TALK: PARAMIDA by Fraser Bonar with photos by Lucas Christiansen. Make up & Hair by Isabel Maria Simoneth

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Paramida moved to Berlin in 2010 and has since made an impact to the local club scene with a distinctive and sensual approach to music. Her varied sets represent something hopeful, something unusual, something unlikely. A beacon of pleasure and surprise. Blending proto-house to trance, percussive gems with high- energy techno, Italian dream house and irresistible new beat – Paramida is truly committed to digging. The Panorama Bar resident is a confident, talented and occasionally provocative artist in a city whose musical rules are often made to be played by and begging to be broken.

While working at OYE Records, she began her life as a DJ between a tireless party scene by night and days immersed in music. In the years since, those same instincts have taken Paramida to far-out places. Her singular thirst for often obscure, always incredible music has lead her to residencies at two of the world’s most renowned nightclubs. Already a regular fixture in the booth at Offenbach’s rightfully coveted Robert Johnson, she started her residency at Berghain’s Panorama Bar in 2020. Having impressed on many occasions, whether conducting victoriously trippy afternoon excursions to a number of mind-bending closing sets, extending well beyond sunrise, dancers always share the energy of Paramida’s musical obsession. Outside of dancefloor expectations, Paramida’s recent discoveries and closely-held gems make up the soundtrack of a monthly show on Rinse FM.

Paramida’s taste is also the guiding spirit at the heart of Love On The Rocks, the label she founded in 2014. Its catalogue is defined by irresistible, offbeat club anthems and unexpected 12″s adapted from the dustiest corners of outsider dance culture, bringing together elements from nu-disco, trance, acid, deep and progressive house, breaks and ambient music across continents. Many of the unlikely and treasured connections that form the backbone of Love On The Rocks have been established as Paramida has travelled the world, performing at clubs and festivals across Europe as well as Asia, Australia, Central and South America. 

帕拉米达于2010年搬到柏林,并从那时起以一种独特的和感性的音乐方式对当地的俱乐部场景产生了影响。她的表演有一种有希望、不寻常的能量,像一个快乐和惊喜的灯塔。融合了原声与劝世风格冲击性的风格和高能量的电子乐,意大利梦幻浩室和不可抗拒的新节奏–帕拉米达真正致力于挖掘。她是一位自信的、有才华的、偶尔具有挑衅性的艺术家,在他所生活的这个城市里,音乐规则往往是用来玩的,并恳求被打破。

在OYE唱片公司工作时,她开始了她的DJ生活,在晚上不知疲倦的派对现场和沉浸在音乐中的日子之间。在此后的几年里,这些同样的本能已经把帕拉米达带到了遥远的地方。她对通常晦涩难懂、总是令人难以置信的音乐有着奇异的渴求,使她在世界最著名的两家夜总会驻场。她已经是奥芬巴赫的罗伯特-约翰逊(Robert Johnson)酒吧的常客,2020年她开始在贝格汉姆的全景酒吧驻场。她在许多场合都给人留下了深刻的印象,无论是在下午进行的胜利的迷幻之旅,还是在一些不可预知的闭幕式上,都延伸到了日出之后,舞者们总是分享着帕拉米达的奇异执着的能量。在舞池期待之外,帕拉米达发现的各类宝藏音乐构成了Rinse FM每月节目的背景音乐。 帕拉米达的品味也是她在2014年创立的Love On The Rocks厂牌的核心指导精神。它的内容是由不可抗拒的、亚文化的俱乐部颂歌和让人出乎意料的12寸唱片构成,这些都是从世界舞蹈文化中最尘土飞扬的角落汇编的,集聚了来自新迪斯科、劝世、酸性迷幻、前卫的深房浩室、碎拍音乐以及各大洲的环境音乐的元素。构成Love On The Rocks主干的许多不太可能的和宝贵的联系,是在Paramida周游世界,在欧洲以及亚洲、澳大利亚、中美洲和南美洲的俱乐部和音乐节上表演时建立起来的。

Dream Ritual is your first solo release. Having spent your career up until now focusing on your mastery of DJing and on your label, it came as a nice surprise to some that you had turned your hand to producing as well. Was there something specific that sparked the desire to put out your own tracks into the world, or had you always planned to do so?

