When the Vaccines released their first demo tape, the british radio channel Radio 1 entitled it as “The Hottest Record In The World“. A huge hype broke off in England and the boys, who just figured out to be a band, had the pressure to really find their own sound and release an album which could stand the hype.

The Festival season is the most fun season of the year! It is the time of the year where you can just live out your passion for music and escape the daily grind. The only things that matter: you and your friends dancing to music, drinking from the morning on without a bad conscience and decorating yourself

A couple of months ago, one of our crew members was singing from the highest treetops, after hearing that an old friend from school was going to release his [...]

Not every rap combo is trying to position themselves as badass hustlers who are looking for trouble. “Die Orsons” claim to be the best good looking boyband from germany [...]

After a very long and cold winter and the fact that we allready reached May, the people of Berlin were yearning for sunshine and temperatures over 20° degrees. And finally, on the day we met the singer-songwriter Coby Grant, spring won the battle against Father Frost. The young australian musician is just about to release…

Yes Cadets, are a trio of a new surge of indie-electro sounds, quickly emerging from Belfast, Northern Ireland. They recently landed themselves at Kino Zukunft, Friedrichshain to say a [...]

We took Bastille on an adventure to the pulsating heart of Berlin and found a place close by to Kottbusser Tor for our Session. The London based quartett just [...]

When you listen to the debut Album of Yesterday Shop you can experience the same feeling, that we get when when we shoot a session. It’s not an overproduced indie-pop album with banging snythie beats. As a matter of fact it sounds like the band has recorded the album right there at you livingroom, just for you and your friends

In early 2011, Mathias Hielscher, former bass player of the German band Virginia Jetzt!, started the Berliner Kneipenchor, following the example of the British pub choires: A group of [...]

We’ve just recently released our 50s Berlin Sessions and because of this major jubilee we made a teaser. Share this video if you want to support us! We also drop our very first and super fantastic Online Sampler with tracks from Wye-Oak, Max Prosa and the Howling Bells and newcomers like Spring Offensive, Will Samson and Tula.

Tom Klose, singer songwriter from Hamburg, is getting a lot of attention for his special song writing talent in the last few month. Combined with his expressive voice and outgoing appearance on stage, it does not come as a surprise that the young man has won the Krach and Getöse music contest in Hamburg earlier this year.

Named after one of Elliott Smith’s, more uplifting songs, Pretty Mery K combines mellow, neo – folk elements with a hint of pop. All four members, very much influenced by classical Jazz music, like to tell little stories in each of their tunes. It does not come as a surprise, with Mr Smith, known for his song writing skills…

In the beginning Dota studied the art of medicine, so she could heal shattered bodies. Luckily for us, she started as well to heal wounded souls with her music. [...]

On a quick glimpse, Me And My Drummer have all the typical attributes of a newcomer: They are young, endearing and talented. But then again their sound, merely consisting of piano and drums, synths and divine vocals, is so crisp and experienced, that you just gotta go beyond surface level. The duo consisting of Charlotte…

Phoebe Killdeer and her band The Short Straws are radiating coolness. The Paris born singer with australian roots, made her way to the London club scene, where she worked [...]

According to Olli Schulz we live in a “terribly beautiful world”. Looking across the rooftops of Berlin-Mitte and into the faces of those lovely people, we think he‘s on rather solid ground with that assumption. Things have lately been going quite well for Olli, who released his first album in 2003 as Olli Schulz und der Hund Marie.

From “Waikiki” to “Howling Bells” meant for the “Stein-siblings” to move half around the world. But let’s start from the beginning: Juanita Stein (singer, guitarist), her brother Joel (lead [...]

A young man sits at the river Spree. He is singing a song only accompanied by his guitar. The young man’s name is Nico Rebscher – singer of the band Lauter [...]

Their name sounds like a fairytale and their music will bewitch you: Ewert and the Two Dragons are four gentlemen from Estonia who can break your heart, sweep up [...]

We don‘t actually know whether or not multi-instrumentalist Jerome Alexander has yet reached out to any bears with his musical message, but he definitely has some human listeners hanging [...]

Spain meets England meets Sweden meets Berlin: Pablo Decoder are a multi cultured electro-pop duo from all over Europe. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and programmer Pablo was born in Spain and [...]

“We are hopelessly hopeful.” Charity Children Berlin are two lovers from New Zealand, who send their melodies flying through the streets of Berlin. Elliot and Chloe fell in love making [...]

Emil Svanängen aka Loney, Dear is a one-man orchestra. From guitar and vocals to percussion and piano, Emil plays and loops all kinds of instruments to create his rich, [...]

It may sound like one of these well-known singer-songwriter myths: A girl aged 19, finding herself adrift and unsure of what to do with her life, grabs a guitar and teaches herself to play and write songs. Only a few years later, Rosi Golan turns out to be one of the most promising artists in this genre.

