The fourth edition of the Summer Daze compilation from Suol arrives June 24th and it’s packed with all the finest vibes Berlin has to offer! Label stalwart Fritz Kalkbrenner provides a delectable summer jam for the occasion in collaboration with vocalist Meggy, which you can hear exclusively on When We Dip today. The release offers a supreme ensemble of sunshine records from the German institution, also featuring the likes of Kyodai, Larse and Atjazz. We caught up with label founders Chopstick & Johnjon this week to get the lowdown on the sun-drenched VA and all the goings on at the imprint. Enjoy!
WWD: Thanks for joining us guys!
Thanks for having us!
WWD: Tell us what did you have for breakfast this morning?
I (chopstick) had 2 eggs sunny side up and some bread and fruits.
John wasn’t feeling breakie this morning.. I think the gallons of beer John had the night before is a partial breakfast.. ha ha!
Usually John and I go for avo on toast on sourdough bread with baby spinach and poached egg. We got hooked on it on our last Australian tour… soooo good!
WWD: Aside from eating what’s the first thing you both like to do when you wake up?
Go to 19gr. which is a coffee place right in front of our studio and I have a double espresso whilst John is going for a soy latte…
I’m a total coffee nerd and this is by far the best coffee place in Berlin.. the staff is super nice and that makes the coffee taste even better!
WWD: Berlin as a city, is it still as stimulating as ever?
We’ve both been living in Berlin for over 10 years now and it is an incredibly fast moving city.
You can say it’s not as ‘wild’ as back then anymore but we are getting older as well so I guess we are all just growing up together.
WWD: Suol has become quite an institution in Germany and internationally. Looking back on its development. What have been the key inputs for developing a healthy outfit such as this?
I think the main thing was, and still is, to build a professional platform for our artists so they can focus on their creative process. As an artist you need an unoccupied mind so u can function the best and that is what we are trying to provide.
WWD: You’ve spoken before about your apprehension to taking on too many new artists. In your opinion, what kind of responsibility does a label have to the artists it has signed?
Well, as mentioned above we feel obligated to give our artists space to grow. We always say: We build the stage for you; you just have to go on and perform. And for that to work we need to keep the amount of artists we bring on small so everybody gets his or her attention.
WWD: In your eyes what is the one characteristic that all Suol artists share?
A good spirit I’d say …
WWD: On a personal note as artists, where does your focus lie for the coming months?
We just started a new project with our studio neighbour Lovebirds where we just basically do jam-sessions and record them. We already made one track and it was so much fun that we will get back to that in the next couple of weeks. Also, we started working on a new EP for the end of the year. Lots to come…
WWD: The fourth edition of the Summer Daze compilation arrives later this month. Has that been keeping your days busy recently?
It did keep us busy at the beginning of the year… writing emails to our artist friends and making sure they keep the deadline etc..
Now our work as the compilers is done and our Suol team in the office is taking over with the promo coordination, release scheduling etc…
WWD: Does the latest installment differ from the previous editions?
It’s always the same concept every year. We try and find exclusive tracks that have summer vibe… it’s not a necessity though. The content of this year’s Summer Daze is very special to us. We’re super happy that we got tracks by some of our favourite artists such as Atjazz or Kyodai. Some new artists like Planet Jackson made it also onto the compilation along with the usual suspects like Tuff City Kids, Nils Penner and the Suol roster.
WWD: What kind of process goes on behind the assembling of a VA like this?
It starts by contacting the artists we like to see if they are on board. Usually artists don’t really give their best tracks for a compilation but at Suol, we don’t compromise and are very persuasive… that’s why we end up with a great compilation… each track deserves to be in the spotlight. Once we’ve talked to all artists involved, they deliver the pre-masters at a certain deadline. Then it goes to our mastering engineer Hans Frage who is basically part of the Suol sound. Once we have all masters and the final artwork, we’re starting the DJ and online promotion with our partner agencies… and then day X arrives and it’s available to the public. It’s a pretty simple process but it does consume quite a bit of time.
WWD: Can you describe the ideal Berlin situation/location for listening?
Anyone who’s been to Berlin in the summer knows that there plenty of great locations… one of them being the Club and Open Air space Sisyphos. We’re taking over the open air area of Sisyphos on Sunday July 24th, so it doesn’t get any better than that does it? Listening to the Suol Summer Daze played by the actual Suol artists 🙂
Summer Daze 2016 – Release Date: June 24th – Pre-Order: http://apple.co/28JoRSu
Suol: http://www.suol.com/
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