I never heard of the Berliner project REAKTON before the listening of the album “Weltall: Erde: Mensch” released on Electro Shock Records. From the very first notes and arrangements you recognize the omnipresent influence of Kraftwerk. But the robotic-pop cliché moves further, revealing a sophisticated writing and impressive production skills. REAKTON is a band that can compete with other talented artists in the genre like Metroland and Deutsche Bank. I’d a chat with the creative spirit of the band.
(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: Let’s start with the usual question, how and when did this project saw the daylight? Who’s hiding behind REAKTON and what kind of sound did you want to accomplish?
Adriano: I started in 2013 with the question, how would it sound if Kraftwerk continued to write music? Admittedly the thought is a little presumptuous, but in music / art you are known to be free. And so I just tried it out. A good friend of mine Robert, is a full-time musician and has helped here and there to get the tracks on the right track.
Q: The KRAFTWERK influence is easily recognizable, but what makes this band that special to you and how do you incorporate their influence into your own creation?
Adriano: Perhaps what is special is that we are only trying to further develop the essence of what is fun about the Kraftwerk sound. We also deal with the issues of today or, from today’s perspective, future times.
Q: I imagine there must be a link between the title of your album “Weltall: Erde: Mensch” and a book published in the former DDR. But what is the album all about and are there specific lyrical themes you wanted to deal with?
Adriano: There is no connection between this book and our music. We only put the album under one theme. A so-called concept album. In order not to be too narrow, we developed the concept a little further for the first album, tracks on the subject of Space: Earth: Human. It’s different with our upcoming album. It will be called “Micro: Macro: Nano” and deals with topics that are in the smallest world.
Q: How do you look back at the entire writing- and production process of the album and what kind of equipment did you use?
Adriano: The nice thing about working today is that you can do it at any time from home without having to go to a studio. Sometimes ideas come to me spontaneously in the morning or mostly at night, to the regret of my girlfriend at the time. Creativity does not always work at the push of a button, but is dependent on or inspired by daily influences. Sometimes you have to be able to write that down spontaneously. So when I look back on that time there was often the moment ‘wait a minute and remember what you wanted to say’ and then I was in the home studio for 3 hours and had another piece finished. The time I wrote the album wasn’t good for my relationship. We only use the computer to write pieces.
Q: I noticed the album is also available on USB stick! I can imagine this is a kind of collector’s item, but why this format? Do you’ve a favorite physical format and what do you think about the streaming (r)evolution?
Adriano: Among other things, our musical role models are characterized by the fact that they were / are always future-oriented. At the time of publication, we felt that a CD was an outdated medium. Stream music at the push of a button is so nice and easy to consume. But when you are excited about a band you have nothing tangible in hand. So, we decided to produce these USB waver / glass sticks.
Q: I found some live impressions from REAKTON on the net, which I must say are really impressive. Tell us a bit more about the content and concept of the live shows? I noticed there’re several live dates planned for the end of the year, but how are things evolving because of the pandemic?
Adriano: Reakton is not a project that you want to sweat about in a mop. The maximum sound experience in connection with good visuals is important to us at a concert. Candy for the eyes and ears, so to speak. Unfortunately, giving concerts is not an easy thing. We applied to many organizers, but mostly only received rejections. That is the lot of a ‘newcomer’. We only owe it to a good friend that he trusted us and let us play as the opening act on his tour. So we were able to get the show going to the full.
