Tag: Berlin

5ON5 – Single Review: “Don’t Dance”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews4 Comments

Berlin, Germany-based music collective 5ON5 is a collaborative project comprised of four distinctly unique artists spanning two generations and coming from very different music backgrounds. The brainchild of Max Koffler, a singer-songwriter, musician and producer with over 20 years of experience in the music industry and two solo albums to his credit, 5ON5 also includes singer-songwriter and producer $INAN (aka Sinan Pakar), rapper and visual artist Maxx B, and singer Yumin. Their unusual name 5ON5 was inspired by Max’s music label sonsounds, and reflects the group’s eclectic blend of music genres and styles, including EDM, synth pop, hip hop and alternative rock. 

Last August, they released their enchanting debut single “Runaway”, which was actually a ‘maxi-single’ featuring an original version of the song and a special party remix (you can read my review here). 5ON5 followed in late November with their second single “Ayo”, and are now back with their third release “Don’t Dance“, which drops today, January 7th. Written and produced by Max and Sinan, the track was mixed by Jeson Huang and mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound. 

I love any song with a dance beat, whether it be disco, EDM, dance-pop or house, so “Don’t Dance” is right up my alley. And despite it’s title urging us not to, the song most definitely compels us to sway our hips with a hypnotic, head-bopping deep bass groove, over which 5ON5 layer a colorful mix of skittering synths, humming keyboards and throbbing percussive beats. The distinctive vocals of each of the four members, some of which have been electronically altered, are wonderful, and I especially love their beautiful harmonies in the choruses. The combination of the sophisticated instrumentation and captivating vocals make for a really great dance track.

As to the song’s meaning, my take is that it’s generally about trying to come to terms with a relationship that can never be, however, Max told me the lyrics are open to one’s own interpretation. He also stated that the song has an unintended side story; during the period in which they finished recording the song and wrote their press release, clubs in Berlin had recently reopened, only to partly close again, but only for dancing. In other words, people were allowed to meet in clubs, but weren’t permitted to dance. He added “this song isn’t particularly about that, but these are the times wherein people don’t dance, or only in secret.”

Put 'em waves on you to slide every night
Never mind
It‘s alright

I put 'em waves on you to slide every night
Never mind

And I don’t dance anymore
No I don’t want to dance
And I don’t dance anymore
No I don’t want to dance
want to dance

Now we out here cuttin' dem ties
We got no place, nowhere to hide
Why you so afraid of love songs
and push ‘em till tomorrow
Flying high like a satellite
so we choose darkness over light
Can’t act on what I don’t know
so I rather stay solo

Would you love me if I told you I would never dance
Would you love me if I cry for you
All our dreams are lost forever in the neverland
and will never ever come back to you
Back to you


So wonderful in review
Wonderful in review
Wonderful in review

I don’t dance any amore (wonderful in review)
I don’t dance any amore (wonderful in review)

The accompanying animated video for the song was created by Joong Hyun Cho, and shows the members of 5ON5, as well as Vane and Eli The Kid, as animated versions of themselves dancing to the music.

Connect with 5ON5:  Facebook / Instagram 

Stream their music:  Spotify / Apple Music

5ON5 – Single Review: “Runaway”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews10 Comments

5ON5 is a collaborative music project based in Berlin, Germany, and consisting of four distinctly unique artists who’ve come together to make music that, in their own words, is “a little new, a little naughty, and a bit different.” The quartet itself is a bit different, its members spanning two generations and coming from very different music backgrounds. The brainchild of Max Koffler, a singer-songwriter, musician and producer with over 20 years of experience in the music industry, and who’s previously released two albums Taboo and GAMES as a solo artist, the project also includes singer-songwriter and producer $INAN (aka Sinan Pakar), rapper and visual artist Maxx B, and singer Yumin. Their unusual name 5ON5 was born out of Max’s music label sonsounds, and reflects their eclectic mix of music genres and styles, including EDM, synthpop, hip hop and alternative rock.

Over the past year so so, Max and $INAN have been writing songs for their upcoming EP, which the group then came together to record. The first single is “Runaway”, actually a ‘maxi-single’, featuring an original version of the song, along with a special party remix. Drum production was performed by Steve van Velvet, and piano by Hansol Cho. Both tracks were mixed and mastered by Jeson Huang.

