Original Remix

DAMERO
┬ HAPPY IN GREY
┬ BPITCH CONTROL 2007

Colors in February: With her album "Happy In Grey" Damero brushes the winter in the most beautiful shades. Great feelings held covered in a warm grey.從上述的這段自白與介紹中，自己一度以為那是在形容Cocteau Twins；焉知這一位原名Marit的柏林電音女伶，將是繼Ellen Allien之後最被引頸期待的Bpitch Control電音女聲，同時也是繼Ellen Allien、AGF(Antye Greie)、Barbara Morgenstern與Miss Kittin之後最令自己期待與欣賞的女性電音唱作人。熟知柏林Techno與電子音樂發展的樂迷都應該知道Bpitch Control這個由Ellen Allien於九七年所成立的音樂品牌，近年裡已帶來了Smash TV、Kiki、Sasha Funkes、Paul Kalkbrenner等音樂單位。坐擁柏林Techno界第一夫人的Ellen Allien更是於去年連同另一名電音製作人Apparat合作發表「Orchestra Of Bubbles」專輯，以Techno會IDM炮製出一張郎才女貌、有款有型的音樂唱片。作為Bpitch Control或Ellen Allien歌迷大抵都在猜想下一步還會有什麼驚人之舉？於是乎Ellen Allien在此時將旗下愛將DAMERO推上台面就顯得更順理成章。與其要形容DAMERO是Bpitch Control本年度的秘密武器，倒不如悉心地發覺出Marit這位出身於古典歌曲演繹的小妮子是如何蛻變成IDM、Electro等電子音樂唱作人的身份；首張個人專輯「Happy In Grey」更是那麼樣地柔軟與高度旋律性，彷彿帶著Postal Service、Barbara Morgenstern、AGF與Mahler等人的影子，亦能找回Mozart等古典音樂的薰陶作用。

美麗出塵的典雅電音
如果問電子音樂要如何擺脫過往予人森冷難以親近的疏離印象，聽聽DAMERO的專輯「Happy In Grey」也許會有一些解答。柏林土生土長的DAMERO，自小就被家人冠上Damerow的小名；雖然曾經受過正統古典音樂與歌唱訓練，並於一些音樂會公開演出過幾回，事實上DAMERO仍不是非常習慣成為一名藝人，或者是人前人後品頭論足的討論對象。在訪談中她自言寧可多挪出一些時間來陪伴家人與朋友。創作音樂出於偶然，僅管過去三年裡她已全心投入音樂創作，卻一直到了擁有第一台個人電腦後，才開始對形形色色的音樂軟體產生興趣。原於Bpitch Control廠牌底下擔綱行銷與網路購物等工作的DAMERO，在一次偶然的情況下給老闆Ellen Allien聽到了她的私房音樂創作，Ellen Allien當下驚為天人，並衍生出為DAMERO灌錄個人專輯的計畫。

受過古典音樂訓練，並深受電子與流行音樂啟蒙的DAMERO在她個人的首張專輯「Happy In Grey」裡，透露出的是一種「座椅跳舞音樂」(Armchair Dance Music)的音樂面相。聆聽著「Happy In Grey」唱片彷彿就走進了DAMERO的音樂客廳，她不喜歡跳舞、卻發明了一種坐在椅子上扭腰擺臀的音樂。自言深受Low、Postal Service、Yo La Tengo等吉他流行音樂與Matmos、Aphex Twin電音影響的DAMERO，音樂創作上廣泛地吸納了Electro、IDM、Glitch等元素，綵排出揉合甜美聲調與實驗、舞池化電子節拍與吉他流行曲的各種養分，叫人聽的津津樂道。專輯的開場曲"Mope"透過極微與細密的電聲節拍處理，彷彿還有著一份Leftfield Hip-Hop的殘影；DAMERO的歌聲夾雜其中更顯得柔弱與感傷。"Right_Wrong"搖身一變成了另一名Techno、Electro女伶，尖銳刺耳的電聲音效彷彿貫穿血液裡的毒藥，叫身體舞動發作。與IDM名將Apparat合作的"Passage to Silence"走回陰冷Electro路線，虛幻飄渺地演繹恍若聽見Cocteau Twins的空靈，亦或是女生版的Joy Division也不為過。

