5 minutes with… KRAKÓW LOVES ADANA

On the 26th of January, Hamburg based electro-pop duo Robert Heitmann and Deniz Cicek aka Kraków Loves Adana, released a deeply personal, atmospheric and alluring cut in the form of Rapture, the second preview from upcoming LP Songs After The Blue (6th April 18′) out on Better Call Rob Records and Rough Trade.

We got in touch with frontwomen Deniz Cicek to discuss whether society has lost it’s intimate relationship with music. We also talked about time travel, lost friendships and her favourite new music.

5 minutes with… Kraków Loves Adana

Is ‘Rapture’ an insight into the mood and feeling of your upcoming LP ‘Songs After The Blue’, is it the ‘headphones moment’ of the album?

“Rapture is the first song I wrote for the record and also the first one on the record. Singing ‘this is the rapture of my rebel heart’ can be understood as an introduction for what is to come with the following 7 songs. The song also contains some kind of naïveté with its simple lyrics and easy listening vibe, which definitely reflects the naïveté one has while writing a song and feeling the bliss when it’s finished. There are other songs on the record that contrast with this belief. In conclusion, I would say that all of the songs have a headphone moment to them even if they carry a different mood.”

Have we lost the close and personal relationship with how we consume music nowadays?

“I wouldn’t say that we lost the connection, but it had definitely changed which, as a consumer, can be a good thing. Fortunately, there are still a lot of people out there who love to discover new artists or old ones and with streaming platforms and their algorithms the chance to discover music you actually like is definitely higher than in the pre-internet era. The downside as an independent artist is how little money you can make with your songs being streamed and how intransparent the breakdown of the monthly user fee is. But I am very thankful for how the streaming world has treated us and also how independent platforms like Bandcamp allow a direct artist – consumer connection.”

If you could travel back in time to recover one item from the past, what would it be and for what purpose?

“I must admit that I am a person that doesn’t cling onto things that much. There is not one single thing I can think of right now, but the one thing I wish I would have taken with me are some people from my past. Sometimes you grow out relationships which is a sad thing, but kind of a natural process I guess.”

Are there advantages for musicians living in today’s technological world compared to pre-internet era?

“Yes, of course there are! Personally, I have always profited from platforms like MySpace and easy accessible Recording Programs to produce and spread the work. As long as you don’t creep around 24/7 on social media and compare your work and your success to others, it’s fine to rely on the power of the Internet. I also find most of my inspiration online, no matter if it’s related to music, photography, old movies or poetry. Reading interviews of inspiring minds online also help me to stay motivated and focused.”

Tell us about the creative process behind your video for ‘Rapture’ and what your friend Ebba Ågren brought to this?

“After I wrote Rapture I immediately had a clear vision for the video – I wanted to emphasize the emotion and motion you’re in while listening to it. Dancing on your own with a Walkman and losing yourself in the moment has an 80s kinda vibe to it which I like. Ebba isn’t only a talented musician, but also very skillful when it comes to visualizing things, so we gave her plenty of scope filming the video.”