“TANZEN IST AUCH SPORT” (*Dancing is sport, too.)
If there is a slogan that best expresses the lifestyle of many Berliners (and I am sure also that of many young people around the globe), that would be it these days. This sentence popped into my eye quite a while ago on a summer day, and a coincidence sent me David Goldberg crossing my way, one of the DJs under the label wupwup, that is in charge of the slogan on the shirts and the music.
I looked in the internet for wupwup and came upon the official website: www.wupwup.com
Some of the items of wupwup:
Who is behind the label, and what persons are they?
Martin Retter, one of the core members and artists of wupwup, took some time to answer all the questions regarding the label for stylistberlin:
Martin Retter, one of the core members and artists of wupwup, took some time to answer all the questions regarding the label for stylistberlin:
Where are you right now?
I’m in Merano, Italy – in my little untidy flat. It’s 15:30 on the 09.03. and I’m answering mails and thinking of some news stuff for wupwup. I’m tired, but as sleep is commercial, it’s no option for me.
Please describe yourself in three words or one sentence:
I’m a music-loving open-minded Ewok that always tries to be nice to other people.
Your Soundtrack of your life currently, reason…?
Of course my first release on wupwup. This one! Because it’s a great relief to have it finally done. Of other artists, I like this track of Lukid a lot: It gets me in a melancholic-euphoric mood, don’t know how to describe it.
Favourite three vinyls/tracks of all times?
I would pick not just electronic music, cause I love to listen to other music as well. If there are three tracks that put me in a certain mood and refresh specific memories, I’d pick:
Interpol – Untitled
Interpol – Untitled
Die Goldenen Zitronen – Flimmern
Wagon Christ – Shadows
What did you read lately? Do you have time for that at all? Can you recommend a book or a mag?
I feel very guilty saying this: I normally don’t read books, they just don’t suit me like magazines or blogs, because I’m very interested in the here and now. I love to read the 11Freunde, because (most) boys like soccer. I like the Silo Magazine as well. Of course, I buy magazine-classics like Spiegel, Spex, Intro, Visions, De:Bug and Groove from time to time, but what I read most are online news sites.
What makes you happy the most at the moment?
Being creative, having a laugh and a good meal with friends. I think I’m no different than the readers of your blog.
wupwup is “a collective, based in Italy but with an international approach”
Can you describe wupwup to us?
It’s a collective, based in Italy but with an international approach. It’s about art and that it is more powerful if artists of different fields (e.g. music, graphics, fashion, visuals) work together than any artists making his own stuff. In the administrative area it’s Nadia Kammerer, Arno Parmeggiani, Viktor Matic, Tobias Prentzel and me. But we have several artists in music, fashion/design/art and visuals.
What is your position there?
I’m working on booking, on the record label, for our Public Relations and am a music artist. But of course I’m not handling all alone, well… ok, I work alone on my music.
How does your day look like?
As I love the night I go to bed too late, then I wake up and paperwork is waiting for me, I work to finish my studies, a coffee in the afternoon and if there is still something to do I work at night as well.
How long have you been doing your job?
You mean studying? Way too long! Regarding my job at wupwup: I was part of it from the beginning, which means 2.5 years now.
Why wupwup? “the “wup wup” you can hear in certain tracks, for another it can sound like a little animal”
Who came up with the name, why do you call it wupwup?
Viktor came up with the name, but it has no specific sense. For one it’s the “wup wup” you can hear in certain tracks, for another it can sound like a little animal. We like that anyone can connect with this abstract name whatever he thinks.
The chicken or the egg: what came first, fashion or music?
As we all are interested in art it was from the first moment on clear that we wanted to do both. I think there are more answers to what we did first when we started. We signed our first artists and organized the first events, before any T-Shirts were printed, but we printed the shirts before we started to release music.
wupwup says no to “assholes, divas, dishonest people or opportunists”
How do you pick your artists for the label?
There are two points which are most important for us. First one: The Artist, no matter in which department, should have a unique approach to his art and his special way of artistic expression. Second: He/She must be a guy we come along with from a social perspective, which means: No assholes, no divas, no dishonest people or opportunists. He must be a part of wupwup, because he feels like a part of our collective and wants to put it on a new level.
“Passing The Light Barrier EP” out now!
WW001 was just released…!
Yes WW001 is out now. It’s a digital release of the Italian Artist “Lux Repeat”, which would be me. It was important to me to put in most of my influences and make a bastard between Hip Hop, Noise, Electro and all the other music I love. My “Passing The Light Barrier EP” is visually supported by an incredible great artwork of Viktor Matic and a music video of Bartholomäus Traubeck to the track “Avoiding You”, which has already been seen 20.000 times and is a staff pick of the Videoportal Vimeo.
Which releases or activities should we keep an eye on?
We will be having more releases in 2011. We will also print a limited number of vinyls from WW002 on. New Fashion designs will be presented as well. But we’re still elaborating what they will look like.
Please tell us something about your current projects
We’re ambitious, so we have lots of projects to follow. One of the most important ones will be to organize the “Almfest”, the second edition in which we will provide two Days of Music in the Alps. We’re working on an art/design exhibition as well.
Collaborations you look forward to? / Dates in 2011
We’re open to collaborate with interesting people/institutions/artists. But we can’t reveal anything before it’s fixed. Just stay tuned.
Our next dates are:
01.04. – Alex Bayer, Dynamodyse & David Goldberg @ Wupwup Floor, Pratersauna (Vienna)
20.05. – Sascha Funke @ Halle 28, Bolzano (Italy)
More dates to be announced!
Where will you be in 2015? 2020?
It’s difficult to say, as music and art industry can change pretty fast. We hope to still be active and open-minded enough to search for new art, music and fashion.
THANKS MARTIN!! Good luck with the EP!
More links:
http://www.play.fm/label/wupwup
http://www.wupwup.com
http://www.facebook.com/wupwupworld
http://www.myspace.com/wupwupworld
THANKS MARTIN!! Good luck with the EP!
More links:
http://www.play.fm/label/wupwup
http://www.wupwup.com
http://www.facebook.com/wupwupworld
http://www.myspace.com/wupwupworld
*** Win 2x wupwup fashion discount! ***
Send us a picture of you and the words “Tanzen ist auch Sport” with your full name and working email adress to stylistberlin at gmail dot com with the header “wupwup fashion”. The two winners will get a 20% discount on all fashion items bought at wupwup!
The winners will be announced via mail and reply to this post!
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