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If you manage to do something emotionally
which touches people at the other end
of the globe, that's something I'd call a success.
I think you can communicate through music.
Music communicates on a meta level
that language or images don't reach
because you're touched
by something subliminal.
It's like magic, which is also a science
that no-one understands yet.
I went to New York after my A levels.
I was into film and interned with a few directors
and video artists. That was in the late '90s.
It was my entrance into a world
which inspired me.
My path expanded, from a kid
who listened to Slayer at 16
and played drums in metal bands,
to the person I am today.
Somehow I don't feel that far off that person.
It's a very minimal song with just three elements.
There's the piano which I recorded live
and then a bass figure
which is played by Roland Jupiter.
It's a synthesizer I used at a friend's.
I see. So it's arpeggio?
Exactly. It's what it's doing now.
That's Jupiter.
The piano keeps playing and...
It's comparable with a Polysix.
It has cut-off and stuff.
The song was also reviewed
for two US TV series, which is funny,
because that gave the song a new life.
It addressed different target groups,
like teens. One was Beauty And The Beast,
which is some series I don't know.
It's about romance, vampires and werewolves.
Something 14-year-olds are into.
They used it in an important scene
where one of the werewolves dies
and the vampire cries and my song is playing.
I thought it was wicked which is why I let them
use the song, unlike some kind of crap.
I like vampires and werewolves.
If I had to describe my music I'd say
it's like the atmosphere before
or after a thunderstorm.
The air is tense, but there is no big ***,
it's more like this rotility.
It's definitely not blue skies
and the sun is shining, it's more overcast.
With this song, I also had an image,
I was in this kind of mood and looked
for something which would match this mood.
It was a night sky.
It was dark, but also beautiful.
A night sky with stars can be
either menacing or beautiful.
I feel close to with Mexico, let's say,
because I went there a lot and...
The principle of death as a part of life.
That's a positive thing.
Día de los Muertos is the Day of the Dead.
It's a very colourful festival.
The skulls are painted. I have another one.
They look like this. It's about flowers
and death, but also about life.
It's complex. Actually, it's very simple.
I'll play some music.
I've done a lot of sketches for songs
in trains, airports or hotel rooms.
I'm inspired when I'm away. Just looking
out of a different window.
I have this view every day.
I'm glad I get around by playing so much,
because it inspires me.
Mexico is only one of the places
which left a lasting impression on me.
Do you know how to pick a lock?
I lost my key for my letterbox.
OK, I'll see you.
Subtitles by Stephanie Geiges