Prommer & Barck

Prommer & Barck are two producers who have made more than their fair share of impact on the global dance scene. Christian Prommer has, amongst other artists, worked closely with DJ Hell as well as on his own famed Drum Lesson sessions, re-imaging the likes of Higher States of Consciousness, Rej and Can You Feel It. Alex Barck on the other hand is one of the founding members of Jazzanova and after recently starting to work together, the duo have launched their own Derwin Records imprint and just released their debut LP. Johanna Knutsson speaks with the duo about the albums production process. 

Download Prommer & Barck's Pulse podcast here:
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Pulse: First of all, big congratulations to the album. Alex: You like it? Good, thank you.

There is a rumour that says you recorded it in 20 days, is that even possible? Alex: Actually, we recorded it in 12 days. Everything around it took a little longer, to mix it down and so on, but the actual recording process itself took only 12 days. We got this great feeling when we started to make music together; there comes a lot of energy from both of us and we had such a good flow when we where working together.

Christian: Yeah, that was great. But we'd prepared for this record over the past couple of years without even knowing it. That’s why it went so fast when it actually happened.

A: Christian’s studio in Munich makes it all very easy. It’s a very comfortable place where you sit down and all the machines are running all the time, so you have the possibilities to go from thought to action straight away. You’re like “Ok lets play some drums here, play some synth here and sing a little bit here.” Everything is available the whole time.

How did you guys spend these 12 days? A: It is very simple; I sleep in the studio. So, the studio is in a basement. I wake up and Christian makes me real good cappuccino from his Italian coffee-machine. I need around two or three before we can start to talk [laughs]. We work between ten in the morning and three in the night. Actually most of the time we listen to old and new music and get ideas and inspiration. Since I am the “collector” of the two of us, I started to record my record-collection so I can always carry it with me and listen to it. This way when Christian talks about an idea he has, I’m sometimes like; “wait I might have something that it can work with or fit into”. Then I play it to Christian, and then we talk more about it and discuss the plan. We are kind of playing ping-pong with our ideas to each other and try to create something that others also can listen to.

The great thing about this production was, that we had no pressure to get something done. We just had a great time playing music together.  

Did you decide to go into the studio and make an album in 12 days, was that the plan? A: Not at all. We knew each other from before, because he has released on my label (Sonar Kollektiv) and one day I needed his help with something on Ableton Live. He is such a studio-wizard so he is very fast and knows exactly how everything works. I can’t remember what it was even, and I gave him some samples that he could show me on. 20 minutes later the track was done. I was very impressed that it turned out so good and that it went so fast. I suggested that we should try to make more music together and he was like; “Sure why not? Come down to my studio and we’ll do something.”

So I did, I went to Munich three times for four days, which makes 12 days. The first song we made in my living room, that same track that he did when showing me in Ableton Live (Submarine Bells). We tried to capture those “impulsive” moments because the problems we find nowadays with computer-music is that you can spend so many hours going back on the track listening and changing too much on it. 




It’s very convenient to work with Christian since he has the ability to make it sound good from the start. We thought that it was a good idea to leave the tracks as they where so we always could stay true to our first ideas. There would probably come up even more ideas for the tracks but we also wanted to leave them as they where for the audience to get some kind of live-ish feeling to them. Nowadays so many things sound the same because of the aesthetic there is in new music, everything has to be very clean and polished. We wanted to go the other direction and let our music be more of a snapshot of what was going on right there and right then in that studio-basement.

That is also the reason for me singing on some of the tracks, I’ve never sung before, It was in the spirit of the moment, after about twenty glass of grappa or something like that. Then I got this brilliant idea, and Christian was like; “yeah go ahead, the mic is on.” My thought was just to sing guidelines for the other vocalists that were going to sing on the record, because I can’t sing at all. But after a while we thought that it wasn’t that bad, and that hey maybe we should use it. We kept it there and I played it for some friends which all thought we should keep it. So now I’m a singer too [laughs].

Do you have other singers on the album too? A: Yes, we had some friends to do the vocals for us. We had some people in mind when we made the songs, although nothing was exactly planned, but it all worked out very well. It was never a big studio-session where we all discussed how we wanted it to sound like. It was the people we asked for vocals that understood us and somehow got the right feeling for the songs, therefore we could leave the songs as they where when they returned to our inbox. We are extremely happy with the result.


