Photo by Michael Meier
What’s in a name anyway? Expectations? Cut and dried opinions? False estimation? When a band names itself FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE it needs balls and bravery. And the chance to avoid just all the clichés that go along with such a name. The Hamburg-based four piece seems to be forearmed to anything. If you expect a funny and unsubstantial fun band you’ll definitely get disappointed. Well, of course you can dance to the slow grooving indietronic grooves of Nico Cham, Romeo Sfendule, Tim Hansen and Damian Palm. And maybe you can even stop carring about art. FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE seem to relocate themselves in a grey area between pop and ambition. It might be even art, who knows. But these four German gentleman are focussed. You can’t deny that.
Last month they released their debut album Atlas in their home country. A result of their growing friendship and two years of almost constant touring. FUCK ART, LET’S DANCE are really one of these bands who get their energy from playing live – everywhere and everytime they can. Only one reason why Atlas only happened three years after their first single. In the meantime the former trio became a quartet and the sound became more focussed. You could call it indietronic, maybe even new wave but you also can’t deny the band’s love for smooth house beats with a certain Balearic note. These four guys are a bagful of goodies and far more than just a fancy name. And the rest of the world might be ready for them as well. For NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION singer Nico Cham sat down to answer a few ‘Introducing’ questions whose answers you should not miss.
1. How would you describe your music to a deaf person?
Our music is the fuel which enables a rigid body to move. You will be overwhelmed with emotions corresponding to every situation of your life. It will be an energetic and excessive enlightenment, which will leave no space between you and the person next to you.
2. Which rapper should cover a song by you – and why?
I think BLACK HIPPY should cover a song by us. The supergroup is comprised of our hip-hop idols KENDRICK LAMAR, SCHOOLBOY Q, AB-SOUL and JAY ROCK. We listen to each artist on a daily basis. They’ve got the vibe and spirit which we try to incorporate into our own live shows, so we think that this might match. Also, it would be a great honour if these masterminds would cover a song by us. We would even start to work on our non-existent rap skills, just to repay them in a creative way.
3. Would you rather be a dragon or have a dragon?
I’d rather have a dragon. It would be my loyal and trusted companion, which would ride with me to infinity and beyond. A dragon is a majestic creature but needs good and honourable guidance, to not tread the path of solitude and anger.
4. If your music would be a film how would you describe it? What genre? What actors? Any surprising plot twists?
If our debut album Atlas would be a film, it would be an emotional roller-coaster ride through a post-apocalyptic dystopian society in which a group of post-modern musketeers try to free the inhabitants of their powerlessness. It starts out with the love of two individuals, who are as different as they can possibly be. One of them joins a rebellious movement, while the other stays under the influence of the ruling empire. It will be romantic, melancholic, explosive, thrilling, uncertain and mind-blowing. The special effects would also be top notch and executed by Danny Trejo. It would be directed by Christopher Nolan. The cast should be Joseph Gordon Levitt, Edward Norton, Hugh Jackman, Morgan Freeman, Robert De’niro, Ian McKellen, Jennifer Lawrence, Emma Watson, Emma Stone and Jodie Foster.
5. If you as a group could have an alternative job together – what would it be?
We would definitely be interstellar explorers. We would set out into the vast emptiness of space, to discover and make contact with extra terrestrial beings. We are a well attuned team, we know our strength and weaknesses to go on such a dangerous mission. There will be hazards, but we know we can overcome any obstacle.
6. The music & culture industry is currently about to redefine itself. Do you feel like being completely and utterly at the its mercy, or should things be seen as a chance for artists?
It should be seen as chance for artists to learn more about the subject matter at hand. More and more, the tendency goes towards DIY and web presence. The market has become globally accessible, you can listen to a song or download it in an instant. Searching for new music and genres has become more convenient. But this has made it harder for bands to get a strong foothold inside the listeners’ ears. You have to be very present to survive under these conditions. Everything comes with positive and negative sides. We just do what we think is best, because we love creating music and sharing it with the world.
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