We open the new season fresh from the beauty and warmth of summer and ready to stride into the lifeless abyss of winter with a kinetic piece by Marlene Stark. Artist, musician, novelist, DJ, rapacious epicurean Stark refracts reality through her idiosyncratic and characterful executions of which this podcast can be considered one luminous example. In addition to the gift of music Marlene shared time to elaborate via digitally rendered glyphs fired across the planet at the speed of light, on the innate democracy of music, the bountiful serendipity of misinformed journalists and of course, piss biscuits.

DT: Who is Marlene Stark? Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? How did you end up playing records for Berliners?

MS: I studied art and worked as an artist most of my time. I was always collecting records, started with “The Doors” when I was thirteen, but I come from a very small village, so I didn’t have anyone to share music with. I don’t even know why I wanted a record player at that time, even my parents are not into music, but I am happy they bought me one. We had one record store in a city thirty minutes by car from my house. The store only distributed rock music. I remember once someone was ordering the record “The Man From PACK” by I-F and the person never showed up to pick it up, so it ended up in the category/genre ‘others’. Guess that was the moment I realized there is something else.

I also played in a punk band called “Urinplätzchen”, which means piss biscuits, between the ages of fourteen and seventeen. We were playing every weekend, cause we were one of only a few bands around. We were releasing a CD as well, but I hope nobody will find that one ever again… At sixteen I started to go on parties where they played electronic music. Me and my Friends Verena, Sarah, Eva and Stephi had to take the train for 1,5 hours to get there and had to wait for the first train in the morning to get back. I told my parents I sleep at one of my friends places. It was mostly Drum and Bass at that time. We took what we could get.

So the whole idea of what music is for me was growing slowly but deeply.

DT: You’re a resident DJ at Sameheads, how did this come about? What is about you find particularly attractive about this space?

MS: I played at Sameheads quiet often before I became a resident. Actually it was the mistake of a music magazine, which had published an article saying that I was a resident. I was calling Nathan Dukes, the owner and was I telling him that I never said that to the journalist, but then Nathan said its a good reason to ask me finally if I wanted to become one.

For me Sameheads is home. I can't say what it is specifically which makes this place so special, cause its everything together: every barkeeper, the owners, the musicians, the people who come there. It is very open for everyone. You can be as you are and play what you like. The people are very open minded and thankful for new ideas, non-mainstream music and inventiveness. It is the place where I experiment the most, played the weirdest tracks and most eclectic sets. It allows DJs to step away from any crowd pleasing energy, you can tell a different story here.

DT: What is Radio SUPERPOSITION?

MS: SUPERPOSITION is a radio show on Cashmere Radio and on the non commercial radio 88,4 MHz in Berlin as well as a series of parties at Sameheads. SUPERPOSITION is a platform where art, music and literature meet. The radio show includes music and interviews with artists, musicians and writers like Kris Baha, Zoe Claire Miller or Bodo Morozek. Bodo for example is a professor of history and wrote an amazing book about pop cultural history, which gave me a total new perspective on electronic music.

DT: You’re self described as a sound artist. In your opinion, at what point does sound become art and why does that change occur?

MS: I started to work with music and sound a view years ago. For me it was a political decision to stop doing installations and paintings, because I didn’t want to work with materials anymore. As soon as you work with material, your art starts to be unique, commercial and purchasable, but sadly only for rich people. The art market is controlled by the lobby of people of wealth, which makes it very uninteresting for me. Art should be for everyone like music. Music is democratic, accessible, reproducible and for everyone. Sometimes it is even anarchic, when your neighbour is listening to something you don’t wanna hear, it breaks walls.

DT: You recently published a novel with Anna Gien called ’M’, what was the novel about and why did you decide to write it?

MS: It is about the art scene, music and an idea of feminism. It is critical, but also humorous. It is a lot about sex, going wild and failure. There are tracks in all the chapters and you can read it as a set as well.

DT: You also work with space, creating installations. Are there themes you can identify that run through your work as a writer, musician and visual artist and if so what are they?

MS: There is no theme, but there are strong similarities in my working processes. It is pretty much always the same: total failure, reinventing, reworking.

DT: Can you tell us about a couple of records you’re really enjoying right now and what it is about them that brings you joy?

MS: Oh I recently bought all records of Electric Ladyland, a series of compilations released between 1995 and 1998. This sound is very inspiring for my music production and my LP which comes out next year on Lustpoderosa, a Zurich based art and music label.

DT: You played at Camp Cosmic at the start of September, how did that go, did you enjoy it? Can you reveal a little about Camp Cosmic for those that might not know?

MS: Camp Cosmic is huge for me. It is more a gathering of musicians and DJs than a festival. I am very delighted to be part of this community. The line up is incredible, 90 artists and lots of live sets. My favorite moment this year was EPSILOVE live. IT WAS INSANE. PURE ACID.

DT: You have an audience with God. What would you ask them?

MS: Why are you so fucking moody?

DT: If we wanted to understand you and you could play us one album, E.P. or track in order to try and give us that insight what would it be?

MS: Oh wow I don’t understand myself so I don’t want to bother you with that. But: In the book “M” the last song is Mr. Flagio - Take a Chance, I am still getting goosebumps every time I hear it. As a musician I’m very impressed of the sound of the new Album by OTTO which will come out next week on Bureau B. My fav E.P. as a DJ at the moment is Neu Verboten - Certified Euro Terror.

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