另一名柏林電音奇女子AGF跨刀助陣的"1-1+1-1+1=1/2"，彷彿將兩人的音樂性情切割出來，營造出柔美的女性簡約電子謐靜；雙姝的惺惺相惜之情在歌聲裡不難尋覓。"Okay_Okay"通過古典器樂與合成鍵琴的聲效帶來一趟虛幻天馬行空的Electro旅程；"Neck Warmth"則走回較minimal質感的極微電音裝置；由Nevis Peak伴奏的"Gestern_Morgen"還有著Low、Postal Service等人的吉他音樂剪影。柏林Tech-house二人組Zander VT跨刀助陣的"Capricorn Saltlick"走回神秘陰暗的downtempo路線，同時也是一首song-based的美麗作品。"Sweet Thunderheads"的跳tone演出，找來了吉他與合成鍵琴伴奏，並在Glitch的細微處理下，反倒成為了專輯裡最雋永的柔美電子曲調。Minimal Techno怪傑headkit炮製的"Thing_Gone"自然是一首典型的舞曲化電子配方；反觀在尾曲"I made a home"置入了吉他、鐵琴與大提琴等原音樂器的伴奏，更烘托出DAMERO的典雅電音與優柔嗓音。屆時才恍然明白，DAMERO不單是一位出色的電音創作人，她更是一名出色的女歌者；穿透夾雜的電聲細微聲響，美麗出塵地令人著迷。

DAMERO site here
Listen on myspace here
Also from label here

DAMERO 電郵專訪 text by boyethan + M-Society 雜誌三月號專文介紹

1. Could you please give a brief profile of yourself?
I am a musician from Berlin and will release my first album on BPitch Control. I started doing my own music 3 years ago. Before that I used to be in some bands or do vocals for some people. I studied classical singing and did recitals and concerts, so classical music was my main focus then. This changed when I bought my first computer and started to play around with different music softwares. I could then finally realise all the music that was in my head.

2. Tell us about your name, why are you called Damero?
Damero comes from Damerow and Damerow is an old family name of mine. I really like how it sounds and what it looks like. And withouth the W it's more abstract.

3. How would you describe your style of music?
I would say it's Electronica with a lot of pop influences. I call it "armchair dance music", because it's more for dancing around in your room rather then for clubs, I think. And it's perfect for driving a car!

4. What is different between sound & music?
For me, sound can either be one single thing or the general description of something. Like for example, sound can be just the sound of the bass drum or the synth (like distorted or fat). Or it can be the mood of a whole track (like dark). And music, for me, stands more for melodic lines, whole songs or tracks or pieces.

5. A BPitch Control to your is…?
My home base, my musical family, my friends. My favorite label.

6. So far, what kind of things you really want to do?
I'd love to play live a lot this summer, I'd love to travel more, I'd love to be in the studio more, I'd love to have more time for my friends and family and I'd love to sing more classical music again.

7. What's Damero bible? Or faith?
I don't belong to any religion, but I believe that there is more than we can see and understand with our human minds. I try to follow my instincts without doing harm to anyone or anything.

8. What is your latest obsession?
Peanut butter and playing Mahjong.

9. Do you like to read and books? If you do (have). What kind of book did you read recently?
I LOVE reading books. I am obsessed with reading and have tons of books at home. As soon as I could read (when I was 5), I read books all the time, even while walking to school! The books I recently read were Ohan Pamuk "Snow", Richard Yates "Revolutionary Road" and Dietmar Dath "Dirac".

10. What is the best movie recently?
My favorite movie 2006 was "Scienes of Sleep" by Michel Gondry. And I just watched "Lemony Snigget", which is really great too!

11. What bands do you like?
My favorite band is Low. I also like Yo La Tengo, Postal Service ... there are quite a lot of bands I really like.

12. What's a typical day like for you?
I get up between 8 and 8:30 am, have breakfast (and read my book), go to the BPitch Control office where I take care of the promotion, licencing and webshop+merchandise section, in the evenings I either go straight into to the studio or do sports and then go to the studio.

13. Do you have other job?
Yes, a have a full time job at BPitch Control (see above).

15. What's your favourite place(or city)?and the reason.
Berlin. It's my home. And my bed, it's my home too, hi hi ...

16. What do you think a city must possess? As regards Berlin.
It has to have a lot of parks, a good public transportation, a nice country side around it, a lot of different people living in it an has to give you the freedom to do what you want to do.

17. What do you think of the current berlin music scene?
It is really vital. There are so many musicians still coming to live in Berlin because this city gives you a lot of different influences. Electronic music is really big here, there are a lot of good indie rock bands, jazz is pretty strong and not to forget all the brilliant orchestras of Berlin!

18. Would you like to work for Ellen Allien or label?
I do, actually. I work for the label and Ellen and also release on her label.

19. Do you draw inspiration from the work of other musician?
Yes, of course. Maybe not conciously, but you are always influenced by others. People/bands that inspired me a lot are Low, Postal Service, Apparat, Modeselektor, Catpower and Mozart.

20. What are your future plans?
To play live a lot, to read even more, to spend more time with my friends and family.