In the latest Who, What, Why we caught up with BIMM Berlin’s Music Business student Chloé Astruc from Annecy, France.
WHO ARE YOU LISTENING TO AT THE MOMENT?:
I could answer this question for hours, to be honest. I guess it really depends on my mood and on the weather, but these days I’m mainly listening to different kinds of rock: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Django Django… I highly recommend one of Primal Scream’s old albums ‘Screamadelica’, or a more recent one ‘More Light’. It has a groovy, psychedelic vibe; a perfect way to start the summer (if the sun decides to finally show up in Berlin!). If it rains, I stick to Nick Drake’s ‘Made to Love Magic’.
I also recently dived into Jesca Hoop’s career. I really appreciate her diversity as a songwriter. She was Tom Waits’ (one of my heroes) nanny for a very long time and he had a massive influence on her music. Good stuff! And then, every morning, to give me strength to get things done during the day, I usually listen to badass girl bands like Bikini Kill, Kate Nash, Suzi Quatro, The Donnas, etc… Now I’m desperately waiting for new albums from Lorde and Alt-J coming this summer.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BERLIN?:
Oh, Berlin… it’s a love story. I’ve been a nomad for the longest time now. I’ve lived in different countries every year for the last five years, so I guess it was always a challenge for me to settle down, but Berlin actually brings me everything I need. It’s a big city but it’s the perfect place to make connections in the business and start different projects, especially if you want to start a career in the music industry. People are open-minded and from all over the world. There’s always something happening, which makes you forget about the rough winter. Berlin just has a little bit of something for everyone.
WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MUSIC BUSINESS?:
I was working in Communication and Event management before joining BIMM, but not at all in the music industry. Going back to studying was a bit of a risk, but the Music Business course was a good way for me to use the knowledge I already had. BIMM is a good way to make connections and develop projects, like the monthly showcase ‘Basement Bash’ (check us out on Facebook) I now organise with three of my amazing classmates, or the Berlin Music Video Awards I help to organise.
