In the Summer of 2021, BIMM Berlin welcomed a selection of its students to the House of Music to record the ‘BIMM Berlin Album 20/21’. Eight projects, hand-picked by industry panels to showcase the best music emerging from the college, each recorded one song over the course of two weeks.
With the legendary Pete Smith (Stevie Wonder, Sting, Sheryl Crowe) on board as producer and giving extensive feedback and input, the students enjoyed access to a wealth of industry experience. With genres ranging from ‘jazz metal’ to electro-pop, the songs make an eclectic and awe-inspiring body of work.
We caught up with each of the eight acts featured on the record to find out more about the meaning behind their track. Here half of a rainbow tells us about ‘Recurring Dream’
How would you describe your music?
It‘s lo-fi art-pop. I try to blend pop melodies with unconventional structures.
What made you want to become a musician?
I had musical training since I was young, and I grew up with a variety of music. As a child, I obsessed over the Beatles a lot, and they were the main reason I wanted to get into music. I think I could never really shake off their influence.
Who or what inspires you as an artist?
I love pop music! Most people think of cheaply fabricated mainstream music when they hear the word, but that’s not what I mean. It‘s fascinating how through pop music you are capable of expressing emotions in a very concise way. A two-minute song can be life-changing. The Beatles, the Beach Boys, and especially lesser-known Guided By Voices brought that to perfection, and that‘s exactly what I‘m trying to do.
What’s the meaning behind the song you recorded for the BIMM Berlin Album?
It‘s about the feeling of waking up from a powerful dream. I find dreaming incredibly interesting, because sometimes it’s totally meaningless, and then, out of nothing, it reveals your innermost desires. It‘s about finding love in your dream, and the disappointment when waking up and realising: it was just a dream.
How did the song come about and how did you write/produce the song?
I literally woke up from a dream and had this feeling that I should write a song now, so I played around on the guitar and after an hour, I had finished the lyrics. We produced the song in the House of Music in just one day, which was really professional and fun, but also exhausting. It‘s the first song that I have recorded in a studio because I‘m usually recording my music on a tape recorder at home. That results in a totally different sound, but it was definitely interesting to experience the other side.
Can you describe your songwriting process?
Whenever some interesting words cross my mind, I write them down in my notes. Usually, they have a rhythm or a melody to them. I often forget about them until I open my notes again later, in a quiet moment, and then I try to shape a song out of those words. It’s a really quick process, maybe that’s one of the reasons I like to keep most of my songs short – I’m not patient enough for long ones.
What projects are you currently working on?
I am working on my first single to be released soon. It‘s a chaotic process because I‘m only working with analogue home recording gear. It‘s more limited than digital recording, but I just love the process.
What are your future plans as an artist?
Releasing my first few singles, releasing my debut album and playing a lot of gigs in Berlin. I‘m glad it‘s possible to get on stage in the city again and I love to see the music scene awake (you can find me on Tuesdays at Donau115).
half of a rainbow’s track ‘Recurring Dream’ is featured on the BIMM Album from Berlin. You can read more about the album and the other artists + tracks featured here.
