Based in the eclectic and vibrant city of Berlin, HOLY B is a true sonic trailblazer, experimental musician, progressive funk bass player and producer who defies musical norms with his distinct DIY-mentality. Within his artistic output, pop-culture converges with avant-garde ingenuity, giving birth to beat-driven compositions that pulse with futuristic and edgy vibes, inviting listeners on an enthralling journey to uncharted territories.
His musical adventure began with the strum of a guitar in his formative years, an early connection that would eventually lead him to finding his instrumental passion in the bass guitar. Venturing beyond mere playing, he pursued his passion to Amsterdam, immersing himself in the study of the instrument. Globetrotting across the world, he absorbed a myriad of musical influences, to find his way to the heart of Berlin. In this creative epicentre, he started the HOLY B project, an artistic fusion fuelled by his desire to craft and produce music that bridges his bass-focused foundation with cutting-edge innovation.
The summer of 2020 marked HOLY B’s first release under this enigmatic moniker, an endeavour that unveiled the debut record Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 1. Building upon this foundation, he embarked on a sonic voyage, releasing the sophomore instalment Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 2 the following year. Now, HOLY B returns with an exhilarating third chapter, Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 3, an EP that manifests his profound experimental prowess across seven dynamic tracks.
The EP commences its auditory expedition with “Mica Inc.,” a mesmerising avant-garde composition that juxtaposes a rigid rhythm against a backdrop of buzzing synth tones. As the journey unfolds, “Voodoo Dance Track” injects an old-school hip hop energy, captivating the senses with a rhythmic pulse, spliced vocal samples and an enthralling array of percussive modulations. Amidst the sonic tapestry, “Whacky Weirdo” emerges as a standout, a kaleidoscope of rhythm shifts intertwined with vocal sample manipulations that defy the expected.
As the final notes of the EP echo, “No Stank Over Here” captures the essence of HOLY B’s creative offering. The track sways with a wickedly swung beat, while a vivid array of atonal synth lines intertwine to craft a mind-bending sonic fabric. As he fuses the echoes of his bass roots with the complexities of modern production, he invites us to join him in embracing the unfamiliar. Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 3 stands as a testament to HOLY B’s innovative spirit, a collection of sonic expeditions that traverse the boundaries of genre and convention.
We caught up with HOLY B to find out more about his musical journey so far, his latest release Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 3 and what he’s got lined up for the future. Check out our interview with HOLY B below.
Hey HOLY B! So, which artist first made a lasting impression on you?
When I started playing the bass I explored new genres and eventually also Jazz. Some bass players like e.g. Jaco Pastorius and Richard Bona had quite an impact on me back then, as well as Joe Zawinul’s Weather Report and Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. I was very impressed by the musicianship, playfulness and intensity.
Which artists do you draw most inspiration from today?
I am very inspired by Micachu, Mono Neon and Thundercat, as well as Flying Lotus, Beatdenker, E/Tape, Kind des Geistes, Brnjsmin, Ludwig Wandinger, Petter Eldh, J-Dilla and Dakim.
How do you find inspiration for your music?
Generally I am tying to listen to my intuition. A lot of times I hear something, or things come up when I listen to music of others, or learn new concepts or approaches, e.g. this can be a sound, that I’d imagine with a specific rhythm or a rhythm that I’d like to hear being played back by a certain sound, a new concept that I would like to integrate in a own way, and so on. It also happened after having deep conversations with friends that a certain feeling came up that made me wanna make music for it.The challenge is then to be disciplined and sit with it and do the work to translate that into reality. Most of the time a lot of things happen during this process that speak to me and the idea takes its own life.
What do you love about the Berlin music scene?
Berlin is the most liberal place on earth for me. There is so much space for everything here. So many exciting and creative people that inspire each other. I appreciate the very progressive and experimental edge of Berlin. It seems like its constantly evolving and moving forward, its intensity and energy is very inspiring to me.
How has your own style and sound evolved since you started out?
Since I started out with Adventures in Lo-Fi my style has become more authentic I guess and more playful. Vol. 1 was more conventional and more connected to my background as electric bass player, whereas Vol. 2 was quite the opposite, eccentric and intense. I dared to try new things in Vol. 2 which were quite exciting, new ideas, forms and sounds. It feels that with Vol. 3 I’ve continued the process, pushing my style further and involving new elements, such as voice.
How did you find making your new album ‘Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 3’?
