Children’s songs and lullabies aside, my earliest memories of serious music revolve around listening to “I Robot” by The Alan Parsons Project on my father’s stereo when I was about four years old. To this day, it remains one of the best albums I know, overall being clever, diverse, and of high quality. I was then trained in classical violin and classical piano for four years each, which certainly helped my musical understanding but not my creativity. Oddly enough, it was Guitar Hero III that made me want to learn the electric guitar, and it was an unrequited love that led me to write my first songs at 16 years old.
Over the years, my style may have evolved from chord-based ballads (though I dislike using the term “singer-songwriter”) to more complex arrangements involving fingerpicking, odd meters, and unexpected harmonic changes. Nevertheless, problematic love still is the main driving force that compels me to write and record new songs. Conversely, I struggle with making music when things are going well.
Fortunately, not all types of music require one to be sad and dramatic. For a complete picture, I have listed my past and ongoing music projects below.
Imperfektionist
2011 – present
My progressive indie project. For detailed information, please refer to the page below.
ADME
2020 – present
My generative noise project. For detailed information, please refer to the page below.
Boards of Bavaria
2018 – present
Obviously influenced by the iconic Boards of Canada, this is a purely fun project with my talented friend Ole, who, unlike me, is going out on a limb by becoming a professional musician. Sometimes, we discover unique patterns on his modular synth, add a bit of electric guitar, record vocal samples backward, and create unconventional tracks like “Bill0 Eilish,” “B0ll0 Eilish,” or “Bell0 Eilish.” We plan on eventually releasing an album called “B?ll0 Eilish.”
Kernsaniert
2016 – 2022
Kernsaniert was a punk/grindcore project born from my innermost desire to make rough music (aka “metal,” although we never quite reached that point). We were merely a jamming project, rehearsing regularly but never performing gigs or producing any records. Drummer Jonny and bassist Nick, both formerly from Imperfektionist, were regular band members, but we often hired guest musicians and paid them with cheap beer. It was crucial for the project that we switched instruments frequently, which somewhat improved my drumming and significantly damaged my eardrums and vocal cords. I wrote lyrics in advance and shouted them over the improvisations of the others and my electric guitar, resulting in memorable hits such as “Puller Miez Mumu,” “Fickschnitzel mit Pilzen,” “Abstellgleis,” “Menschenhack,” or “Verfickt und zugenäht.” When we were feeling particularly wild (or at least incredibly intoxicated), we performed under the all-caps moniker “RETARDED IMPALER,” taking a much darker lyrical direction with songs like “IDI IRAWADI,” “ONSLAUGH,” or “ULTRAGGH.” Eventually, we moved on from the project.
Fantastic Nightmare
2013 – 2018
Fantastic Nightmare was the rock/hard pop brainchild of my friend Daniel and had existed long before I joined as a bassist. As a power trio alongside drummer Marvin, we recorded the single “Stay Underground” and the EP “We Are Playing Hardpop.” In total, we performed 21 live shows, including band contests in Berlin and a festival in Goleniow, Poland. My time with Fantastic Nightmare significantly contributed to the development of my electric bass skills, and at some point, I transitioned from a four-string to a five-string bass.
Zebra Strypes
2010 – 2011
Zebra Strypes was a rock band formed with friends Jonny, Fabian, and Nils, marking our earliest experiences as a band. While we initially began by covering songs by Green Day, Nightwish, and Oomph!, I started writing my own songs, two of which we recorded at home. Despite our brief time together, we managed to perform several gigs, one of which took place in a school in Sweden. Eventually, creative differences led the band to disband, resulting in the formation of a death metal band and an indie rock band. The latter of these became “Imperfektionist.”
My favorite artists include (but are by no means limited to) ABBA, Agnes Obel, The Alan Parsons Project, Alizée, alt-J, Animals as Leaders, Apoptygma Berzerk, Arc de Soleil, ASP, Avril Lavigne, The Beatles, Billy Idol, Bilmuri, Bloc Party, Boards of Canada, Bomfunk MC’s, The Cardigans, Caroline Polachek, David Maxim Micic, Dead Can Dance, Depeche Mode, DIE!, Die Prinzen, Donny Benét, Doom Pig, Drab Majesty, Dream Theater, Elbow, Electric Six, Esbjörn Svensson Trio, Fazerdaze, Fewjar, Flight of the Conchords, Franz Ferdinand, Green Day, Grey, Grimes, GUNSHIP, Guthrie Govan, H.I.M., Hans Zimmer, Heart, HGich.T, Hillsong United, Icon of Coil, Igorrr, In Extremo, Incubus, Infant Annihilator, Infected Mushroom, Intervals, isn, Jacob Karlzon, Jim Kroft, Jordan Rakei, K.I.Z, Klone, Knorkator, KNOWER, Kodacrome, Lars-Ole Kremer, Lily Allen, Linkin Park, Madonna, Maggie Reilly, Massive Attack, Men I Trust, Meshuggah, Metallica, Metronomy, Monrose, Muse, Nerve, Nightwish, Nine Inch Nails, No Angels, No Doubt, Oklou, Oomph!, Opeth, Ozric Tentacles, Paso Doble, Pendulum, Periphery, Pink Floyd, Plini, Porcupine Tree, Radiohead, Rammstein, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Revocation, Richard Chartier, Rings of Saturn, Robbie Williams, Rush, Röyksopp, Scooter, Second Coming, Sevish, Sleep Token, Steely Dan, Steve Terreberry, Steven Wilson, Sting, Sufjan Stevens, Sugababes, Talk Talk, Tame Impala, Tool, TR/ST, Trentemøller, Unprocessed, Valborg, White Lies, Within Temptation, Yes.