MONDAY MIXTAPE: Fenster
"SPANK THE DUCK"
“what you leave behind
for someone else to find
two doors inside
neither one is right “
“The Room” marks Fenster’s fourth album and their first release on Altin Village & Mine. Their mission in creating this album was to compose and arrange every song together in a room. It is an experiment in collective creativity that pushed all of them to transcend their individuality and create something together which is greater than the sum of its parts. The songs were tracked live in a house where the band ate, slept, and played together. “The Room” serves as an entry point into their sonic evolution and transformation—within and between genres, albums, and songs. Their sound is a window framing psychedelic, groovy, hypnogogic, playful pop.
We have the pleasure to host Fenster’s Monday Mixtape, interview & record launch. Join the journey and make sure to catch on of their captivating live shows.
“This Mix is a collection of songs from bands we hung out with, played with, or would really love to play with. We also allowed ourselves to sneak in 3 of the band members solo projects. Musically we are starting out with groovy and funky tracks by the likes of Musique Chienne, Sloe Paul, Aldous RH, Sean Nicholas Savage, Klaus Johann Grobe and Discovery Zone, followed by an experimental interlude by Palm and Mauno, fading into smooth tracks by Skiing, John Moods and World Brain, finished of by the incredible Batsch.”
Tracklist:
Musique Chienne - Billy's House
Sloe Paul - Hung
Adlous RH - Feelin Blue
Sean Nicholas Savage - Disco Dancing
Klaus Johann Grobe - Discogedanken
Discovery Zone - Dance II
Palm - Pearly
Mauno - Com
Skiing - Nice Windows
John Moods - Leap of Love
World Brain - Made U Cry
Batsch - Matilde Vicenzi
Which influences went into the record?
“We wrote and recorded in two very different places that both influenced the record in their own way - The rainy, futuristic city of Rotterdam with it's great Surinamese Food and Smartshops and a Tuscan village on the outskirts of Pisa, full of mandarin and lemon trees, pizza and pasta.”
What was the hardest part of the recording process?
“In the studio in Italy the amazing staff would serve us pasta and red wine for lunch everyday - overcoming the sleepiness that followed during the next 2 hours and getting back into recording was maybe the hardest part.”
What was the best part?
“Living in a studio in the Tuscan countryside - waking up and going to bed right where you are creating. And of course - pasta and red wine for lunch every day.”
Which records were played by your parents, which influenced you & you would revisit years later?
“The Beatles, Gloria Estefan, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Cream, Nigerian Highlife Music, Mahler, Bach, The Who, Gilberto Gil.”
Any instrument you’d love to play but missed to learn?
“The Flute, Piano, Harp, Guitar”
You’re known for including imperfect accidents into the recordings for a more human experience. Please share your thoughts.
“This record is definitely full of imperfections in the sense that we recorded live and rarely used a click track. Otherwise recording often is about these small ideas that come up by accident or by fooling around. We would for example play around with a tape echo on a drum track and suddenly come across this beautiful creamy snare sound you can hear in "Like a River". Later we tried to use the same effect on another song but it was just impossible to get that snare sound back. The analog gear is alive and the magic moment was gone.”
Favourite venue to play?
“Hyperion Tavern on Hyperion Avenue in Los Angeles”
Favorite place to escape from the urban surroundings?
“Some of us prefer to escape the city via meditation, sensory deprivation or youtube. Others prefer hikes, be it in the Alps, in Spain or in the Brandenburg woods.”
Fenster on tour:
17.09.18 St. Gallen (CH) — La Suisse Primitive
18.09.18 Bern (CH) — Punto
19.09.18 Zurich (CH) — Zukunft
21.09.18 Lille (FR) — L’Aéronef
22.09.18 Paris (FR) — Le Pop Up du Label
24.09.18 Lyon (FR) — Le Sonic
26.09.18 Nürnberg (GER) — Z-Bau
27.09.18 München (GER) — Milla
28.09.18 Hannover (GER) — Hafven
29.09.18 Weimar (GER) — Villa
Order your record here.