Goethe.rmx

As part of the Goethe.rmx project, Emil Klotzsch's recording of the Goethe ballad "The King of Thule" is travelling around the world. The original artist talks about his work as a musician and sound designer, and about music as a key to a country's culture.

Emil, your song "The King of Thule" is travelling around the world for Goethe.rmx. What do you like best about this project?

Listening to remixes by so many different people from all over the world is a very joyful experience. It will be interesting to see whether country-specific elements can be detected, or whether the artist's individual personality is more important.

Emil Klotzsch - Koenig in Thule (Original) by goethe.rmx
Emil Klotzsch (MP3, 23,3 MB)

All in all, nine different artists are remixing your piece. Do you have any specific hopes or expectations as to what you will find?

Naturally, I do hope that the new versions of the song will be interesting to listen to. However, any kind of outcome is interesting – no matter if it's wild, cut up, melancholy or funny.

Music as a tool for cultural exchange

Does an artist's cultural background leave traces in a remix? Do you have any experience whether a São Paulo-based artist sounds different to a Moscow-based remixer?

In my experience, you cannot detect a producer's nationality, especially when it comes to electronic music. Electronic music has its own, universal language. However, I'm excited to see what it's like in this case, because the artists are working with a German piece of music.

How can music help with cultural work?

Music can connect people. Music is in the spot where you discover a culture or you start to get interested in it. In my case, I often develop an interest in a certain culture following exposure to music. I visited the Dominican Republic once, and initially I did not find the country very accessible. But eventually I understood the merengue music – I got in it and then, it all made sense to me.

The Goethe poem "King of Thule" is part of the traditional German cultural heritage. Is your recording typically German? Can music be typically German at all?

That is a difficult question. In a way, I'd say that the musical style of my recording is typically German, as it's inspired by romanticism – which is very German. There is a kind of melancholy, and references to the "Kunstlied" genre (the German art song).

Greater distribution through net labels

You are making your music available through free downloads. How did you arrive at this decision?

I will not be able to make any money with my music anyway. The types of labels that would potentially release my music run editions of 100 to 500 CDs. One day, I heard about net labels. I really loved the idea, thinking: "What do I want? I want as many people as possible to listen to my music." I get a lot more exposure through net labels than releases on conventional labels. A label would press 500 CDs, while a net label release usually means around 20,000 downloads.

What are the opportunities and challenges arising from net labels for the entire music industry?

Net labels do not harm the music industry. The whole net label debate has not yet reached the general public. Rather, there is a risk of the phenomenon disappearing again. For musicians, net labels are a chance to make their music available to a wider audience.

Do net labels help artists with their networking?

People tend to believe that net labels and the internet are great for networking – and to a certain extent, they are. However, I do have the feeling that there still is some great room for improvement. This type of communication always remains on a virtual level, which is sometimes regretful. It would be quite nice to actually meet fellow artists (and everyone elso who is involved) in real life.