{"id":3745,"date":"2025-12-28T09:28:22","date_gmt":"2025-12-28T06:28:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nottoday.media\/en\/?p=3745"},"modified":"2025-12-28T09:28:24","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T06:28:24","slug":"to-me-the-sound-of-berlin-is-the-roar-of-trains-the-s-bahn-that-beeping-of-the-doors-the-noise-of-a-departing-train-interview-with-chemix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nottoday.media\/en\/emigration\/to-me-the-sound-of-berlin-is-the-roar-of-trains-the-s-bahn-that-beeping-of-the-doors-the-noise-of-a-departing-train-interview-with-chemix","title":{"rendered":"\u201cTo me, the sound of Berlin is the roar of trains \u2014 the S-Bahn, that beeping of the doors, the noise of a departing train.\u201d Interview with Chemix"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chemix is an immigrant from Ukraine living in Berlin. Here, he earns a living as a street musician, favoring psychedelic sounds and improvisation over covers and playlists, and the noise of the S-Bahn over clubs and stages. Nottoday<\/em> spoke with Chemix about his sound, Berlin, and street music\u2014and in the process, Chemix shared the music he listens to.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Photo – Chemix<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Sound and Music<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Do you remember when you first realized that music could be psychedelic?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 Yes, I think initially, before I became a teenager, I didn’t really acknowledge Pink Floyd<\/em> and so on. I thought they were just “mushy” and all that. But then my grandfather’s brother showed me Pink Floyd<\/em>, and I was like: “Interesting atmospheric sound.”<\/p>\n

And then I listened to The Doors<\/em>, Morrison\u2019s lyrics, translated all of it\u2014and I was like: “Yeah, this is deep, of course, these flows are something else.”<\/p>\n

\u2014 Are you saying that the music you play is a continuation of 60s and 70s psychedelic rock, a reference to that time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 One way or another, yes, the roots are there. But sound doesn’t stand still. You can look at it that way, but I think it\u2019s already completely different music.<\/p>\n

At the very least, they played mostly on analog instruments, whereas now virtually all sound is digital. That\u2019s the difference: before, the sound was warm and tube-driven, and now it’s fragmented and digital.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 How would you describe your sound to someone who has never tried anything stronger than coffee?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014 I think it\u2019s something between the drive of metal and techno and the feeling when you’re just buzzing from a good mood. At the same time, it has a certain poetic quality, an emphasis on what’s happening. It\u2019s as if you’re very, very aware of the current moment, that\u2019s all.<\/p>\n

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