
Music & Interview
Nendza
Introduction:
Nendza … young DJ and producer discovered by Ressort Imprint’s A&R Ekserd
Interview:
(Promo picture of Nendza)
But electronic music always grabbed my attention the most, wherever I heard it, for example in movie soundtracks like the Matrix or Blade. But in Bremen electronic music is not that popular, so my „that’s it“ moment was in Berlin in 2013. During the promotion job I told you about, I met a guy I already knew from school in Bremen. We became friends and he told me about „real techno”. His voice always had something mysterious when he talked about it. In Bremen, most of the people call anything from plastic/minimal Tech House to Electro Swing „Techno“ – but „Techno“, so he told me, would be „different here“, meaning in Berlin. I was intrigued and very anxious to experience it and so I asked him to show me what he was on about – like Berghain and his vinyl collection. After that there was no question – techno completely caught me, I was hooked and I knew immediately that I wanted to do this. This was where I can live out the more „unconventional“ side of myself. It felt like where I always wanted to be, where black and gloomy is natural, it’s not that much about emotions, it‘s more like atmosphere-over-emotions for me, it’s my personal definition of what it does and means to me.
(promo picture of Nendza)
My uncle made movies and then there is my little sister. That’s all, no more people in my family. Small but very special and very good. So my family had a very significant effect on me, because there was art and music all around me, everyday.
My mom also lives life her very own way. From her I learned that there is no good without bad, I think the music I make, which often originates from the bleak shadows of myself, is the best therapy one could get and in the end it promotes the bright, shiny sides of live.
(promo picture of Nendza)
I listened to every single track on the label and simply knew „that’s it, I will send my first official demo to this label.“ Fortunately it worked! I wrote a little letter about myself and my love for music, accompanying some of my tracks. Tim aka Ekserd wrote me back and asked me to make some more tracks.
When we had the first version of the EP in early 2018, he told me that it will at least be about a year until the actual release, so I asked him if I may work on the tracks until we reach the time-limit – so we could have the best result and tracks that fit the labels sound perfectly. That brings me to the question about my workflow. I produce literally every day. I breathe records. So I am definitely the producer who has tons of unreleased stuff, but I also delete a lot of it to have the most space and room for new ideas and to not be stuck with an old idea. The way I produce my tracks changes from day to day. I love experimenting. Sometimes I start with just noise and try to sequence it in an interesting way, sometimes I start with a kick drum, which I guess is the more the conventional approach.
If you don’t have a good financial background or start as a DJ, you likely will not have access to a big studio and you have to learn how to get the most out of the very little tools you have. like cheap plug-ins. You have to be very creative and well-versed in sound design to get a great result. Fortunately, from time to time I was able to buy a great synth and a drum machine while I produced the EP, so just at the right time. I felt as if I had wings with the new gear, so much more bandwidth and these gourmet, raw, more organic, vibrating sounds. But I learned in the years of having nothing more than a laptop that you can create masterpieces with nearly nothing – it’s about the emotions, not about the gear. I bought the Arturia Matrixbrute and the Analog Rhythm mk2, which I heavily used on my upcoming release. Because of this background I prefer a hybrid of digital and analogue equipment – sound design and so called „designer-techno“ fascinates me a lot.
I enjoyed the process of creating my own interpretation of a labels sound, but there will soon be a label of my own, for sure. It’s one of my main goals to simply do what I want. I set myself high creative standards when it comes to releases, which I think I can only fulfill on my own label.
(snippets of Nendza’s EP “Divulge”, out soon on Ressort Imprint)
The problem in Bremen is, that the local government doesn’t exactly make it easy to start a club or even rent space for parties, that‘s one of the reasons why many young people move to other cities.
In Leipzig, the scene seems more advanced, both musically and in terms of promotion and selection and bookings. There are also a lot of underground parties – in basements, houses or open airs. It’s kinda easier to network. The people are really open-minded and happy to take you through the night. Maybe it’s because there are really a lot of venues for this size of a city – many young people come to Leipzig because of the good club scene. It is huge relative to the size of the city and if you look at the line-ups at Distillery, IFZ or Mjut, you will see that the quality is very similar to bookings in Berlin. In Leipzig, „awareness clubbing“ also seems to be pretty much established. Most clubs and partys create a safe spaces for the LGBTQI Community and promote these policies, which is in turn reflected in the mindsets of the audience. So in clubs, politics are an important issue – just like the music is. It‘s 50/50. „Saferclubbing“ is also part of most club concepts in Leipzig, which means that you will get help from trained personal who known exactly what to do if you have taken the wrong pills, someone bothers you or if any other problems occur. They also promote these ideals in local politics.
