Brothers Sebastian and Daniel Selke and Kyoto‑born Midori Hirano are Berlin‑based producers and artists who have come together to produce a collaborative album called Split Scale. The concept behind the record is simple — each piece follows the Western scale of A to G from beginning to end — but the results are deep and varied.
At the moment I can’t stop listening to
Midori Hirano: If I had to pick one, Lucrecia Dalt’s soundtrack album The Baby would probably be my choice. I love the weirdness of her sound, which still manages to sound pop. Even though it was made as a soundtrack for the TV series, it is full of her signature sounds — her weird vocals, warm merengue‑like rhythmic grooves.
Sebastian Selke: Twin Color, a solo project from Mexican producer Murcof. I’ve been following Murcof’s modular‑experimental soundscapes for many years now. On his first EP as Twin Color he built this futuristic‑nostalgic ambience around the voice of his young daughter Alina, and that really impressed me. My daughter Alma is currently trying her hand too, mostly at the cello. The EP was very inspiring for both of us.
Daniel Selke: The Guatemalan artist Mabe Fratti’s Será Que Ahora Podremos Entendernos is, like all of her previous albums, a revelation for us. I think she succeeds at the almost unique balancing act of giving accessible song structures a sufficiently exciting experimental aesthetic. On top of this is her rudimental cello playing which follows an ideal all its own. Just recently, Sebastian, his five‑year‑old daughter Alma and I were lucky enough to attend a concert by Mabe in Berlin. All three of us were blown away.
The artist I’d most like to collaborate with
MH: After making this collaborative album Split Scale with the wonderful Brueder Selke, I’d like to keep myself open to more unknown possibilities rather than hinting at my musical expectations by mentioning any artist’s name!
S: We’ve been admiring Laura Cannell for a long time. We love music that is able to transport the audience to another time while remaining absolutely contemporary. Just her changing repertoire of instruments — and her voice — move us every time.
D: We’re also big fans of the Lippok brothers. They founded the band and platform Ornament & Verbrechen in East Berlin in 1983. With their groundbreaking art and electronic music, they influenced not just the underground music scene but the entire art scene of the late GDR years, as well as contemporary movements in Europe after 1990.
The first thing I look for in a studio
MH: It really depends on what I want to do that day. It can be modular synths, which I’ve been into for a couple of years, if I want to try something new. Or it could be a piano, if I just want to practise or if I have some specific ideas about what I want to record with it. It could also be a keyboard synthesizer like the Casiotone 701 for some warm analogue organ‑like sounds, or the Microkorg XL for a sharper digital bass sound.
S: We pursue everywhere and always a free creative spirit. Sometimes a special cable is all it takes to bring inspiration. Or custom‑made pots on an analogue console. Or an engraving on an instrument!
D: Yes, we are particularly interested in instruments. We also love studio technology, but...
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