It’s been a busy few months for producer and singer-songwriter Fritz Kalkbrenner. His latest album, Ways Over Water, dropped at the tail end of last year, with his ever-shifting blend of hip hop, techno and soul earning him commercial and critical acclaim. Since then it’s been a whirlwind of touring, hitting venues all around Europe – including a headline show at the Electric Brixton in London – before embarking on a nine-day blitz across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
“You have to handle your energy,” says a tired but determined-sounding Kalkbrenner. “I mean, I’m 34 now. I can’t go to the afterparty until seven in the morning because the following day would be terrible. This kind of thing does have its ups and downs. When you play a tour, and you rush through continents, you rush through times zones. You can wake up and you don’t know where or when you are. You need to find a way to remember why the hell you started.”
We’re speaking to Kalkbrenner over Skype from Austin, Texas, where he’s just played a pair of shows at SXSW. He’s midway through his continental tour, with shows in New York and Montreal in the days ahead. After that it’s back to Germany, albeit only briefly. Australia is calling, with dates lined up over the Easter period.
Of course, this certainly isn’t Kalkbrenner’s first time on the world circuit. A native of Berlin, Kalkbrenner came up in the city’s club scene during the late ’90s alongside his older brother, Paul. He produced his first track at the age of 17, splitting his time between his hobby and his day job as a music journalist.
“It was a step-by-step thing,” says Kalkbrenner. “Eight years ago is when it started being like a full-time job. Being a musician in Germany is like freelancing, in a way. Being a journalist is also a freelance job. So it actually merged in that way. I was playing more and more shows, and then I realised, ‘Gosh, I haven’t done anything for TV in like three months.’ So it happened very naturally.”
Kalkbrenner’s break came with the release of ‘Sky And Sand’, produced by him and his brother for the soundtrack to the film Berlin Calling. From there, Fritz released his first solo album Here Today Gone Tomorrow in 2010, and hasn’t looked back since.
“It’s always different,” says Kalkbrenner when asked about what gets him started on a track. “I mean, of course, I have a lot of influences, even in everyday life. But it doesn’t have to come from my surroundings. I don’t have to be on the beach to write a song. All these moments that I experience, I take them and I guess – how do you say it? – re-memorise them in the studio. But on the production side, there really is no formula to start a track. Some people say always start with the kick, or the theme, or that you need the drumming first, or whatever. But this is absolutely not my [method].
“When I started producing, I would sometimes sit for weeks on one track, because I didn’t really know the ins and outs of the production gear,” he continues. “Over time I became more confident, so usually nowadays I realise pretty fast when it’s going to be a good track, and usually a lot happens in a very short period of time. So the first kind of sketch or whatever that moves me can be produced in like 15 minutes. Then I can put it away and replay it in a few months, but I have that confidence that it’s a good idea.”
On the flip side, Kalkbrenner has learnt not to be too precious when he realises that a song isn’t working. “Especially as a producer, when you’re producing for yourself, it’s easy to get lost in the details,” he says. “I know guys, colleagues of mine, who will be arranging on a track for months. It’s essential to learn to let things go. When a track doesn’t really move me, it goes in the trash can.”
And when he’s not sure? “When it’s half-half? Like only half-shitty?” he asks, laughing. “Sometimes I’ll put in some extra effort and give it a second try. But after a few hours I recognise that what I’m doing is total bullshit, and that can easily go to the trash.”
He’s also aware of the need to keep things fresh, to ensure that people don’t get bored. “It’s always good to put some extra thought in and not stay in that loop. Some artists, they do the same thing again and again … staying with a certain formula that is going quite well, and then riding it to death.
“From my second album to my third album, I was thinking, ‘Oh, what can I do not to be overly repetitive?’ That’s how I came to the decision to work with these studio musicians who play the clarinet, the trumpet, the bassoon, the flute and those kinds of things.”
As for what comes next, Kalkbrenner still isn’t sure. “Concerning the next album, I actually don’t really know what to do. From time to time I think about that … but it’s still a little bit far away.”
Ways Over Water is out now through Suoland he playsThe Spice Cellar on Thursday April 2 andIvy Bar/Lounge onSunday April 5.