I always thought I was more a DJ than a producer. The last few years I realized that no one was making the sound the way I wanted it. That’s when things shifted and I decided to try to make the sound I wanted to put out. So I took a couple of music production classes and also had some private tutoring from producers that are friends of mine. I learned to take the best from all of them and develop it into my own way of making music. I also sample most of the records I play, that’s why I’ve been told my productions sound like my DJ sets, which I think is pretty hilarious. 

Dream Ritual是你的第一张个人专辑。在你的职业生涯中,你一直专注于你的DJ和你的厂牌,对一些人来说,你把你的方向也转向了制作,这是一个令人惊喜的事情。是有什么特别的东西激发了你向世界推出自己的创作的欲望,还是你一直计划这样做?

我一直认为我是一个DJ甚于我是一个制作人。在过去的几年里,我意识到没有人以我想要的方式制作声音。就在那时,事情发生了转变,我决定尝试制作我想发出的声音。所以我上了几节音乐制作课,还从我的朋友的制作人那里得到了一些私人辅导。我学会了从他们所有人那里吸取精华,并将其发展成我自己的音乐制作方式。我还对我播放的大多数唱片进行采样,这就是为什么有人说我的作品听起来像我的DJ组合,我认为这很幽默。

The EP comes with a “Divine Female Energy” warning on the sleeve. You described this as the “creative life-giving force within all of us” that is “unafraid to speak the truth, embrace sexual nature, and show up fully and authentically”. How does this energy come through in your music? Was it a concept that shaped your writing, or is it a natural and organic effect? 

The process of making these tracks was very intuitional, but at the same time a lot of work. The same way I try to put my emotions into my mixes and DJ sets, I do it with my productions. It’s not a question of intention, but rather putting a part of your soul into it.

这张EP的封套上有一个”神圣的女性能量”警告。你把它描述为”我们所有人体内的创造性生命力”,它 “毫不畏惧地说出真相,拥抱性的本性,并充分和真实地展示出来”。这种能量在你的音乐中是如何体现的?它是一个塑造你写作的概念,还是一个自然和原声的效果?

制作这些曲目的过程是非常直观的,但同时也有很多工作。我试图把我的情感融入我的混音和DJ组合,我在我的作品中也是如此。这不是一个意图的问题,而是将你灵魂的一部分投入其中。


Could you tell us a little bit more about the name of the EP and the relationship it has to the moon, which you described as representing “our feelings, our unconscious beliefs, the past and our yin or feminine goddess archetype”?

Yeah, now it’s getting back to this A lot of people have asked me what Dream Ritual means and the truth is when I finished the track that was the first thing that came to my mind. Coming together, celebrating and dancing are all rituals and basic human needs, which can make it possible to experience some kind of dream or utopia that you want to become reality. The whole moon thing is a different story. It has been said that the moon circle and it’s different phases affect our energies and moods and to be conscious of it has an interesting effect, so I decided to include it into my first EP.

你能告诉我们更多关于这张EP的名字和它与月亮的关系吗?你把月亮描述为代表 “我们的感情、我们无意识的信念、过去和我们的阴或女性女神原型”?

很多人问我 “梦想仪式 “是什么意思,事实上,当我完成这首曲子时,这是我脑海中浮现的第一件事。聚在一起,庆祝和跳舞都是仪式和人类的基本需求,这可以使你有可能体验到某种你想成为现实的梦想或乌托邦。整个月亮的事情是一个不同的故事。有人说,月圆和它的不同阶段会影响我们的能量和情绪,有意识地去关注它有一个有趣的效果,所以我决定把它纳入我的第一张EP。

Beyond the name, there are other ritualistic aspects to this record. From the mesmerising synth patterns and echoing chant-like vocals on ‘Dream Ritual’ to the tribal drumming inspired rhythms and percussion on ‘French House 2000’, it sounds like a beckoning call for the listener to dive deep into the music. Was that an intention of yours with the record?

 I definitely have a thing for percussive and ethno grooves and vocals, because they are organic. Everything is connected in our world and we are a human family and it’s important to embrace the roots and the sounds of why we dance and come together

除了名字之外,这张唱片还有其他仪式性的方面。从 “Dream Ritual “中令人着迷的合成器模式和回声吟唱般的人声,到 “French House 2000 “中受部落鼓声启发的节奏和打击乐,它听起来像是一个召唤,让听众潜入音乐的深处。这是你的唱片的一个意图吗?