It‘s not often that we at Berlin Sessions meet someone who has already performed for an actual princess. But here we are, standing in the staircase in front of The Apartment in Schöneberg, listening to some intense folk songs played by charming band Tula, and royalty is really quite close. When Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden last visited Berlin it was right here at The Apartment that she saw the exact same band perform the exact same song for her at a private show.

Marti Sarbit has one of the most particular voices we‘ve ever heard. Therefore we figured that a session with her band Imaginary Cities wouldn‘t need a fancy location to turn into something exceptional. The buzzing streets of Berlin-Friedrichshain were the perfect fit for Imaginary Cities‘ unpretentious yet sweeping folk-pop. And Factory Girl, the charming coffeehouse where we sat down with Marti and multi-instrumentalist Rusty Matyas just added to the warmth of their songs.

They used to be a couple, now they are best friends and also one of the most stirring bands around. Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack met at High School in Baltimore, Maryland. Together with two other friends they formed Wye Oak, the band name being a reference to the big white oak that used to be Maryland‘s honorary state tree. When the other two band members left Wye Oak, Andy – who used to merely play the drums – decided to back up Jenn‘s voice and guitar on keyboard and organ. The makeshift became the duo‘s trademark and seeing Andy play the keys with his left hand and drums with the right one is a more than commemorable sight.

Hamburg meets Berlin: Not only did Herrenmagazin play a session for us, they also released their first album “Atzelgift” on Berlin record label Motor Music. The band consists of Deniz Jaspersen on vocals and guitar, Torben “König Wilhelmsburg” on guitar, Paul Konopacka on bass and Rasmus Engler on drums. To be honest, König and Paul haven’t actually been in the band from day one, but they fit just right in. In this band everything comes naturally – the music and the attitude.

Brooklyn new wave rockers The Drums exploded on the indie music scene with the springtime release of their debut EP, “Summertime”, in March 2010. Three months later, the group released its first full-length album – a self-titled debut of nostalgic, head-bobbing tracks. The Drums have sold over 200,000 copies worldwide to date, including some 90,000 in the U.K., where it climbed to #16 on the charts.

On their Tumblr blog Spring Offensive stated that their first ever tour through Germany was “the best time of this band’s career“. The first day of this formidable journey saw us drag the five piece from Oxford into a backyard next to infamous White Trash Fast Food. Here we discovered some kind of wonderland comprised of art, antiques and general curiosities: Friedrichslust. The little carpenter‘s shop was the perfect fit for the precious musical gems that Spring Offensive performed in front of our camera.

When Katie Costello left her hometown Los Angeles she was only seventeen years old. From the beach to the Big Apple: “I never liked the beach, I’m a terrible driver, and I’m inherently neurotic, so Brooklyn was the perfect fit,” she said in an interview for Vogue in April. It was her first year in New York when the magic happened. It was a time of loneliness and as paradox as it may sound: It was Katie’s creative outburst. During that phase she wrote the songs for her latest album “Lamplight”. Songs which appear happy and light-footed at first but very wise and old-fashioned – in a good way – after a second listen. To produce her new album Katie got back to her roots in L.A. and took Tony Berg (Jesca Hoop, Aimee Mann, Michael Penn) on board. Since October she is supporting Greg Holden on his tour through Europe with a broken keyboard and food poisoning as a result. Well, tour life.

In his spare time he doesn‘t listen to any electronic music at all. Fritz Kalkbrenner, one of Germany‘s most pleasant and exciting techno DJs, instead draws his inspiration from soul and funk stars like Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield. According to Fritz, you need to think outside of your own box to create something unique. Unsurprisingly, Fritz‘s way into techno Olympus did not begin with the release of a booming techno track produced in his bedroom or a congenial DJ set at some Berlin underground club.

Dry the River are the incarnation of honesty poured into a fragile voice, and five band members who could not be any more different from each other. A Norwegian-born singer named Peter Liddle, a once-homeless drummer, and a classically trained violinist came together in London to first begin with some heartbreaking music. A guitarist and a very beardy bass player followed, and the band was complete in 2009. Since their first EP “The Chamber and the Valves” proved to be a catalyst for the band’s rapid stage career, it is to be hoped that their next jewel, the “Weights and Measures” EP turns out a similar success upon its release in November of this year. But actually, we are quite sure about that.

Alex Winston‘s “Velvet Elvis“ is a lovesong dedicated to the kitsch images of Elvis Presley painted on dark velvet. These pictures of pop music‘s beloved icon have themselves been the topic of many pop songs including “Weird Al“ Yankovic‘s “Velvet Elvis“ and casting show favourite “Black Velvet“ by Alannah Myles. Alex‘s little ode can therefore be understood as a token of love for pop music. This falls into place especially when you come to know that the classically trained singer, who used to practice Puccini etcetera for ten years, grew up in Detroit, the cradle of Motown and Techno, and also the home of Madonna and Eminem.

