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Electronics meets jazz: Roman Flügel & Florian Weber | NDR.de – Culture

Status: 16/12/2022 19:26

Roman Flügel and Florian Weber are both masters of their craft: Flügel as an electronic musician and DJ in worldwide demand, Weber as a jazz pianist and composer. With us they perform live together.

Until recently they didn’t know each other, didn’t even know of each other’s existence. NDR Kultur brought together the two outstanding artists. Curiosity became soul mates. Now I am new wings and Florian Weber form a duo and play music for the first time in this formation that has never existed before: “It is really new and fulfilling for us to combine both sound worlds. It will be an exciting symbiosis.” Electronics meets jazz, synthetic studio sounds combine with live improvised piano sounds. A world first!

Roman wings: When we first met, the main concern was where the journey was going musically. I think we have developed our own way of making music. With very little time together, it was just a meeting in Berlin. Then we separated again and after a few more phone calls and sending files back and forth, now we’re sitting here and it’s working together for the first time.

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Did you already listen to each other’s music before meeting in presence or are you completely open and really didn’t know what to expect?

Florian Weber: I listened to a lot of Roman’s music and became a total fan. I actually didn’t know that at all before. I also didn’t realize that one could create or produce music so organically and so softly and flexibly with electronics. It was a discovery for me that I was happy to undertake.

Then you met and at first you didn’t make music together, but you talked…

Wing: That’s right, we met in Berlin and I think we exchanged ideas for two hours, going from one topic to another and the next. Actually the conversation didn’t want to end because we also noticed that we really like some things together: when we listen to music and when we make music. It was even more interesting to take it to the studio and work with it.

video embedded "> To the left, Roman Flügel is sitting in front of his laptop and to the right, Florian Weber is sitting at a black grand piano.  © NDR Photo: Claus Röck

What were the themes in which you found yourself? The directions you come from are quite contradictory at first sight. What connected you?

Webber: For me it was once the tonal language of Roman, the feel and direction of where the music can go. And the kind of insults I heard in Roman’s music, but also the visuals. We immediately exchanged some photos of how one can imagine music. I think we were discussing an image of falling snow melting underneath, or different overlays of different rhythms. These are all things that come to my mind all the time in the field of jazz or improvised music that I deal with and travel with, and that interest me a lot and where I also feel challenged. For me it is important that in every project there is a challenge. And I definitely find it very strong here.

video embedded "> Various images and camera settings of recording a live broadcast.  © NDR Photo: Claus Röck

I find these images very interesting. Do you have specific visuals during the game or did something develop over the course of the game?

Wing: I think it was about shifts, overlaps, polyrhythms and certainly also our enthusiasm for traditional Indian music, rhythms from India. I think it’s something we can both get our teeth into.

Where does this enthusiasm for Indian music, for polyrhythms come from?

Webber: Indian music is simply a musical tradition that has developed over many thousands of years and has in a sense perfected it. It’s just like Bach’s music, I think, that he’s brought polyharmony and polymelody to a mastery. I think that’s where you can learn the most, that’s where the biggest challenge lies. A lot of knowledge comes together. and connecting with it comes naturally to me as a musician.

To the left, Roman Flügel is sitting in front of his laptop and to the right, Florian Weber is sitting at a black grand piano, both have headphones.  © NDR Photo: Claus Röck

AUDIO: Electronics meets jazz: Roman Flügel & Florian Weber (55 min)

Have you worked with Indian artists before? Or is it more a fascination with it and maybe even a goal to leave one’s cosmos and seek out non-European music?

Wing: I’ve been to India a few times, I’ve DJed a few times myself, and I’ve also been to India a few times, just to travel the country. I think it’s a very fascinating culture in general, but I’m not naive enough to think I could get into Indian music the same way because it’s a very complex tradition. In this case, that’s not what we’re dealing with at all. You can’t shake it out of the blue.

Webber: My sister is from India, she was adopted from India, so my family was there often. I have been to India quite a few times as a child and have known both the culture and music culture there and have felt very close ever since. It’s the same with the musicians in New York when I lived there and played with them: they were very involved in this musical tradition. This means that much of the rhythm we played in the pieces we wrote ourselves came from this tradition. I didn’t grow up on it, but it’s important. I find the ideas behind this music very exciting to transfer into the way I play or improvise today.

The conversation was conducted by Charlotte Oelschlegel.

Additional information

To the left, Roman Flügel is sitting in front of his laptop and to the right, Florian Weber is sitting at a black grand piano, both have headphones.  © NDR Photo: Claus Röck

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This topic in the program:

NDR Culture | Culture NDR à la carte | 12.14.2022 | 1:00 pm

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