We have, for example, James Teej singing on the track “Journey”, which wasn’t even a track from the beginning, since he’s already singing on The Barking Grizzle. We thought that we should leave Journey as a instrumental since DJ Hell wanted to have it for his label and we thought we could use James’ vocals for another track. Therefore we built Journey around the vocals from James. We also got help from Dollkraut, he recorded some vocals for us. That’s also a quite funny story; we contacted him and asked him who did the vocals for his tracks. Nobody, he said, it’s all samples from old acapella. But he just found someone who could sing just like this. We weren’t so sure, but we described our idea for this track “Lovin” and when we got it sent back with that girl’s vocals, it was a miracle to me. Spot on, exactly what I was looking for, I mean even the EQ and everything was just perfect since James recorded it for us.

Who wrote the lyrics on the album? A: When I’m singing it’s my lyrics and when we had other people singing we just gave them directions. When you ask someone to sing for your track you don’t just ask him or her for the vocals, you also ask for an idea because that’s the interesting part of it.

None of the tracks sounds like anything else I’ve heard, they go straight to your heart. You can’t really put any genre or stamp on them? A: I think when you follow us, Jazzanova or Christian, as artists you will notice the little stepping stones that took us to this album. If you see music from the collector’s point of view, you can listen to all kinds of music and be able to appreciate it. When I go to the flee-market I go through almost all sections; from rock via jazz to new-wave, and of course these different genres influences the music making.

You work with your knowledge or input from all kinds of music you listen to at home and then the output somehow comes out in the same way. In our album we really wanted to go all over the place. It’s quite normal for people to enjoy different kinds of music, right? You probably have your favourite James Brown, Elvis, George Michael or your favourite Kraut-music even. DJ’s are perhaps a little more focused on what they collect though. Anyway, I think there is a big connection between the old and the new in our style of music.

C: Oh yeah, that's why we call it "Earth Boogie Dance"

It takes a bit of courage to start to mix genres like that, though? A: No, I think it happens all the time, that people go through journeys between different genres. I mean when you check out some kids iPod you find 6000 tracks, all coming from different artists and styles of music. Somehow it makes it easier for them to create something completely new and interesting since they have access to all of these influences without having to go through flee-markets and collecting obscure records for several years; they have Internet.

So do you get more secure the longer you make music or DJ and eventually stop caring what other people think about what you do? A: No, I’m still afraid of course. If I think “yes” but everyone else says “no”, then it’s impossible to not care. First of all you have to do music for your own sake and to make yourself happy. It’s nice to create things. Then you need to share your music and all of a sudden you’re in the spotlight and people have expectations. This is the difficult part. When I read bad reviews or articles about the album I can’t stop thinking about it for months, I take it very personally. For example I had a little discussion with a German journalist about a review and he told me not to take it personally. What does that mean? Of course I take my music personally, it’s very important to do that.

What got you in to music from the first place? A: I grew up in East Berlin where we didn’t really have the chance to buy records. We had American and British radio stations that I listened to, and a German show with Monika Dietel. I think she was the biggest influence for all the East Germans who became artists and DJ’s after that. She played a crazy mix of HipHop, Disco and Electro which no one did back then. Listening to the radio made me hungry for new music, so when the wall came down my fridge was empty all of a sudden since I spent all of my money on records instead.

The girlfriend I had at that time told me that I had to make some money too, not only spend it [laughs]. She told me that I should start to DJ, but I refused. Then I got an offer to play at a small club in Berlin and they also offered good money, so I did it. That was the beginning. This was 1991, and then one day the promoter form Delicious Doughnuts (a very famous club in Berlin back then) asked me if I wanted to play at their club. It was my biggest dream and I was like; “Ohmygod,it can’t get better then this!” So I started to play there, and at that place I also found the guys that I started Jazzanova with. The guys that are engineers and studio-people for Jazzanova now, used to go to that club and listen to music.

We always played everything in a crazy mix; jazz, brasil mixed with drum&bass and everything that was somehow black-rooted music. All of a sudden the white music got interesting too, like folk and rock-records. The music became less and less focused on one style, which almost only the English and Japanese people understood at this point. They understood what it was all about, to mix and combine different genres into something good. It was difficult for us in Berlin at this point because everything was very techno and very strict and minimal. But we managed and somehow and it worked anyway.
I think it’s the same kind of vibe in the city of Berlin now as it was back then, I mean all the new little clubs like Kleine Reise or Soju bar, I really like those places. There you can still play those weird records from your collection and it’s more about listen to music and to have a good time together. It’s getting a bit more hippie here again.