我肯定对打击乐和民族舞曲以及人声有兴趣,因为它们是原声的。在我们的世界里,所有的东西都是联系在一起的,我们是一个人类大家庭,重要的是要拥抱我们为什么要跳舞和走到一起的根源和声音。

Given that you are drawn to and are drawing upon musical energies and rhythms from diverse origins, we wondered what you think about the relationship between the techno and house worlds in Europe and those across the world, especially the ever-growing industries in Japan and China?

But from a record label owner point of view, I can definitely say that there is a great market in Japan to sell records and of course China has a huge potential.

鉴于您被不同来源的音乐能量和节奏所吸引并正在汲取灵感,我们想知道您如何看待欧洲的 techno 和 house 世界与世界各地的关系,尤其是日本和中国不断发展的行业?

但从一个唱片公司老板的角度来看,我可以肯定地说,在日本有一个很好的市场来销售唱片,当然中国也有很大的潜力。

When it comes to the production itself, how do you achieve the density of material at play in your music, without overloading it? What was your approach to producing the tracks?

I actually think the tracks are on the edge of being too overloaded. I prefer music to be more reduced, those two tracks are some of my very first tracks and I just kept adding more elements. I think that has changed now and I learned that less is more – even in music.

说到制作本身,你是如何在你的音乐中实现素材的密度,而不至于让它过载?你制作这些曲目的方法是什么?

实际上,我认为这些曲目处于太过沉重的边缘。我喜欢音乐更少,那两首曲子是我最早的一些曲子,我只是不断地添加更多的元素。我想现在已经改变了,我学会了少即是多–即使在音乐中。

The remixes hold their own on the record, bringing new energies, new sounds and ultimately new personalities to the tracks, which is not a feat that should be underrated. What was the feeling like to hear the reworks for the first time and hear the quality of them?

Incredible. I love both remixes and I love each their approach, they really took it to a different level. Eris Drew & Octo Octa gave their magic to it and also Youandewan made such a special remix.

这些混音作品在唱片中占有一席之地,给曲目带来了新的能量、新的声音,最终带来了新的个性,这不是一个应该被低估的壮举。第一次听到这些混音作品令人难以置信。我喜欢这两首混音,我喜欢他们各自的方法,他们真的把我的音乐带到了一个不同的水平。Eris Drew和Octo Octa给它带来了他们的魔力,Youandewan也做了这样一个特别的混音。

You’re a self-confessed fanatic of obscure and new music and have spoken before about your love of vinyl. Do you have any favourite places to hunt for records?

Yes, of course. A lot of cities have very special places. We are very gifted in Berlin with record shops. The only thing that is a pity is that the shops are very “techno” here. There are also a lot of people and crews that put a lot of effort into searching for rarities and uploading them on youtube and selling them for fair prices. My favorite one is Betonska from Amsterdam (https://betonska.bigcartel.com), which is run by Iggy P. He has a very special ear and taste. And then there are N0 Frills from Berlin and of course Running Hot for hot italian House. 

你自认是一个鲜为人知的新音乐的狂热者,并且之前说过你对黑胶唱片的热爱。你有什么最喜欢去寻找唱片的地方吗?

是的,当然了。很多城市都有非常特别的地方。我们在柏林很有天赋,有唱片店。唯一令人遗憾的是,这里的商店非常 “技术”。也有很多人和团队花了很多精力去寻找稀有的东西,并把它们上传到youtube上,以公平的价格出售。我最喜欢的是来自阿姆斯特丹的Betonska(https://betonska.bigcartel.com),它由Iggy P经营。他有非常特别的耳朵和品味。然后还有来自柏林的N0 Frills,当然还有Running Hot的italian House。

These tips are amazing for music lovers who are looking for a great value way to discover new tracks. It seems like there are two sides to this – those looking for new and exciting things to listen to, and those following the trend for vinyl itself. Vinyl sales around the world are at the highest levels in decades. But on the other hand, ICM reported in 2016 that 48% of buyers don’t actually play the records, with many not even owning turntables. What do you make of this? 