Flashguns are an up-and-coming band from London. Sam, Olly and Giles became good friends at a Catholic boarding school and made rock music together ever since. After finishing school they focused on their music and played shows all over Europe. In October 2011 they released their debut album “Passions Of A Different Kind” on Humming Records. Sam, the singer of the band, told us that while producing the album it felt like going through all the different phases of becoming an adult.

Sir Simon Battle – that’s Simon Frontzek and a bunch of his crazy friends. The Berlin-based musician Simon is a busy guy: He has also taken up the task of keyboarding for the German band Tomte, as well as being a producer himself. So in order to compose his straightforward and yet poetic songs about your everyday moments and hurdles, he must dive well into the night hours. That part of the day when your mind starts drifting away into the dark… and consequently, his debut album “Battles” was followed, in 2011, by “Goodnight, Dear Mind…”.

We‘re not yet sure whether to find this performance by quirky Norwegian metal-pop outfit Deathcrush extremely cool or just plain weird. But then again, this seems to be what their whole career is about. Deathcrush call their songs “Lessons“ an dedicate them to the likes of Snoop Dogg and Cliff Burton.

There are a lot of stories to tell about American songwriter William Fitzsimmons. Let‘s start with the obvious: US television loves this beardy multi-instrumentalist. His music was used by programmes such as One Tree Hill, Greek, Brothers & Sisters, Army Wives and, most prominently, Grey‘s Anatomy. His popularity with American TV might be down to the fact that Fitzsimmons tells intimate tales of his own psyche. His music is always part psycho-therapy – for himself and his listeners.

Young Rebel Set are a charismatic bunch of Englishmen that started doing folk music in Stockton-on-Tees in North East England… and alas! They’re doing it good. Their music has just the combination of roughness and softness of the landscape these guys came out of. We keep marvelling over such a perfect voice, sometimes powerful, and sometimes on the verve of breaking. It breaks our hearts, really.

A young Neo-Folk professional with wisdom and experience both in his voice and his lyrics: Max Prosa. Born in Berlin, Max got his first instrument at the age of six. His mother presented him with a guitar. And he was not able to lay it aside ever since. Writing your own songs, making your own music that was his identification -not studying physics and philosophy. No sooner felt than done.

When Jon Janes, the only constant member of Canada’s The Mountains & The Trees asked us via Twitter if we are up for a session we were instantly excited to meet him. After all, you can’t go wrong with a tall grown musician traveling the world with a vintage flower suitcase. Jon had come all the way from Newfoundland to play gigs in the big European cities, so of course Berlin had to be on the itinerary and of course we made a session with him.

This was by far the most comfortable session we ever did. The Mouse Folk invited us to a living-room concert in their flat at Warschauer Straße in Friedrichshain. How adequate, because their living room is just as cosy as their music.

Julia Kotowski, self–taught lo fi singer/songwriter from cologne takes her instruments wherever she goes, as if this would be the only way to communicate with the world around her.

Born 3,600 metres above sea level in the city of La Paz in Bolivia, the young ears of David Lemaitre met songs of the South American Highland. He played guitar and grew up speaking three languages. As a teenager David discovered his passion for psychedelic bands of the 70′s. The door to new cultures and music influences opened when he moves to Europe as a student.

Swedish band Friska Viljor emerged in 2005, when two broken-hearted musicians stumbled into a studio after a long night out. Daniel Johansson und Joakim Sveningsson were deeply disappointed by love, and spontaneously got together to make music – probably as a cheap therapy. Within short time, they had assembled their first album, and by now they’ve added three more pieces of art. The latest of these jewels is “The Beginning of the Beginning of the End“ – which we sincerely hope will not turn out a prophecy.

As i first met the guys playing under the name of Deep Sea Diver, i was reminded of Jacques Cousteau and his crew. Always moving forward and trying to discover the mysteries of life. And basically their attitude is quite similar. The music by Deep Sea Diver is floating through space, like the submarine of Jacques was floating through a oceanic trench in the pacific.

Ólöf Arnalds doesn’t play a harp, but somehow the spiritual atmosphere reminds us of one. Her songs are quiet, lyrical and delicate. The resonance of her acoustics and ingenuous voice sounds gentle, oscillating between innocent and evil witch child.

Solo used to be the band of Duchmen Michiel Flamman on vocals and guitar and Simon Gitsels on piano. The name is more suitable since 2008 when Simon left the band. Until then the two of them had released two albums and landed a top 20 hit in the Netherlands with upbeat pop song “Come Back To Me“. Another two albums and a best of called “This is Solo“ followed. Solo‘s musical spectrum ranges from catchy pop to intimate folk. The songs are usually centred around Michiel‘s unique and haunting voice, the goal is to stick to your mind the first time you hear them.

