The discog of the German duo Session Victim welcomes listeners to a world of musical opulence and pure vibes. Their brand of house and electronica pulls from a variety of places including jazz, soul, hip-hop, disco, and funk. Apart from the plethora of influences that are swimming in their catalog, Session Victim is also hailed for tastefully blending live instrumentation with sample-based production, creating a signature sound that’s deeply groovy, organic, and emotionally resonant.
Since its debut in the late 2000s, the charismatic duo has consistently produced critically acclaimed works on reputable labels such as Toy Tonics, Delusions of Grandeur, and Retreat. Their last body of work Screen Off EP (also via Delusions of Grandeur) showcases a moodier and even thought-provoking side of their craft thanks by virtue of the messaging. In this interview, one half of the duo Mattias opens up about the direction of this project, their come-up, and how they balance touring and production.
Having made music together for over a decade, what do you think are the key elements that contribute to your strong synergy and ability to collaborate so seamlessly?
Hi, thank you for having us. Hmm, that is not easy to pinpoint for me honestly. We have been working so much and so long as a duo now, and a big part of our skillset we acquired together. Of course, we have certain strengths and weaknesses individually and I think that is something that has shaped our workflow both deliberately and unconsciously.
In which ways was living in cultural hubs like Hamburg and Berlin advantageous for your career?
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Well, being around inspiring and creative people certainly is an important factor, and living in a big city, it’s more likely that you will get to meet like-minded people. Also, the number of clubs and concert venues provided us with the chance to see many bands, DJs, and art in general. Plus at some point, the chance to go out and be able to present our work to people too of course.
Your catalog has been impressively consistent since your debut with the No Friends EP. However, there was a noticeable break between 2017 and 2019. What led to that pause in releasing music?
There was no break in those years from our perspective, we more or less always worked at the studio and were touring more or less constantly too. As we were and are so very fortunate to get to release a lot of the music that we come up with, there are phases where we just need to explore and experiment and keep away from any kind of release deadlines. That being said, in that timeframe, we ran a label project called PEN & PAPER, with two Session Victim 12“s and a solo EP from each of us. Those are very dear to us and I would like to encourage you to check them out.
Can you pinpoint a specific moment in your career when both you and those around you realized that Session Victim was on the verge of 'blowing up'?
Haha, not really, no. However, I do remember that at some point, people stopped giving me worried looks when they asked me what I intended to do with my life. Also, I started feeling a bit more presentable when being introduced to parents of girlfriends.
Over the last five years, the jazz house scene has experienced a significant surge in popularity. I'm curious to hear your thoughts about some of the factors that played a role in bringing this genre more into the spotlight?
Ah, has that been the case? I don’t even know to be honest, but I do feel that musical subgenres always take turns in musical popularity. And that is and always has been a good thing I feel. I mean, after a few years with ADHD Hardtrance at the forefront, some kids will eventually say let’s do something else, please. LOL.
What were some of the significant life events that perhaps had an impact on the sound and creative process of your last project Screen Off EP.
Screen Off is our second release with the Jamaican poet Ras Stimulant, and his lyrics represent our state of mind and feelings at this time very well. Most of the things we do these days involve looking at screens, whether it’s communicating with friends and colleagues, learning new stuff about samplers and synthesizers, or just reading the news. On top of that, we have social media and all that is connected to that, putting parameters and numbers into everything we do and achieve. That often very much leaves us with a strange and somewhat distorted view of ourselves and our accomplishments. And as much as we love working with our sequencer programs, taking our eyes off the screen feels more necessary than ever before.
What does the title Screen Off represent to you, and how does the artwork reflect its meaning?
The artwork – well, the basic layout has been done with some freeware/malware photo app on the phone by someone who had absolutely no idea what he was doing – me, to be precise. There was – and still is – no photo with Ras, Hauke, and me together in it. And although we have worked on music together several times now, we have yet to meet Ras in real life. Since the song is about the fact that we all spend too much time looking at screens, it felt only right to approach it from a complete noob angle. That gave it a bit of that that certain punk attitude too, which only felt right for this record.
How do you manage to balance touring, preparing for shows, and consistently creating and releasing new music?
We just kind of grew into it I think. We love doing all the things you mentioned anyway, so that is a great advantage right from the start of course. Yes, sometimes things can get a bit overwhelming, but then again, we feel very lucky that turning on the sound machines is starting to "work“ for us – and I put work in quotation marks, because I’m very certain we would do it just as eager if it was not our "job“ anymore. Quotations marks again, just because at the end of the day it’s fun more than anything else.
For you two, how would you describe your flow state and what do you usually do to enter it?
Flow state in the studio? We usually start by listening to music. Sometimes, while having the sampler armed and ready to record little bits, just listening really. And that music could be anything, a hip hop LP just as likely as a hard rock album. Then we might have a game of Magic the Gathering or just a cup of coffee. Or I enter the studio and Hauke, in some studio corner entangled in cables, is already screaming "Yo, check this out!“
Throughout your journey, you’ve done so many things… You’ve deeply touched the lives of many with your extensive catalog, you’ve been lauded by the top publications, released with the labels you’ve wanted to, remixed for massive artists, and also toured a range of different countries. However, what is one personal milestone or breakthrough you feel is yet to be reached?
We feel lucky and blessed with all the opportunities we got on our journey so far. no question about that. As far as milestones go, we try not to look at making music as a competition, neither with someone else nor ourselves. That being said, every album or single we get to write and release feels like a little milestone in itself just as much as a musical diary entry. It gives us a great feeling of accomplishment. What we also do enjoy a lot lately is having people come by to jam and produce with us - and there is a record on the way right now that contains a bunch of collaborations, which we are very proud of and that we can’t wait to share with all of you!
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