically look for when you are picking your team for a fashion shoot (makeup, hair, wardrobe) and do you prefer to be more organic or do you do a lot of pre-planning and provide them with specific direction? First and foremost, I just choose people whose work inspires me, and then also people who work well without direction, because I rarely (if ever) tell my creatives what I want them to do. I‘m not a make-up artist, or hair dresser, so I cant explain to them what I want, but along as what they do on their own looks amazing, and gives me a direction to go in, I‘m happy.

With many people involved in the mix, sometimes shoots can go astray. What is your approach to getting such a shoot back on track? It hasn‘t really happened to me that much. I guess it would be due to the wrong person(ality) being on the shoot, which I would try to not let happen in the first place, but if it did, it‘s about calming things down as best you can and trying to be diplomatic (which isn‘t my strong suit, but you do your best), or just staying out of it. I guess I would make the cost effort if there was a problem with the model, because that‘s the relationship that defines the how the images turn out.

What is the one thing about the industry that you love and one that you hate? I love the freedom it allows me to hav. It‘s the perfect life basically. I have created a situation where I can eat, sleep, travel, work and do basically everything when and where i want and very few jobs allow that kind of freedom while paying you well. After that there‘s not much to hate.

What‘s the funniest mishap that‘s occurred on a shoot?
It‘s funny I get asked this a lot, and one story sticks in my mind. I was shooting in Ibiza a few year ago, and we were driving between locations in the middle of nowhere, and the model needed to pee, so we stopped at a hardware store, and she was told by the manager that the toilet were round the front but when she went round there, all she saw was porta-loos, so she went in and started to pee. Anyway, mid-pee, one of the staff came round and realized she was peeing in the loos that were actually for sale, and started shouting and screaming (in Spanish), banging on the toilet, and trying to force open the door, and then started rocking the toilet to try to tip her out. She burst out with her pants half down and scrambled into the car as we drove off like we‘d just robbed the place, with the guy chasing the car, cursing, and kicking our doors. It was one of those moments that was scary and funny at the same time.

At this stage in your work, are you 100% satisfied with what you just shot or do you still think about what you could improve or do differently for next time? Sure, there are always things to refine, but I think its not necessarily things you learn from one particular shot or another because each picture is unique, so nothing I did today will be relevant tomorrow, it‘s just whether I got the most out of a particular shoot or not. I never write down how I lit things or try to remember certain things about the shoot, because I wont be in the same moment again in the future, so there isn‘t any point. Using digital helps to get it right on the day anyway, as you can see any potential problems as you go.

Let‘s talk about gear. What camera(s) and lenses do you primarily use? 5dmk2 for 35mm, with 50mm 1.4, 85 1.2, and 1.8 lenses and the 70-200 2.8, and Mamiya 645AFD3 with p30+ (30 megapixel) digital back, with the new leaf shutter lenses. I love them both, very easy, fast and very similar in style and functions so the transition from one system to the other is easy.

Do you shoot digital and/or film?
Now just digital. I‘m a fan I must say, nothing beats the best back and camera in the world, shooting without stopping, and knowing you‘ve got the shot.

With the popularity of digital and airbrushing, what are your feelings about the use or overuse of Photoshop? I love Photoshop. I spend a lot of my life on it but I use it in the way I best feel will bring the image to life, much like working in the darkroom back in the days of film. Infect 30% or so of all the time I spend retouching an image I‘ve shot on digital, is time I send trying to get it looking as much like film as possible. As far as ‚retouching‘, I personally try to leave maximum detail in all my images, which is a major part of beauty photography….and have never ‚airbrushed‘ anything in my life. To me, good retouching is like good plastic surgery, no one should be able to tell what you‘ve done.

What is your post production work flow and what software/hardware do you utilize? Capture one to capture and process, and Photoshop CS3 or CS4 to retouch, using plug-ins like alien skin for grain, and then proofing every image 2 or 3 times during that process so that the final image is perfect. That‘s important as a lot of things are missed on the screen which end up being seen on the print (screens are back-lit so they hide a lot of flaws).

Do you have a preference between studio or location shoots? I like both. I love the controlled lighting that the studio gives, but I love the many different options of shooting on location. On location you can almost turn 90 degrees and have a totally different image. So I love the freestyle element that gives me.

What‘s the most spectacular location you‘ve had the opportunity to shoot at? I love shooting in wide open, deserted places, so Namibia (Africa), Death Valley (USA), and Fraser Island (Australia) are among the most incredible places I‘ve shot. I definitely like the feeling of space in my work, and you won‘t see any houses or trees or things in most of my images for that reason.

What are some of your favorite music tracks to listen to when you are shooting? I love lots of different track and genres of music, so I continually make and refine all my playlists, and choose different ones depending who I‘m working with. Mainly rock, lounge, and mellow house stuff is what I prefer, along as it‘s upbeat and cruisey and doesn‘t disturb peoples creative space. I think music plays a massive part in setting the scene, it‘s the first thing I attend to when I walk into the studio, and always have portable speakers on location.

www.gavinoneill.com

INTERVIEW Bay Kat Brackley
Images: copyright by gavin O´neill
(ISSUE 19)

Interview Gabriel Georges

Music

Gabriel Georges has travelled the world. A real globetrotter. Since his childhood he has lived in different countries and cities. He was born in the capital of Austria, Vienna, and grew up in New Jersey (USA). In America Hip Hop and Pop are the dominant features of the musical landscape. However at the age of 14 he discovered a Mixtape from DJ X-Dream and since then his love for electronic music has developed. After a three-years DJ trip through Asia he has moved back to his birthplace Vienna. So finally Austria has him back. As a DJ he owns the full range, from minimal to chill-out. Driving sets and always connecting with the dancing crowd with a smile….