C: I got in drumming when I was 11 years old. Phil Collins`song In The Air Tonight was a massive track for me. I took lessons but got sent home by my music teacher with the advice to stop making music. Then I got a new teacher who sat me down before we played and made me listen to records by Weather Report, Billy Cobham, Steve Gadd and Steps Ahead. That changed my world!I discovered that drumming is connected to making music. Since then I was obsessed with rhythm, drums and beats. Playing in bands and going to a lot of concerts was my mission. At the same time I was always interested in new technology. So, when the commodore C64 came out I got one with a midi card and started to program simple tracks. Those two interests, drumming and the technology led to producing beats on drum machines and samplers.

Was DJing your first job? Or have you had another job that didn’t involve music? C: My first real job was at a brewery in Munich. Schlepping Beer barrels. I was 16.

A: Well, I was studying psychology and engineering before. I had to end that and let the music take over. I was only sleeping in class anyways, since we where travelling so much once we finally started to produce. We toured and went all over the world to play music.


I’m really happy that I made that decision to make a living out of music instead, and that we founded Sonar Kollektiv as a platform for us to stand on. It has been 20 years of madness and fun but I feel a bit old when I think back on it. 20 years is a long time you know.

Experience is only a good thing though isn’t it? For me music was always interesting when it made an impact on me, or when it makes you start appreciate other sorts of music. For example; Beastie Boys opened the possibilities for the whole sample-industry and it was very interesting for me when I was younger. When we make music with Jazzanova we always have the feeling that we have to make people interested in new things, music-wise. For instance all of these Ultimate Breaks & Beats-records, they where not only there for sampling, they where also a big inspiration. Suddenly you heard music you’ve never heard before. We always try out something new but at the same time try to make it accessible for everyone. Club music is a perfect example of this. Bootsy Collins said, “shake your ass and your mind will follow” and that is so very true. You are on the dance-floor and you can dance to the same beat and groove for hours in the same tempo. All of a sudden you can integrate a lot of subtle information in the music. For me those are the greatest DJs; those who manage to combine totally different music but with a great flow, like Larry Levan for example. This is a kind of art form for me that also I try to manage; although sometimes it works better then others [laughs].


"Shake your ass and your mind will follow" - Bootsy Collins

Of course it’s a question of what the crowd is like and what mood you are in, but when everything comes together in a good vibe you can start to play “real” music to the people. I remember in the beginning, when Jazzanova was known for our Brazilian vibes and influences and we started to go more electronic, we still kept this Brazil feeling in the music. Not too obvious with a whistle and samba-beats of course, but the groove was still there. People came up to me afterwards to tell me how they never thought they would like this kind of music, but now they wanted to know names of records and artist that they could look up.


This is the purpose of the DJ, or the power that the DJ have; to make people think differently about music and to make sure people have a good time. The DJ should always be aware of this and always try to find a good collection to bring for his set. I mean you find thousands of releases every year and the normal person can’t stand a chance to even get to listen to all that is released. Our job is to find the best tracks considering you own personal taste and be able to stand for something so the audience know what to expect from the DJ. You hear the name Richie Hawtin and you immediately think of his music style, you hear Jazzy Jeff and you think of another style. This is something that is being ignored nowadays by both new DJs and audience. If you think for yourself now, where do you want to go when you go out? You want to go somewhere where many people go, and where people share your ideas. A DJ has the possibilities to pull these people together depending on what he plays and his personality. As soon as he does this, he will be successful and people will come when he plays, the right people for him.

What do you prefer to do then; DJ or produce? C: Both. In the studio you make music. When you dj/play , you go to the place where the music lives. That is very good to keep the balance. I love to travel, it’s the best. [Laughs]
 
A: DJing and producing go hand in hand I think, you can’t do one without the other. I love to DJ but I actually hate to travel.

