Ellen Allien: The belle of Berlin

Created On by JackT

Juggling the roles of producer, DJ, label boss and fashion designer, Ellen Allien is a singular talent. This weekend she makes her long-belated Australian debut for We Love Sounds, and you can expect a “rough, speedy, groovy, sweaty” trip. And she seems to thrive on a full schedule. She’s just issued her fourth solo album Sool, an abstract, stripped-down collection of machine music. It captures the producer at her most daring and experimental, something she credits partly to collaborator AGF. Then there’s Boogybytes Vol. 4, Allien’s recent entry in the acclaimed mix CD series from her own BPitch Control label. It’s a consummate snapshot of a Sunday morning in Berlin’s Panoramabar; deep, druggy and a little unhinged. She’s every bit as audacious a DJ as she is a producer.

With two major releases in the first half of 2008, you’d forgive Allien some downtime. Luckily for us, she’s opted for the opposite. ITM’s Jack Tregoning speaks to the BPitch boss on the eve of her tour.

It’s quite an exciting time for you – the Boogybytes mix has been well-received and you have a new album, Sool, out. Does Sool reveal a new side to Ellen Allien after Orchestra Of Bubbles?

Yes, of course! It has been my first approach towards achieving a conceptual album. I intended to produce something minimal, which is elegant, abstract and dedicated nevertheless. It was a good opportunity to do that with the help of my co-producer AGF, who enabled me to follow that approach. It is my fourth album too, and I am really proud of the result. It feels good to be an established size in the electronic network, where people allow me to follow my own path and creativity without restricting me in any direction. But techno still is the overarching topic…

You worked with another Berlin musician AGF on the record. Did she have a profound influence on the sound of Sool?

Yes! She is one of my favorite producers, by the way. And she is known for her very reduced and abstract sound, with spoken words and poems above the sound. Working with her has been a good exchange, because her sound is more in the mids than mine and I bring the concepts for the bassline. And she pushed me to be more abstract and reduced. But I also did one track with Apparat and one with Holger Zilske from Smash TV.

Is collaboration something you’re very comfortable with? Is there an element of compromise when you work alongside someone else?

Yes, I love collaboration. Without exchange and communication nothing is possible for me in life. And it broadens my musical language, of course. I am very open and the producers are always welcome to develop their understanding of music and the Allien sound together with me.

How different was the process of collaborating with AGF from the music you’ve made with Apparat?

Hmm…Antye has a totally different concept of music than Apparat. But both are quite arty, in their own terms. With Apparat it has been a very fruitful experience for both of us to play live. We had this already in mind when we did the album. With Antye it has been quite professional and more timed, because she is a mother and needs to structure and organise her days more than we have to do. And she brought a more subtle emotional aspect into the tracks, because that’s what I love most in her music!

On your website, you give a very evocative run-through of each track on Sool. Something that stands out is the everyday influence of your home Berlin. Is there an indivisible relationship between the city and your music?

The first seconds on the album, in the first track Einsteigen, they are Berlin! It is a recording of the tram that goes from Alexanderplatz, one of the central stations in Berlin. And Alexanderplatz is not only a node in the public transport, but also in the cultural and social live. It connects us. And that’s also my understanding of Berlin: it is a node in a worldwide network of communication and creativity.

Berlin has become so international within the last years, that it would be ridiculous just to refer to Berlin as Berlin. So many artists and young people from all over Europe and US come here and shape the sound and the picture of the city. Berlin became a synonym for that melting pot. And it is still my home and my favorite place to live in. But I also travel a lot. Sometimes I am more outside of Berlin than inside, actually. So I also have a very broad picture of the world and Berlin within. I love to think in global terms.

You’ve been intimately tied to Berlin for so many years. Is it always changing? Do you see the electronic music scene growing stronger?

Yes, yes, yes! That’s the best thing about Berlin; that it is always changing. And becomes better and better, when you think in networking terms. And of course the scene is growing, but not only in Berlin. Even here you have to view it in a global perspective. Young producers do a different sound today. And they all benefit from the building up of structures we did in the last 10, 15 years. At the beginning there was nothing, and now we are all connected and communicating.

You say in your description of album track MM, “I like it this way in the clubs: intertwined, electronically, reduced.” Is it rare for you to get that feeling from a club? Is it only on the really special nights?

No, not so rarely in fact. This description also could fit to my favorite Berlin club: Panoramabar/Berghain. I love it weird, technoid and deep.

Your Boogybytes CD is quite distilled and minimal, with the occasional rush of warmth. Do you aim to create those tonal contrasts in your DJ sets?

Sometimes. When I do DJ sets I am more into communicating with the crowd. I react to them. I can never say before a set what I will play actually. Of course this is limited by the selection of records I carry with me, but I am always open and try to interact with the crowd, the club, the ambience. When I do mix CDs like the Boogybytes I try to present my favorite records, to create some kind of voyage. It is not so much about my skills as a DJ. I try to emphasise the productions, which I really love and that represent a certain place in time. Boogybytes shows my last summer, which has been awesome.

It seems you’re paring back your sound and revealing darker, more abstract shades – the more streamlined approach is even noticeable between Fabric 34 and Boogybytes. Is that a conscious change?

No. Both mixes were done with a different task in mind. The Fabric mix aims to capture my DJ sets at night – very rough, speedy, groovy, sweaty – whereas Boogybytes is not attached to a certain time.

What’s coming up for Bpitch Control? Is it a challenge to juggle your commitments as a label boss with your creative life?

No, because I have a very good team in the office. They enable me to do all my activities. I am just someone who holds the threads together, but I love my team. We are a family and everyone supports each other. I am so proud of what we have achieved within the last 10 years. We signed new artists such as Thomas Muller (Paris/Berlin), Chaim (Telaviv) and Lee van Dowski (Genève). It is important to stay modern, especially in sound.

You’re touring Australia for the first time in June with your BPitch Control labelmates Modeselektor. Do you have an idea of what to expect when you come down here?

Ah, a lot of fun! And I am so curious about Australia. Thanks for your support, by the way.

Catch Ellen Allien doing it “weird, technoid and deep” at the following shows.

Friday 6 June – Beck’s Fusions Presents The Berlin Sessions, Shape, Perth
Saturday 7 June – We Love Sounds Melbourne, Shed 4
Sunday 8 June – We Love Sounds Sydney, Hordern Pavilion and surrounds
Sunday 8 June – We Love Sounds After-Party Numero Duo, The Cross/Bourbon/Bunker, Sydney