Lets´start with the fact you were growing up in New Yersey. The electronic scene is very different to the European one. Can you tell us more about it? If talking about the electronic scene, I grew up in a suburb town, 1 hour proximity from NYC, but even NYC‘s relatively close distance from my town was not enough to have a significant influence on our listening ears. Hip Hop and Pop like Dr. Dre and Britney Spears was the thing when I was growing up, but I was odd. Of course I liked the commercial music when I was young, because thats all I knew, but I started my electronic interest at 14, when an ex-raver man from our church showed me a mix tape from Dj X-Dream. Heard of him? He was this trance dj and producer, that twisted my perception on the world. I slowly became exposed to the electronic scene, finding very small communities in my surrounding area that expressed interest in this style of music, which later pulled me in the direction I am in now.

But, New York City as well as other cities I visited and partied are a whole different ballgame. The cultural diversity thrives there, making available a vast variety of different electronic sounds. My only New York City party days were in 2006 for a couple months, before moving off to Bangkok. This was when I just came back from Japan, and my love for Goa was at a high. The clubs were huge, with many different types of people, people you wouldn‘t believe to interact with one another normally on the street or wherever, being in harmony because of one-sole factor: the sound. But to be straight on point, music I feel is a major impact on our culture, coming to a conclusion that every city you go to has a primary focus on one or few different genres. UK is fidget house/drum n‘bass frenzy, Amsterdam and Middle Eastern countries are trance/goa fanatics, Germany with its influence trickling down through Austria, Spain, Italy, France, etc are Minimal freaks as well as electro house, Asians love Goa/Trance/Trip and Hip Hop…and lastly, America is the commerical of it all, having intense influences over the Hip Hop/RnB and Pop scene.

What does music mean to you? I feel music is a representation of one‘s self. Our worlds revolves around whats been heard or danced to. We dress to what we listen to usually, which proves that who we see at specific clubbing events, they have a one-style sense of clothing, but of course, there are the occasional disguised individuals. Music is life, and I feel very fortunate that I am able to give back what it has given me.

With the amount of music coming out these days, DJ‘s and producers have to work even harder now to remain relevant. Has your workload increased in the past number of years as a result? Oh god, you wouldn‘t believe. Hahaha. DJ‘s/Producers are funny creatures, we strive for a sense of individuality, and with new technologies becoming more and more available, bigger possiblities for individualism are repeatedly sought after. We can‘t be all the same, how else will we then be considered artists? And with all the new ideas/styles coming out, we need to work extra hard to find a direction that makes us different from the rest.

I read, you are also working on some of your own production. What direction are they going to be? I love this question. You want my honest answer? I don‘t know. The reason for this is because of my changing of styles as a dj. Recently, I changed to a Berlin-style, which I find very nice to my ears. But, if I produced a track of what I was playing before, then it wouldn‘t be an accurate impression of who I am. I would immediately delete it from my Myspace because of my recent style change. Releasing of tracks is your statement to the world. Its the perfect depiction of you as an artist, and with the constant changing of music genres, I am still searching for that precise expression of my individualism. But don‘t worry, I am not sitting on my ass, of course I have projects I hold close to me, but none at the moment I wish to disclose information about.

Which program do u use for producing? Which one for djing? I am using Ableton for producing, and none for djing. I strictly like hands-on media. But who knows? Ask me again in a couple years.

If you wouldn´t do what you are doing today, what would have been “Plan B”? No no no, there is no Plan B for me. Everything happens with reason. This is it. I was meant to do this, and I would not have it any other way.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Tough call. I would be depressed listing where I want to see myself and reading this in 10 years and not having accomplished what I want accomplished. (Hahaha). Let‘s just say, I will still be on the decks, because I don‘t think my strong bond with djing will fade. And who would give up playing in front of a happy crowd?

Is there anything you are afraid of? You mean failure? Don‘t we all have fear for it? But there is a man that once told me that failure isn‘t failure unless you give up. There is always a comma in between what you have done wrong, and what you have done to fix it.

Were you happy as a child? Yes and no. But, come on, what teenager is truly happy when having no chance for free will?
Do you have any role-model? Or any artists who truly inspires you? Yes, Sven Vaeth. This guy is a legend in my eyes. It isn‘t his music that moved me, its his whole direction. He has accomplished so much in his career and I have so much respect for his highly-reputable record label and top-notch club. These two accomplishments of his are my motivation to strive and overcome my relative goals one day.

What‘s the weirdest thing you‘ve done while playing a gig? I honestly can‘t think of any. There were always out of the ordinary moments, but I can‘t recall anything that really put a stamp in my memory.

One thing you hate about dance music culture? The politics. It‘s not about what you know or done. It‘s about who you know. And to me, that really takes the attention away from talent.
One thing you love about dance music culture? People‘s smiles. Its everlasting joy to hear something live that you have total passion for. And I love seeing these smiles, and smiling back with them. It‘s a wonderful experience that I fortunately have the opportunity to enjoy every weekend.

After hours: yes or no? Yes.

Any last words? We would just have to see through actions.

www.myspace.com/gabrielgeorges

Interview by Christine Guggenberger
Images by Ünal Karahan
(ISSUE 19)

Monthly Archives : June 2010