Lump200 is a Berlin based electro-clash cross act featuring some acoustics (tuba, vibraphone, bass clarinet, vocals) in rather abstract electronic surroundings. In the noughties it startet with some releases on Mentalgroove/Kompakt and on a sub-label of Mo’Wax. Since then Lump200 have been shifting from clubs to theatre and radio stages back to extended studio sessions and started to experiment with participation and trans-medial techniques. Lump200 are questioning the enclosed self-contained work and the separation from stage and floor. What led them to the current project Isles of You, the coming album and web app which both invites you to cooperate and differentiate. Don’t forget to breathe. Lump200 deal with contradictions, are minimalist and maximalist at the same time. Meditation and stress in one and the same garden.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Lump200, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Hey ya, nice to meet you here - I guess my first crush in music was marching music, or dancing as a toddler? I played the recorder in school and with about 9 I could borrow a clarinet, got lessons and soon dove quite deeply into different stuff, classical, rock, pop. I was fostered by quite an eager music teacher between 10 and 15 - I couldn’t see many alternatives but to make music.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Hmm - probably I don’t know the person yet, but it is quite likely that s*he is a drummer. And there are so terribly many good voices. And video directors. If you’d like to hear a name: FKA Twigs
Your latest song is 'I Am The Elephant In The Room'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
It was an erratic process, what is quite usual for me. I think I recorded the vocals in two or three takes and then it took very long till I felt comfortable with the surrounding elements. And what probably fits the topic of the song: Although I feel very cool with the groove of the track, a residue of unease remains.
What are you focussing on right now?
I want to continue following this participation idea - with the app as well as by thinking about feedbacks from the app into real live, into lives, into performance.
What are you most proud of?
I have been very lucky on different levels in my life - so humility is a feeling that is closer to me than pride. But in a way I am proud that against all obstacles I still make music.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
Probably this one: To be compatible with structures without being corrupted and eaten up by them.
How do you structure your day?
Oh it’s rather the other way around: the day structures me.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
When I find the time I’m into swimming, reading, cooking and listening to people who burn for something. As I am not a great fan of the concept of work-life balance, I hope to be able to integrate love, relations, family, work and other basic things in one life.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
If I do it is rather like improvised sound design. Singing with water or under water.
What are your plans for the future?
I would like to find time to think about shows again.