That actually underlines my theory that most record buyers are collectors. That’s why I think it is so important to make each release super special and put a lot of love for details into it. We are not in the 90s anymore and no one is pressing thousands of records. That’s why I also believe that the vinyl price today for a 12” is way undervalued. A piece of musical art that is being pressed into a piece of vinyl in the 21st century and is sold in 300, 500 or even 1000 copies has to be more valuable. It has to be more valuable than a pair of shoes mass produced somewhere in a factory.

这些提示对于正在寻找一种发现新曲目的超值方式的音乐爱好者来说是惊人的。这似乎有两个方面 – 那些寻找新的和令人兴奋的东西来听,以及那些追随黑胶本身趋势的人。世界各地的乙烯基销售额处于几十年来的最高水平。但另一方面,ICM 在 2016 年报告称,48% 的买家实际上并没有播放唱片,许多人甚至没有唱盘。你怎么看这个?

1. 这实际上强调了我的理论,即大多数唱片买家是收藏家。这就是为什么我认为让每张唱片都超级特别,并在细节上投入大量的爱是非常重要的。我们不再是90年代了,没有人在压制成千上万的唱片。这就是为什么我也相信今天12寸黑胶唱片的价格被低估了。一件在21世纪被压制成黑胶的音乐艺术作品,以300、500甚至1000张的数量出售,一定是更有价值的。它必须比一双在工厂里批量生产的鞋子更有价值。

Was it your love for scouting out new music and a wish to create your own lasting artworks that led you to open your own label, Love on the Rocks (in 2014)? Or were there other drivers and motivations behind the move?

Back in the days, when I used to work at a record shop, we would get swamped with new releases every week. And I felt kind of bored of them, so I decided to start my own label and release music as I knew so many great artists.

是你对发掘新音乐的热爱导致你开设了自己的厂牌,Love on the Rocks(2014年)?还是在此举背后有其他的驱动力和动机?

在过去的日子里,当我在一家唱片店工作时,我们每周都会被新发行的唱片淹没。我对它们感到厌烦,所以我决定成立自己的厂牌,发行音乐,因为我知道有这么多伟大的艺术家。

There have been lots of beautiful releases over the past seven years, coming from artists like Massimiliano Pagliara, Telephones and Fantastic Man. Do any records from the list that stand out to you as particularly special, or that you find yourself returning to over and over again?

Each release is special, because I have a personal connection to every record that I put out. LOTR is not only a record label, it mirrors my life and my experiences. So every release that comes out is based on a special human interaction between me and the artist or the music. To pick a few outstanding ones, would be unfair, as they all represent a special moment in my life. 

在过去的七年里,有很多漂亮的发行,来自MassimilianoPagliara、Telephones和Fantastic Man等艺术家。在这个名单中,是否有任何记录让你觉得特别特别,或者你发现自己一次又一次地回到这里?

每一次发行都很特别,因为我对我发行的每一张唱片都有个人联系。LOTR不仅是一个唱片公司,它反映了我的生活和我的经历。因此,每张发行的唱片都是基于我和艺术家或音乐之间的特殊人际互动。挑选几个杰出的,将是不公平的,因为它们都代表了我生命中的一个特殊时刻。。

As a DJ, you’ve long been a regular face behind the booth at Offenbach’s Robert Johnson. And in 2020, you became a resident at Panorama in Berlin. How did your relationships with these two legendary clubs start?

I became a resident at Robert Johnson through my friend Pascal, who used to do  first parties at RJ and later he became the booker there for a while. Considering the impact of the club on me from a very young age, it was really  special that the residency happened, because I never thought of it. Same with Panorama Bar. The first gig came out of the blue in October 2015 and then I started playing regularly until I became a resident. None of these things were ever on my radar, so when both residencies happened it was quite surprising and exciting for me.

作为一名DJ,你长期以来一直是奥芬巴赫的罗伯特-约翰逊(Robert Johnson)音乐厅幕后的常客。而在2020年,你成为了柏林Panorama的驻地。你与这两个传奇俱乐部的关系是如何开始的?

