Pure Sky feat. RIP Swirl (@rip_swirl)– The Berlin-based artist/producer whose brand of shoegaze electronica feels like a new type of dreaming. Raised on early Internet culture and reared in Germany’s electronic underground, RIP Swirl’s music speaks fluently in memory. Read on for a quick Q&A and click here to listen to his playlist.
What should people do while listening to this playlist?
Nothing. Just listen and maybe turn your phone off.
You’re based in Berlin, but you work with artists all around the world. What sets Berlin’s art-making culture apart for you?
It’s still kinda affordable to live here and make art compared to other major European capitals.
Tell us about the online communities you were part of growing up.
MySpace was the first one. Made one for my band when I was a teenager on my parents computer and I loved it. The integration of music on the platform was so sick.
How do you approach collaborations in your music?
As a producer who works a lot with singers I usually try to find out what their approach is to make them as comfortable as possible. The more comfortable you are the less you’ll overthink.
What’s the philosophy behind using tape machines as an “electronic” artist?
It’s purely for experimentation purposes, to entertain myself. I just don’t want to look at my laptop screen all day.
You were a powerful poster on Tumblr for a while there through the ‘10s. Why did you stop?
I left when they really tried to monetize it. Those platforms are great while they are growing but once the investors want to see their money it’s over.
What’s it like watching today’s trend cycles spin through the early aughts as someone who actually participated in that culture?
I was pretty young so it’s cool to see it come around again. Let’s see what else makes a comeback. I’d like Soundcloud back the way it was in 2010.
What makes an image stick with you these days?
If I knew the answer I’d become a photographer.
Jim Jarmusch, Sofia Coppola, Harmony Korine… You have good taste in movies. Hypothetically, if you were to score one, what kind of movie would it be?
Not too much plot. But I’d like a car chase scene in there.
What’s tiring you out right now? And what’s keeping you going?
Music keeps me going — everything else is pretty tiring.
→ Find RIP Swirl on Instagram, Spotify, and Tumblr.
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