Photo by Julien Barrat
The boys of BOMBEE made a quick stop in Berlin to talk about their celebrated EP, Aurelia, and their 2013 tour. Unlike most musicians we meet, who endlessly praise the vibrant nightlife and culture found in Berlin, claiming the dynamic city to be a major source of inspiration, BOMBEE was itching to go back to the quiet gentle forest landscapes of Chemnitz, where they reside and create music. NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION met with BOMBEE drummer and producer Philipp Röder, and singer Alexander Seypt. They will be going back on tour in February and are sure to make a stop in Berlin, so be sure to catch them when they’re in town.
So I have heard different things. Are there two or three of you in the band?
Alex: Three. We were originally two, and then one year ago Felix joined our group, and he and Philipp are producing the music and he is playing piano live, so now he is the main member.
Philipp: I produce and play drums live, which is actually a very new thing. We started playing acoustic, which is very cool and then we started to build up a band by starting other musicians to the live shows.
Since you started as two, working closely together, when you started to add on members of the band, how much creative freedom did you give them?
Philipp: I think that is depends on the records, after recoding it is like we have a concept, but when we create a record it just flows
Did you find their input beneficial to the development of your particular sound?
Alex: Yeah. For example, adding Felix to the band, was really adding another influence, when you make music together I think that there isn’t anything new developing after a while, so having another influence can really help you take step forward.
How did the two of you meet?
Philipp: We met in Thuringia and we were both playing in two very loud rock bands. We we shared a rehearsal room and I think it was one or two years later there was a jam session out in the woods with about ten musicians who participated. It was there that we noticed that we played well together.
Alex: We had also done a previous collaboration before the Woods Sessions.
So you were both playing in harder rock bands before, but the music that you make together is so dreamy and gentle and much more like pop music. What brought you to this genre?
Philipp: The loudness. I think is depends on the person, but for me, I played in a very crazy band, and I wanted to try something totally different. The experience was so new and also very interesting.
Do you prefer playing pop music?
Alex: Yeah
In regards to your EP “Aurelia“. Is it named after the species of Jellyfish?
Alex: The sounds of the words are, the jellyfish doesn’t represent a specific meaning. You can add your own ideas to this word. For us it could represent a type of depth.
Are you touching on some deeper subject on the “Aurelia EP“?
Alex: Yeah, there is a connection, the lyrics are mainly about personal things, but also rising out of the deep in a personal level. So you can connect the abstract idea of Aurelia to the concept behind the album.
You seem to have a love for being in the wilderness, would you ever consider going to another place or city to record?
Alex: Not to record, but to write. I think that we have to go to a place where we can concentrate on writing a new album, kind of like the woods sessions, where there are no other influences. As for recording, we already have our own studio where we do all of our recording.
Would you ever want to do it in Berlin?
Philipp: No, it would be too much. We need to really focus on the music and Berlin wouldn’t be good for us in that way.
What does hope and passion mean for you both?
Alex: To own a little cabin in the forest and never leave the woods. Never. That’s hope.
BOMBEE – Tourdates
presented by NOTHING BUT HOPE AND PASSION
21.02.2014 – DE – Chemnitz – Atomino
22.02.2014 – DE – Gera – Sächsicher Bahnhof
25.02.2014 – DE – Mainz – Schon Schön
26.02.2014 – DE – Göttingen – Heimathafen
27.02.2014 – DE – Hamburg – Marx
01.03.2014 – DE – Berlin – Privatclub
08.08.2014 – DE – Freiburg – tbc.
09.03.2014 – DE – Karlsruhe – Jubez
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BOMBEE