That’s a bad combo... A: Yes, it wasn’t like this in the beginning but now. I don’t know, when you are on tour and you play in so many different places, don’t catch any sleep at all and then two weeks later it’s all over. When I’m in the club playing, I love it so much and I would never change my job to something that brings more money because it can never be more fun. I just hate the travelling.

Something I’ve noticed Alex, is that you always seem to collaborate with different people; you don’t like to work by yourself? I could probably work more on my own, but it’s not so much fun I guess. I need the input from other people and to have fun and talk during the process. When I do music I cannot do it with someone I don’t like, it has to be a friend. I prefer being surrounded by people.

With Jazzanova the best tunes were the ones that were compromises among us. In a way I’m also jealous of people who can do the one-man-show and do everything by themselves, but it ain’t for me.

And now you have taken a step back from Jazzanova? Not really, it’s just that the club-music that I stand for in Jazzanova isn’t there right now; it has turned more into something you listen to at home. With Christian I can bring it back a little more, into the new world of club music.

I also think for Christian it’s interesting to work with someone who has the experience from Jazzanova, since I work with other ideas to him or perhaps DJ Hell, I think Christian is very open for new ideas. He doesn’t only want to do his own thing, which is exactly how a producer or musician should be. We’ve know each other for almost 15 years now.

I saw the video from when you played at Weekend and "wow" you can see that you guys enjoy what you are doing together. C:I think this is a new way of presenting our music with the dj side in mind,  but also very improvised. We never play the same set twice.

A: I wouldn’t call it live really, people are used to using this word. We use Ableton Live where all the songs and effects are, I sing and Christian plays drums. He has these electronic drum-set where he can play all the elements from the tracks live on the pads. That’s it, more like a extended DJ-set. Live for me is a proper band.

What kind of equipment do you have in your studio? A: In the studio? Oh, in Christians studio there is tons of stuff… A computer, some old gear and tons of drums since he is a drummer originally. The normal setup I guess?

C: Vintage Drums and Keys combined with Logic and Ableton software.

And do you play any instruments? A: I can’t play any instrument particularly well, but I can play all instruments badly [laughs].

What are the plans for the future for Prommer& Barck? We just started our label Derwin Recordings which is at the moment a white piece of paper that we are trying to paint a nice picture on. We just signed a very nice track by a German electronic pioneer Walter Quintus. I found this very good track from the eighties and we also tracked down the guy who made it, so there will be edits by Lexx and Psychemagick coming soon. Then we have some remixes coming with Peter Kruder and another 12” with Kink and San Soda. There is also a new exiting project where we are going to make versions of Waka Waka, you know this track by Shakira?

Yes..? Have you also heard that she has stolen the composition from an 80’s record from Cameroon? The guy who made the original has a nephew who teaches at the same school as my wife here in Berlin. We found out by accident, and he owns the rights to this track. So now there is a Prommer& Barck Waka Waka coming out soon [laughs].

That sounds amazing! There is a lot of fun stuff coming out, e.g. a remix for a new Swedish label ran by Mad Mats and another remix for Alexander Meier and a Timo Maas remix. Actually, what we want to do the most right now is to go back to the studio after the summer and record a new album. There are so many ideas in our heads so why not put them on a record? 

Johanna Knutsson

Pulse.027 - Prommer & Barck tracklisting:
01. Quintus Project-Night flight ( Alex Barck edit )-Derwin recs.-unreleased
02. Hugh Masekela-Stimela ( Jazzanova RMX beatless )-Universal
03. Prommer & Barck-Gladys Knight ( Alex Barck RMX )-Derwin recs
04. Jeremy Glenn-New Life ( Alex Barck RMX )-Future Classics
05. Christian Prommer-Sleepy Hollow ( Alex barck RMX )-!K7
06. Prommer & Barck-Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde-Derwin recs
07. Nicolay-Lose your way ( Alex Barck RMX )-CDR
08. Alexander Meier-Hesslach ( Prommer & Barck RMX )-Moodmusic
09. Prommer & Barck-Journey ( Kink RMX )-Derwin recs
10. Jazzanova-Little Bird ( Alex barck RMX )-CDR
11. Prommer & Barck-Everything ( Prommer & Barck RMX )-Derwin recs
12. Zangalewa vs. Prommer & Barck-Waka Waka-Derwin recs.
13. Popol Vuh-Haram Derei ( Alex barck RMX )-SPV

Prommer & Barck on Pulse Radio