The song is infectious as hell, with a wonderful uptempo groove that finds its sweet spot between dubstep and EDM, though the beat most definitely compels our hips to move. Things start off with a simple keyboard riff, then a dominant pulsating bass line enters, putting the track on a solid footing. As the song unfolds, 5ON5 gradually layers a rich palette of swirling synths, lovely piano keys, crisp percussion and edgy surf guitars to create an enchanting soundscape awash in colorful textures and sounds.

But as good as the instruments are, the contrasting vocals and pleasing harmonies of the four members are the real highlight for me. Max’s echoed vocals are sung mostly in a higher register just below a falsetto, giving his verses a mysterious, almost otherworldly vibe. $INAN mumble raps his verses, then with near-perfect harmony, he, Max, Yumin and Maxx B sing the chorus “Would you run away from me, away with me, away with me, would you run away now?”

The cool animated video shows the band members walking through a landscape by both day and night, fleeing from troubles and ultimately emerging free and into the light.

The party remix was created by Max, and to my ears sounds pretty similar to the original, other than having a somewhat sharper and cleaner sound with sparser synths. The accompanying video is similar to the main version, except that it’s produced in dark blue hues.

Stream “Runaway” on Spotify / Apple Music

STRANGE SOUVENIRS – Single Review: “Nothing2”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews3 Comments

Strange Souvenirs is an electronic/alt-pop duo from Berlin, Germany comprised of brothers Thomas and Matthias Juhnke. In their own colorful words, they “blend influences from 80s new wave, 90s trip hop, post-millennial electronica & indie with science fiction soundtracks, video games and nuggets of nerd culture into a schizoid selection of danceable, delicate and disorienting songs.” Three months ago, I reviewed their enthralling single “Pixels”, and now they’re back with “Nothing2“, their sixth consecutive single release since their December 2019 debut of “Scrape”. The song is a dramatic tour de force, and one of their best yet.

Matthias wrote the lyrics for “Nothing2”, and the music was co-written by him and Thomas, along with their frequent collaborator Cameron James Laing, a talented Berlin-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist who also recorded, produced and mixed the track at The Famous Gold Watch Studios in Berlin. Thomas and Matthias programmed the synthesizers and Matthias sang lead vocals. Cameron played acoustic guitar, bass, piano, organ, mellotron, renegade triangle, and the orchestral string arrangement, Gidon Carmel played drums and percussion, Héloïse Lefebvre played violin and viola, Tim Hook played electric guitar and Heidi Heidelberg sang the glorious choir backing vocals. The track was mastered by Davide Ruffini at Wisseloord Studios Hilversum, Netherlands. The cover art “20/20 Eye” was created by Michelle Marie-Lou Nuerk.

The guys state “Nothing2” is “A jilted yet strangely joyful sprawl about feeling nothing at all and everything all at once. A five and a half minute emotional outburst full of misery & magic, gut-wrenching punches, beautiful bruises, abrupt endings & unexpected new beginnings.” Matthias elaborated to me that the lyrics were inspired by two unexpected and unrelated life events in the space of six months that left him at the edges of nothings, but the details are unsavoury and quite distressing, so he kept things intentionally vague. But from what I can discern, they seem to speak of a relationship that ended very badly, and just wanting to make a clean break from the past and move on.

The song opens on a somber note, with strummed acoustic guitar and droning keyboards, accompanied by Matthias’ rather melancholy vocals. Gradually, the music expands with horns and what sounds like mellotron into a more upbeat feel, though the melancholy undercurrent remains. Héloïse’s warbly strings add great texture and an eerie, disconcerting vibe to the proceedings. The song seems to end at 2:21, then abruptly starts back up with greater urgency, as more instruments and synths are added to the mix. Everything continues to build into a magnificent cinematic soundscape that calls to mind some of the mid-career songs by the Beatles. The dramatic music continues for the remainder of the song, conveying a strong sense of cathartic release from troubles of the past. It’s a phenomenal track.

