{"id":19702,"date":"2020-04-07T11:30:40","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T09:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/xceed.me\/blog\/?p=19702"},"modified":"2020-04-08T01:18:26","modified_gmt":"2020-04-07T23:18:26","slug":"interview-with-christian-loffler-chasing-the-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/xceed.me\/blog\/en\/interview-with-christian-loffler-chasing-the-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Christian L\u00f6ffler: “After starting to paint again, I realized how important light is for my work”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lys<\/em><\/a>, Christian L\u00f6ffler<\/a>\u2019s newest album, was created as a sequel and contrast to Graal<\/em><\/a>, its predecessor. It was the result of a six-months hard work period in the studio, during which the artist concentrated on a healthy routine and let himself inspired mainly by nature and light, “lys” in Danish. The album was released via Ki Records<\/a>, Christian L\u00f6ffler’s own label launched in 2009, as a platform for music which inspires him. It features the vocals of Josephine Philip, Menke and Mohna who helped him create a journey into the feelings of the words and the music.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Xceed-Christian
Image: \u00a9 Brian Zajak<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

You have been on the scene for a while now. Who is Christian L\u00f6ffler today?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first music I released came out in 2010. Of course, over the years you evolve as a person, as well as an artist. When I started, everything was so new to me. I have never been a clubber and I never went to many festivals. I remember playing at Panorama Bar in Berghain<\/a> the first time, it was also the first I ever visited the club. I lived this same situation many times. Over the years I met many people from the scene and made many friends. I also overcome my nervousness of being on stage and now I enjoy playing much more. That\u2019s what I love about being more experienced, for example.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How did you get to the idea of Lys<\/em>, and what was it like to work on the album?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The idea came from being stuck with music production after heavily touring between 2017 and 2018. I tried to work out new strategies to gain new creativity and got back into drawing, which I mostly used to do before music. I was studying art before releasing my first album, and again soon after. It was very inspiring to use other tools rather than only music to give birth to my ideas. I quickly felt the urge to write new music and that\u2019s when I started working on Graal<\/em>. Once finished, I also wanted to create actual paintings, and the idea of Lys<\/em> was born. The first piece I painted is the cover of the new album. At that point, I realized that it was a project I wanted to finalize.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What inspired you the most while working at the album? And in general, where do you get your inspiration from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The album was inspired by the light in the north of Germany, where I live, and of Scandinavia, where I went for several trips in the last few years. After starting to paint again and photographing a lot, I realized how important light is for my work. I\u2019m following a concept naming my albums after places that help me focus and enable my productivity as an artist. To start, A Forest<\/em><\/a> – my first album \u2013 which describes a period in my life where I was finding peace in long walks into the forests close to my hometown. I recorded many sounds out there, which I still use in my productions today. A few years later, I moved closer to the sea. Living\u00a0at <\/span>only 300 meters from the Baltic sea inspired me to create my second-long player, <\/span>Mare<\/em><\/a>. In 2017 I started painting again, which helped me to find inspiration for new music. After spending a few weeks in Denmark, chasing the beautiful northern light with a camera and painting, I decided to name the new album \u201c<\/span>Lys<\/em>\u201d, which means light in Danish.<\/span><\/p>\n

Generally, I get very inspired by the area that surrounds me. That\u2019s why I chose to live in a secluded area in the Northeast of Germany. There are not many people here and it\u2019s usually very quiet. I\u2019m very close to the sea and I usually go for a morning run through the coastal forest to find focus. It really helps me to concentrate on my work. On the other hand, I really love touring and visiting new places and people. It\u2019s great to have both things in my life. I\u2019ve just been to Japan for the first time and I loved it. But a big part of inspiration definitely came from getting back into art. I discovered and re-discovered many painters and visit exhibitions wherever I have a tour stop. I’m so fascinated by physical art, especially by the power of colours on canvas.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Xceed-Christian
Image: \u00a9 Christian L\u00f6ffler<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

You defined it as “a sequel and contrast to Graal, its predecessor<\/em>“. Can you explain this concept better?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The contrast lies in the origin of both albums. Whereas Graal<\/em> is born from rough drawings and sketches I made while touring, Lys<\/em> is a full studio album I created over a longer time in my studio; also the paintings took much more time to be finished.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The two approaches were very different. What are the main differences you noticed? Which did you like the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was an experiment for me to find out where the differences between both methods lie. Both work for me. Especially when I\u2019m touring, it\u2019s difficult to find time to work in the studio, so creating something in a much rougher manner helped me to keep the ball rolling. On the other hand, I love being in the studio and getting lost in the smallest details. I can\u2019t decide which approach works out better for me, but they both definitely help you to approach your art in a rougher and kind of naive way.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What’s the message behind Lys<\/em>, and could it be considered your most important artwork to date?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think the message behind this album is not to give up living your life and to not get overwhelmed by all the things that surround us 24\/7. Nowadays you get the feeling that you have to be part of everything and have an opinion about every subject, at any time. I just want people to enjoy the music, sit back and have a good time with the track. And yes, I think it\u2019s my most important work to date until I start working on the next album.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Xceed-Christian
Painting \u00a9 Christian L\u00f6ffler<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

The tracks are very poetic and romantic. How was it to work on something (apart from a few tracks) quite far from the dance floor?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Actually, I finished much quieter music. While working on the album I got inspired by club music again and some ideas became a bit more up-tempo. But I never really think about it. It\u2019s just the music that is coming out of me in that moment. Maybe club music doesn\u2019t influence me much these days, and that\u2019s why the album feels quiet, compared to earlier albums; although connecting traditional songwriting with dance music is something I’ve always tried to do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You created various tracks, such as \u201cThe End\u201d or \u201cLys\u201d, collaborating with other artists. How did you get to these collaborations?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The End” was written with my friend Josephine Philip, from Copenhagen. I met her a few years ago while working with my mastering engineer on Graal<\/em>, in his studio. I was a big fan of her band Darkness Falls and also loved the sound of her voice when she collaborated with Trentem\u00f8ller. We just kept in touch, sending ideas back and forth via email and came up with our first song “Running”. We kept working on a few more songs and eventually came up with the idea of “The End”.<\/p>\n

“Lys” is the song that came from the collaboration with Sara Menke, a Swedish multi-instrumentalist. I met her while I was in Stockholm working in the studio of a friend. We spoke about her music and inspirations and we decided to work on a few projects. First, I remixed one of her solo pieces and after that, we kept working on a few ideas. One of these was what then became “Lys”.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n