(artwork of RSI013’s B side label)
(full stream of Nendza’s “Anvil”, taken from RSI013)
(promo picture of Nendza)
(promo picture of Nendza)
10. Stratosphere by Thomas Hessler (IMF)
This brilliant Track touches me in a euphoric way. I just feel confident when I listen to it, it gives me courage. The virtuous rhythmic patterns, the impressive, aspiring vibe.
09. She Showed Me Heaven (Radial Remix) by Luke Slater (Mote-Evolver)
Driving, surprising laser sounding clubtool what energizes my to the limit. And I have to say it‘s just cool.
08. Calm Down by Answer Code Request (MDR)
It‘s impossible to describe what I feel when I listen to it and that‘s one of the reasons why it‘s that great for me.
07. Gospel Two by Johannes Heil (Odd Even)
Groovy dubby track, kind of ascendental atomshere, just awesome.
06. Dust (Tessela Remix) by Alex Smoke (R&S)
Heavy breakbeat, for me that‘s timeless, cutting edge
05. Tubular Bells (Oldfield) by Levon Vincent (Novel Sound)
Touches me in the deepest sense and the arrangement is really interesting.
04. Phantom Studies by Dettmann | Klock (Ostgut Ton)
For me this is just genius and not just a techno track, it‘s a techno song. I really enjoy this one while drinking my coffee, smoking a cigarette and just listen, but it also works in clubs, that‘s something I appreciate a lot.
03. Yasur by Fixeer (Tsunami)
This is the kind of ecstasy I need during a long, dark night , drives me crazy.
02. I Against I by Massive Attack feat. Mos Def (Melankolic)
A lot of trip-hop hooked me in my young years, this one has great lyrics and a killer-flow.
01. Edouard (Kareem Rework) by Blind Delon (Oraculo)
Very charismatic kind of techy darkwave track.
Well, it‘s not really a Top 10, I couldn’t do this chronologically. These are important songs to me that I often listen to to get certain emotional benefits.
(stream of Answer Code Request’s “Calm Down”, taken from MDR018)
Photos by Maike Nendza (Nendzart)
Recommendations:
Nendza’s “Divulge” on Ressort Imprint
all stuff on Ressort Imprint
Exclusive Mix:
Tracklist of Exclusive Mix:
01. Isorine – Introspektiv Indeldning
02. Conforce – Black Mesa
03. Ntogn – Samten
04. Antonio De Angelis – Incrisis
05. Svecra – Nida
06. Bastian Balders – Rabea
07. Jamaica Suk – Pan Oramance
08. Groof – Empatico Iim
09. Viels – Rhyuski Grhosour
10. Izaru – Refused To Be Found
11. Luis Flores – Negative Pressure
12. Roll Dann – Intencion
13. Silvershower – Ice Fractions
14. Temudo – Longe
15. Juda 931 – Sleep
16. P.E.A.R.L – Infinite Stars
17. Strck – Type Type (Hector Oaks Remix)
18. Juan Sanchez – Morcilla
19. Kill Ref – His Sequenced
20. Hiroaki Lizuka – HH2 (Endlec Remix 1)
21. SVT – Subterrane A Realm
22. Dark Matter – Crystal Geometry
23. D-leria – End Of Line
24. Jokasti – Nek Pulsar
25. Fixeer – Yasur
26. Chris Shape – Shidevar
27. Illnurrse – Rubber
28. Uncrat – A Present For My Plant
29. Ontheground – Eternal Beings
30. Advanced Human – Swallowtail
31. Linkan Ray – Amok
32. Dold – Shutdown
33. Nimmo – Contradiction
34. Kareem – Hinrich
35. Asymptote – No Truth
36. Farizio Rat – Lupu
37. Borai – Dark Of The Sun
38. H4l – Disc 2 Dysnomia
Websites:
Nendza
Ressort Imprint