我通过我的朋友 Pascal 成为 Robert Johnson 的居民,Pascal 曾经在 RJ 举办过第一场派对,后来他成为了那里一段时间的预订人。考虑到俱乐部在我很小的时候对我的影响,住院医师的发生真的很特别,因为我从来没有想过。与全景酒吧相同。第一次演出是在 2015 年 10 月突然出现的,然后我开始定期演奏,直到我成为一名居民。这些事情都没有发生在我的雷达上,所以当两个驻留项目发生时,这对我来说非常令人惊讶和兴奋。

Despite sharing acclaim and constantly being listed as among the best techno clubs in Germany and the world more generally, the spaces themselves are pretty remarkably different in style and vibe, making the two residencies both more impressive and also perhaps surprising. How do you see this? And where do you see yourself fitting in between the two?

I am pretty adaptable as a DJ. I can play very differently, depending on the occasion, time and setting. This flexibility as a DJ could be the reason for the residencies. On the other hand I think that it might be hard for outside promoters to book me as they can’t categorize me in terms of what exactly I play. 

尽管共享赞誉,并不断被列为德国乃至世界上最好的电子乐俱乐部,但这些空间本身在风格和氛围上却有相当明显的不同。你如何看待这个问题?你认为自己在这两者之间的定位是什么?

作为一个DJ,我的适应性很强。我可以根据不同的场合、时间和环境,以非常不同的方式演奏。作为一个DJ,这种灵活性可能是驻场演出的原因。另一方面,我认为外面的推广人可能很难为我预定,因为他们无法将我具体演奏的内容进行分类。

Your sets are certainly famed for their variety and disregard for expectations. And you seem to be capable of fitting the music to the situation well, from setting the mood in opening sets, filling exhausting endless closers with funky rhythms to sustain everyone, right through to laying out luscious downtempo numbers on your Ostgut mix for Radio 1. Is this chameleon-like ability just something that comes naturally, or do you purposefully create it through meticulous preparation and conscious planning, to make each set singular?

I just love to discover new and different stuff and play things in a different context. That’s what makes djing exciting. Like a rainbow, no matter where it appears it always attracts.

你的表演以其多样性和对期望的漠视而闻名。而且你似乎有能力将音乐很好地适应这种情况,从在开场时设置气氛,用时髦的节奏填充疲惫不堪的结尾,以维持每个人的状态,直到在你为Radio 1的Ostgut混音中铺设美味的慢节奏数字。这种像变色龙一样的能力是自然而然的,还是来自于精心的准备和有意识的规划,以使每场演出都是独一无二的?

我只是喜欢发现新的和不同的东西,并在不同的背景下播放东西。这就是DJ的魅力所在。就像彩虹一样,无论它出现在哪里,都会吸引人。

Speaking of closing sets – you’ve played the closing spot at Panorama a number of times already – how do you prep yourself for a long stint like that, considering it can be as long as an “all-nighter” anywhere else? Do you like having the booth to yourself for a marathon like that?

Knowing your music is everything for those kinds of long sets. But in the end, you never know how the night might turn out, so you always have to stay open and flexible for unexpected detours and changes. I’ve played all night long at RJ, which I incredibly love. I think having the chance to start from scratch at midnight and build it up and finish the whole thing is an incredible experience. Whereas doing a closing at Pano – don’t get me wrong, love those too – you are already taking over, so whatever the vibe is from before, you kind of have to take it from there a bit. Although I have to say, I love clearing out the dancefloors a bit when I start and just to clear out the air and build it back again. 

说到闭幕式–你已经在Panorama的闭幕式上表演过好几次了–考虑到在其他地方可能和 “通宵达旦 “一样长,你是如何为这样的长时间工作做准备的?你喜欢在这样的马拉松比赛中拥有自己的一席之地吗?

了解你的音乐对于那些长距离的演出来说是非常重要的。但最终,你永远不知道晚上会发生什么,所以你必须始终保持开放和灵活,以应对意外的迂回和变化。我曾在RJ整晚演出,我非常喜欢。我认为有机会在午夜从零开始,建立它并完成整个事情是一种不可思议的经历。而在Pano做闭幕式–别误会我的意思,我也喜欢那些–你已经在接管了,所以不管之前的氛围是什么,你都必须从那里兜着一些。虽然我不得不说,我喜欢在我开始的时候把舞池清空一下,只是为了清除空气,然后再把它建立起来。

Interview 作者: Fraser Bonar

Styling 造型师: Behnam Samrad

Translation 翻译: Emi

Photos照片: Lucas Christiansen

Make up & Hair 结构: Isabel Maria Simoneth

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