In Conversation With Minimal Schlager

A video interview with the Berlin- & London-based synthpop duo.

For this episode of “In Conversation”, we met up with Alicia Macanas and Francisco Parisi, the creative duo behind Minimal Schlager. They told us about the differences between London’s and Berlin’s music scene, the motivation behind covering the likes of Kate Bush or The Velvet Underground, and most importantly we spoke about the inspiration for their debut record which was released in September this year.

Split between London and Berlin, they have had ample opportunity to pick up international influences and also cite Italo Disco as one of the scenes which has fed into their music. Released under the Berlin-based record label Duchess Box Records, their debut album Love, Sex & Dreams will immediately transport you on a mental ride down Santa Monica’s famous Mulholland Drive.

Also, they are the latest in a line of creatives to draw inspiration from a Garcia Lorca play. In his tragedy called Blood Wedding, the Spanish poet uses surrealism to deal with the deaths of two warring suitors for one bride. While the rawness of these universal themes runs the risk of seeming like a bygone age, Minimal Schlager show a certain deftness at creating real relatability between different eras and cultures. This somewhat jars with the current longing for simpler times. On Love, Sex & Dreams, Minimal Schlager connect these universals to the ennui of the modern music scene in an entirely new form – with the hot-bloodedness of the Lorca play almost a metaphor for current feelings.

Minimal Schlager (DE/UK)

Featured Image by Christoph Holzinger