Interview: Roberto Beseler Maxwell
Roberto Beseler Maxwell
Could you introduce the concert series?
Soft Rotation
The soft rotation concert series is an initiative born out of the sound department of the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne (KHM), and so far has taken place primarily in the 674FM venue in Südstadt, Cologne. We deal with time-based sound performances encompassing practices, actions, computer music, electronics, acoustic music and audio-visual. The group is formed by students Chaya Shen, Christopher Theophanous, Jannika Loesche, Chanmin Kim, Dennis Aycicek, Ting-Chun Liu & Pedro A. Ramírez.
We embrace rotation as our core concept, which can be found in various aspects of our initiative. Building a concert is far beyond curating performances, we rotate our roles including curation, communication, scheduling, writing, catering, poster design, sound mixing, video & audio recording, stage lighting and even performing ourselves. Our workflow remains dynamic, and we maintain transparency with one another about the tasks we each undertake.
RBM
How has it been until now, could you reflect on last concerts and activities?
SR
Making editions each month has been challenging, but still a continuous learning process for everyone. As we slowly build up a working routine, it is nice to see how things evolve. Within our group, we are also growing our shared knowledge. For example, there are no fixed positions in terms of sound mixing, artist communication or other preparations. While some might have obtained more experience in certain roles than others, rather than keeping it static, we share those positions and help each other gain experiences. All the tasks and roles are fostered organically. If someone wants to learn how to live mix a band, there is a place to do so. If someone prefers to care for the invited guests, have a go.
One could say we use the rotation concept in our inner circle, too. This keeps us all flexible, which is crucial for us to operate with our full commitment and spirits. We once had a situation where one member of our team, who regularly did sound mixing, went on stage so that he couldn’t do the mixing. Gladly since we share the positions, another member interested in the part could take it from there. Those kind of situations show us how each of us can rely on each other and take our roles seriously. This mentality has also been reflected by our guests who would give us the feedback of having a good time and feeling supported by our team.
In terms of the evenings themselves, the theme of each edition sometimes comes from the embedded designed concept in the poster, or simply accrued by the performing artists. Often times the concept began with small jokes, then we try to materialise it with light design, playlist and decors. The embodiment of the concept also sometimes applies to the performances. During one of the evenings, which coincidentally coincided with Valentine’s Day, we prepared love songs from various contexts in our in-between playlist, and the guests also embedded the concept of love in their performances.
Those kind of decisions are always something we embrace and cherish. Since each rotation is shaped by the diverse nature and composition of the lineup, it has delivered a range of experiences to the space. People from our collectives have various tastes, which brings various approaches to sound. Audiences could expect soothing melodic guitar performances to more experimental soundscapes, performative positions, DJ sets, and who knows? Sometimes, even action-based performances that interact with the audience.
RBM
How do you think about curation? Is it a term you use?
SR
Yes, there is a curation happening in terms of dramaturgy or order rather than sound-wise. We started in a loose way, being often guided by feelings, but have slowly grown a bigger sense of the importance of curation in the realm of time-based arts. We want to build an environment that fosters a smooth dynamic between the different levels of experience the members of the series bring. You’ll see people doing conceptual participative performance art, rock’n’roll affairs, alongside skilled keyboard techno bangers. Some lineups may feel more harmonious, while others bring more tension and contrast. Our challenge is how to find a smooth atmosphere for both to coexist. However, it’s all part of an ongoing process of growth and exploration. Initially our group was conformed primarily by diverse students that felt that engaging in the local scene was highly complex, so we try to have some slight guidelines that span including gender/nationality/background diversity and we always try to include at least someone that is not affiliated to our art school, to ignite the spark for new network formations.
RBM
Who is your audience, how has feedback been on their side and of the performing artists?
SR
What’s very nice is that the audience has been growing over time. At the beginning, it was mostly fellow students, but soon they were joined by friends of performers, audience of 674FM, as well as people who came because of the newsletter. As the series grew, we even met some random person on the street who recognized us as hosts of the event, that was lovely. Since the performances are often very diverse, we got various feedback from individual settings, and most of the audiences we’ve met enjoy the sense of unpredictability in our series, which became a lure to join us more often. Feedback also comes from the inner circle of organizers, as we are very critical about our decisions and reflect deeply on them, which allows us to grow along with the expending series.
RBM
What do you think you can contribute to the Cologne-scene?
SR
We often asked ourselves what differentiates us from other series in Cologne. While being open in concepts, many of the concerts have a relatively concrete style/community in mind which draws specific audiences. Instead of catering to the audiences, we intent to lift up new performers, regardless of genres, styles or explicit scenes, building an evening event that draws people who are interested in seeing new artists emerge with fresh ideas and practices. Being artists, we shared the frustration of not finding a space to realize our ideas, yet a stage is essential to learn and gain experience, and precisely that sparked our desire to form the series. We insist on trying to lift newcomers in every single event, forming a platform in Cologne that allows people who have ideas but have yet to realize them to do so. By mixing up performers in various stages of their careers, we are opening a space for tryouts as musicians, curators, technical support, and more without becoming a free-form, rehearsal/open stage. Thus building a community for sound enthusiasts.
RBM
Do you have any long term plans or ambitions?
SR
This project was born out of the specific material conditions in our studies. It was a student self-organized weekly meeting and further growing out of the cradle of campus. We all had a strong urge to make something happen and were lucky enough to receive some nodding heads from the academy. We are not sure if these conditions will be there in the future, especially after we finish our studies. We keep optimistic about the near future if there is a different formation in the group. For now, we hope to be able to keep going while there’s still some inertia. One beautiful thought that comes up, when thinking of the evenings we do, is the feeling of just wanting to go out, hungry for new sounds, knowing, there is this happening that will constantly provide me a new kind of fresh insight into a scene and ideas that are turmoiling around the city of Cologne. Being a spot where people can expect that and will come for, is something we aim for.
RBM
What does the “independent scene“ mean to you?
SR
We do this not because it’s easy but because we thought it was easy.
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