Mollono Bass aka Molle is Producer/ DJ and founding member of the quartet Kombinat100, Acker Records and 3000grad Records. Together with a bunch of artist friends, Molle promotes the Wanderzirkus 3000Grad. A wicked cirkus festival full of crazy acts besides awesome, balkan techy tunes from various DJ acts.
Salza: "Hello
Molle, thank you for having this interview with me. First of all I would like
to congratulate you on the big succes the 3000Grad Wanderzirkus is having. Currently touring again, the Wanderzirkus festival is a festival many folks look forward to. Needless to say the
Acker- and 3000Grad releases are doing just great. But dear Molle, for the fans and artist out
there, we are curious, so please tell us more about your vision and
inspiration!"
Molle: “I
really believe in a better world, I believe we can make the change happen –
little by little, step by step! So my vision is a human community that has
respect for the cycles of nature, for planet Earth, and for its future.
As for my
inspiration, there's plenty. For instance, I remember driving down one of those
long, tree-lined roads so typical for my Mecklenburg neighbourhood. Going
straight, but at the same time having this beautiful, ever changing countryside
passing by on both sides... that was really a great moment of inspiration. I
recharge creative energy when spending a day at the sea... or whenever I
receive a genuine smile. Of course travelling as a musician is another
important source of inspiration, meeting all these different people,
experiencing those fine details that make every local scene unique and special.
Salza: " Good to hear the planet gives you so much pleasure, Molle. A lot of people take our pretty world for granted!We salute you for sharing your thoughts on that one! So when and
why did you get started with music?"
Molle: "My Mum gave
me a keyboard when I was 14 years old, and I loved that thing from the first
moment. All of a sudden I had a new hobby, I practised, started to improvise
and finally performed some songs together with my classmates at school. I
really enjoyed creating my own music, but at the same time I enjoyed the music
of others just as much. So when I turned 16 I got myself 2 turntables and
started DJing.
Back then
we spent many weekends driving to Berlin and having a good time at Tresor or
E-Werk. On the way and back home we listened to the House and Techno music that
was broadcasted by the radio stations in Berlin. I was really on fire with the
whole club music thing. So when I finally completed my training as a chef and
made some money I bought a drum machine, installed Cubase on my computer and
started creating my own tracks. It really felt like a logical step in my
musical evolution."
Salza: " So, where
does the idea of the Wanderzirkus begin? "
Molle: "Again, it
just feels like the next step in the evolution that began in 1994 when I
started the 3000GRAD artist collective with some of my best friends. It began
with small, local parties, but little by little the project grew bigger. We are
very happy and also proud that we obviously developed our own style over the
years – of course music has always been the driving force and the major
expression of this style. As a platform for this music we founded ACKER RECORDS
and shortly after that 3000GRAD RECORDS. One thing lead to another, soon we
received nationwide requests for our artists and so we set up the booking
agency 3000GRAD BOOKING.
Salza: "I should
mention to our readers that you live for the festival life. Wanderzirkus has
travelled throughout Germany, The Netherlands ( Amsterdam) and France the past
year. "
Molle: "Indeed, our
circus troupe is travelling a lot at the moment and we have more and more
international shows and gigs."
Salza: "Tell us
more about this bigger dream of yours, and how it involved in one of your
latest projects: The movie “Von Wustruw nach Paris” which is also the title of
the official album- release.
Molle: “Von
Wustrow nach Paris – From Wustrow to Paris” is a documentary about the 3000GRAD
collective. It's not our own production, it was created by the filmmakers Henry
Tonn and Andreas Duasen. Henry was fascinated about our project and just asked
if he and his camera could travel with us for some time. It was our please! The
result is a beautiful film that tells about the Wanderzirkus, the Travelling
Circus, and that captures the summer vibe of our 3000GRAD Festival."
Salza: "What
does the movie express? What would you like your audience to see?"
Molle: "I would say
the film is about music, freedom, adventure... oh yeah, and there's also some
bits and pieces about fishing. It's about Berlin, Hamburg, Montpellier,
Amsterdam... and Wustrow. Which is our home village, by the way. It's about an
energy that links up all these different places, events and experiences:
3000GRAD – the name of a music festival, the name of a Travelling Circus, the
name of an attitude towards life.
Salza: " So, The Wanderzirkus Festival is also set up as a kind of resistance against the big Mainstream Events I learned on the net."
Molle: "Resistance
is probably not the right word – we're just doing our thing, and obviously this
thing is quite contrary to what is commonly referred to as „mainstream event“.
We don't see ourselves as moralizers of the scene – we just want to have a good
time.
Sure, we
have to make some money at our events – simply because the production of our
events costs money. However, we try to keep it as fair as possible for
everyone. That's exactly what I'm talking about when I said „make change happen“
at the beginning of this interview. We try to create an environment where
nobody is ripped-off. In this respect our festivals might really be some kind
of antithesis to „commercial“ events. Another aspect is that we want to be as
independent as possible to create that special kind of coherent party
experience – that's why we wouldn't work with any sponsors. Last but not least
we see it as an ongoing challenge to keep our events as sustainable and
eco-friendly as possible "
Salza: "And
personally, what bugs you the most about these big Mainstream events?"
Molle: "Quite a
lot. I mean, people pay plenty of money just to get in and then they are not
even in a beautiful, inspiring environment, but they are surrounded by
advertising. Seeing video ads on huge projection screens at a party is thing
that really bugs me. The bars at these events charge ridiculous amounts of
money. It's just an ongoing experience of being milked in a soulless plastic
environment... For me that's just a very bad case of greed and capitalism, but
surely not what I understand as scene- or music culture."
Salza: "You have
been quite a busy worker, Molle…"
Molle: "True that,
I have one or two projects at the moment... I guess I just love diversity!"
Salza: "What
else is there to expect from you and your labels? Any releases or tours
planned?"
Molle: "I am
currently working on my second album... which includes many studio sessions
with other musicians, most of them good friends. I think the recording and
production will be finished in summer 2015. Also I worked on a new EP with
Ava Asante. I think 2015 will be a really great year in terms
of sound."
Salza: "thank you so much for your time, dear Molle. We'll be looking forward to your music and wish you and your crew all the best for the future! ".
Salza: "thank you so much for your time, dear Molle. We'll be looking forward to your music and wish you and your crew all the best for the future! ".
http://www.mollonobass.com/
https://soundcloud.com/mollonobass
http://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/mollono.bass/dates