The singer/songwriter duo Ruth and Brookln Dekker playing such harmonic songs only wife and husband can. Their authentic sound gets you like a breeze, while the melodies fit the soft and warm voices. An “Anglo-American outfit’s self-propelled adventure” sums it up well. Rue Royale is different – not because they hit it off without any manager or label – no, because they printed, snipped, sewed and stuffed 7,500 Rue Royale CDs, including 500 pre-orders for ‘Guide To An Escape’. And they knitted. Yes, both gave away hand-made knitted goods, e.g. hot water-bottle covers, for their fans. Now, that’s what we call effort.

Clean authentic rock you might call it, but when we met the very nice Antti and Tilman for Berlin Sessions even the black leather jacket couldn’t hide their softer, more poppy side. Their sound is not only influenced by the characters and backgrounds of the four musicians, living and playing music in London, Berlin and Finland. It’s the warm voice of singer Antti that gives you goose bumps.

Rome may not have been built in a day, but inventing Paris seems to work out pretty fast! After only one year of band history the European artist collective We Invented Paris can look back on over 70 gigs in more than 50 cities. During that time they supported -among others- Kettcar, Octoberman and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.

Mega! Mega! are four crazy Berlin-based rockstars and two exclamation marks. Together, they form a bunch of loud and cheerful adventurers, eager to draw attention to their stylised kind of grandeur. And although one might argue they’re hard to ignore, it is also well worth listening to them.

Will Samson’s music could be described as a soap bubble floating through a cold winter night. A warm camp fire on top of a very high mountain. Long story short, his music is sentimental as fuck. The young singer & songwriter was born in London and after finishing school he took his small acoustic guitar, closed the front door, and travelled the world. India, Morocco and Tibet are just some of the places he roamed.

Avantgarde Pop from Israel. Ofrin is about their singer and eponym Ofri Brin, a curly red head who attracts attention – not just by her hair – rather by her voice. A self-trained one, without a classical background. Ofri started as a singer in a chorus for the army in Israel. Haply Oded Kaydar was playing the piano there and they met for the first and for a short time ’cause they lost each others sight after Ofri left Israel. She started to work in the UK. After two years the second and musically explosive meeting between Ofri and Oded happened in Brighton. He convinced her to pack her bags and though they both ended up in Berlin.

For #7 of our Berlin Sessions we filmed Lino Modica in front of the Kuriositätenkabinett at Graefestaße in Kreuzberg. Yes, on a neat little bench right near that cabinet of curiosities. And Lino might be just one of these curiosities that escaped from the tiny store at some point – but what an amiable one!

It all started when Dutchman Geert van der Velde, then a philosophy student and singer of American hardcore band Shai Hulud, recorded a song for his girlfriend in 2006. The musical declaration of love turned into atmospheric folk project The Black Atlantic, the girlfriend later became not only Geert‘s wife but also an occasional band member.

In one rather early episode of our Berlin Sessions we had the honour to record a song with Eternal Tango, just a few hours before their show. Founded in 2002 in Luxemburg, Eternal Tango released their debut album “First Round at the Sissi Café” in 2007 and follow-up “Welcome To The Golden City” in 2010. By now, the band from that tiny European country has become quite big. With their beyond-category style mixing energetic alternative rock with power pop and their own charming ideas they keep enchanting their audiences.

They started as four and ended up as two. And that is not a bad thing at all. Berge are Marianne and Rocco, two music lovers from Berlin. They sing about happiness and the search for luck is their thread. If you want to learn German their lyrics are definitely worth it. Combined with Marianne’s clear voice you are lost. Lost in a trap of dreams of a better world. Their sound is not as cheesy as this description. It is honest and with a flow of summer in it.

When we met Brighton five piece Friday Night Hero in the summer of 2010 we had no idea the band would be history only some months later. They said goodbye to their fans on Facebook by posting our video to their song “Eternity“.

Sometimes he is heaven and sometimes he is leaves. That‘s what Gariboff sings in the chorus of his song “Himmel“, performed on the roof of an old tower at Treptower Park. Instead of gimmickry and stylised biographies, Gariboff is just voice and guitar. Nils, who uses his last name as stage name has been making music for almost twenty years, apart from his solo project he plays in bands Kerub and Alltagsdasein.

Her music is shaped by her classical voice and simply the passion for creating her own music. Michaela Lucas was born in Adelaide and grew up in Coober Pedy, a little city with only 1.500 inhabitants in the south of Australia. At the age of 12 she started to write her first songs and hasn’t stopped since. After the experience of working as a trained classical singer in musical theatre, opera and cabaret, in Australia and Europe, she focused on her performances as a singer and songwriter.