That period of making Vol. 3 has been an intense one. Having a lot of time due to that lockdown but also doing so much work on myself that it was very hard to focus on productivity. I felt stuck with the initial idea, that Vol. 3 should be a kind of live-set-vibe; something I thought could be cool. After sitting with the basic tracks for a long time I reached a point where I felt frustrated and started playing around with it again and all of the sudden the music transformed into actual tracks again. On some of them I dared to try singing on and writing lyrics, something that I have always been curious to do. Doing so confronted me with some other questions, like e.g. what do want to say, how should my voice sound, what should the vibe be ? It took me some time to figure that out and feel comfortable with it. Same goes with the mixing-process and the artwork of the EP, which I have done myself as well. All together, making Vol. 3 was an important step forward in finding my authenticity and I felt I wanted to take time to let it grow and evolve organically as it did. Now looking back it all feels like a big experiment.
What message did you want to get across with this release?
Dare to be different. Dare to be soft and cute. Dare to trust your intuition.
Can you tell us more about your motivation behind producing “Adventures in Lo-Fi”?
For me the 3-part EP-Series symbolises a transformation. It opened the door for me to digest my background as a bass player and entering producing and working with my sampler and electronics. After having spent years at a conservatory I felt I needed to find back to my way of making music, for which there was not much space for during those years. In my search I found myself collecting all the different impressions and inputs I received through my life that resonated with me. The EP-Series gave me a chance to explore those and blend them together, finding my voice. I was very attracted by the beauty in the crackling of tape, noise, resonances, detuned notes, whacky rhythms, and so on. For me this kind of “Lo-Fi”-approach goes beyond just in sound, but became a philosophy for me, to look for the magic in the raw things, as they are more real to me than a polished version. I find it has so much political power behind, as we are all having our flaws and glitches and we need to start embracing them, rather than making each other feel bad about it or hiding them away. In that sense that retro-approach becomes somewhat post-contemporary to me, that this is how I’d envision the future in which we are appreciating everyone for their flaws, and also those weird sounds and rhythms.
You released Vol. 3 and played a couple of shows in Munich and Berlin. How was that experience for you and how did it go?
It went really well. I have been playing live with my sampler quite a lot already, but never the songs that I produced for „Adventures in Lo-Fi“. To be honest it was quite scary to go out and play them for the first time, without anything else than my Octatrack sampler. I was quite nervous about not sounding good with my more lo-fi sound approach, also knowing that some of my friends who are producers and playing big stages will be there. Just before the start of my tour I felt really frustrated as I compared myself to others. It took me a moment to calm down and realise that I have never even focussed on being somebody else and my motivation is to do something others do not. With that comes the fear of uncertainty and also trusting myself and finding something in what I do that I think is worth doing it. That can be quite hard and difficult at times. Going out and playing those tracks live gave me such an energy, and once I was doing it, I totally loved it. It was a great reminder for me that I love to play my music for people who want to listen to it. That experience was a great reminder, why I am doing music. Big thanks for the places and the crowds for the vibes.
What artist have you been listening to most recently?
I’ve been listening to Micachu, some Squarepusher, Motion Ward, Meitei and E/Tape.
What’s the main thing you want people to get out of listening to your music?
I am happy when people can hear something that they have not heard before. I like the idea, when they can see and imagine something new, listening to music, helping them to explore their own journey.
What’s been your favourite live performance so far?
I enjoyed very much Favorit Bar in Munich as well as the release show in Berlin together with Beatdenker and Joa Luna at ACUD macht Neu. Great places, great vibe, great people. More of this!!!!
Who would be 3 artists to headline your dream festival? And where would it be?
I’ve been dreaming of big festivals like Coachella, but recently I found myself more attracted to more intimate settings and their communities. I love a lot what the communities here in Berlin are up to with such exquisite locations for their Festivals, e.g. Whole Festival, Traumburg, etc.. at industrial constructionsites or in old castles, or in the woods at a lake. I’d love to see Micachu as the headliner on the mainfloor, the band Koma Saxo play at the band stage earlier, and then having Motion Ward play an Ambient set for sunrise in nature.
Finally, whats next for you?
I’ve been feeling the desire to perform an ambient live-set, so I am working on that right now. Besides I was asked to do a Remix for an album release as well as a set for an online radio station in Athens. In September we’ll be organising another Lo-Fi Playground Session, which I do the curation and the booking for.
Listen to Adventures in Lo-Fi – Vol. 3 below
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