There’s nothing to
Take back or undo
I thought you’d know by now
There’s no point in stalling
There’s no point in stalling

Would you please stop calling me

This is what it all amounts to
When the day is through
This is what it all amounts to
When the night’s through
Absolutely nothing
Absolutely nothing

Would you please stop calling me

There’s nothing to see
There’s nothing to say
There’s nowhere to be
So just go away

We couldn’t see the cracks in the surface
And the nothing seeping through
Watch the walls come down on the life you knew
Here comes the wrecking crew

This is what it all amounts to
When the day is through
This is what it all amounts to
When the night’s through
Absolutely nothing

Follow Strange Souvenirs:  Facebook / Instagram

Stream/purchase their music:  Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / YouTube / Bandcamp

STRANGE SOUVENIRS – Single Review: “Pixels”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews6 Comments

I love many of the names musicians choose for their artistic projects, and a particularly good one is Strange Souvenirs, the Berlin, Germany-based electronic/alt-pop duo comprised of brothers Thomas and Matthias Juhnke. In their own colorful words, they “blend influences from 80s new wave, 90s trip hop, post-millennial electronica & indie with science fiction soundtracks, video games and nuggets of nerd culture into a schizoid selection of danceable, delicate and disorienting songs.” Like some other artists I’ve written about, the two seem to prefer to remain anonymous, as I cannot find any photos of them anywhere. I’m guessing they want their great music to speak for itself, which it certainly does!

Strange Souvenirs released their debut single “Scrape” in December 2019, a fantastic otherworldly EDM track they call “a pummeling techno-infused micro-symphony of self-loathing.” They followed up with three more excellent singles in 2020, and are now back with their fifth offering “Pixels”, a captivating song that conveys a similar haunting moodiness of their previous single “The Way I Fell In”. All five singles will be included on their forthcoming album Spontaneous Mutation, due for release in July.

Like many of their songs, “Pixels” was co-written by Strange Souvenirs along with the help of their frequent collaborator Cameron James Laing, a talented producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist who also recorded, produced and mixed the track at The Famous Gold Watch Studios in Berlin. Thomas and Matthias played guitars, bass and sang lead vocals, Cameron played piano, mellotron and did the exquisite orchestral arrangement, as well as sang backing vocals, and Gidon Carmel played drums. The track was mastered by Davide Ruffini.

About the song’s meaning, they explain that “Pixels” “builds around the idea that we’re all pixels in an ever-changing cosmic mosaic, waiting to randomly attract or repel the other particles on our path as we spiral and drift through an equally beautiful and brutal universe. It’s about the shadows of regret lurking in the corners of our lives, inching forward, drifting back, inching forward, drifting back. On endless repeat.”

The song starts off slowly with a gentle drum beat and haunting piano riff, accompanied by airy synths and acoustic guitar notes, all of which set a rather somber tone. The guys’ vocals are equally gentle and understated, at first coming off as melancholy, but with glimmers of optimism that make them quite pleasing as they softly croon “Ghost in the room reaching out for you / A voice from the past you listen to / A shadow in the corner that knows / There’s a shadow in the corner that grows / Times stretches and slows / Doors open and close / Drifting alone…” The music gradually expands into a stirring atmospheric soundscape, highlighted by beautiful mellotron, lush orchestral strings and a fluttering trumpet that gives the song a wonderful jazzy feel at the end.

“Pixels” is a gorgeous, contemplative feast for the ears that transports us to a dreamy, faraway place. I’ve had it on repeat, and find myself enthralled with every listen.

Follow Strange Souvenirs:  Facebook / Instagram

Stream/purchase their music:  Spotify / Soundcloud / Apple Music / YouTube / Bandcamp

MAX KOFFLER – Single Review: “May I Ask”

On By EclecticMusicLoverIn Reviews7 Comments

Max Koffler is a talented indie singer/songwriter from Berlin, Germany who’s been making music since his teens. A year ago, he released his ambitious second album GAMES, which I reviewed in January. The album features 14 wonderful tracks drawing from an eclectic mix of music genres and styles, including alternative rock, pop, EDM, and jazz. One of those tracks is the deeply contemplative “May I Ask,” which Max will be releasing as a single on April 4th.

The song is short, lasting only one minute and 42 seconds, but powerfully moving. Feeling conflicted about love, at once afraid it will elude him, yet unsure as to whether he’s deserving of it, Max plaintively implores a loved one to let him know if she still has feelings for him. The music is spare, with only a simple piano riff backed by delicate synths, backing choir vocals and drumbeat. It’s beautiful.

I’m so young again who I’m still that little boy
who doesn’t want what he could get and distrusts his heavenly joy
And I am so afraid, wounded and disarmed
You decide if I shall live or starve from lovelessness
And so I say may I ask if you still want me the way you once promised
Well there’s something that I learned
Could you please help me to escape the cave that I’m in and that I am
Please don’t leave me unreturned
My fear has gone

Connect with Max:  Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream his music:  Spotify / Apple Music / Deezer
Purchase:  iTunes