Danny Faber is clearly a visionary with a pioneer spirit. In Berlin, during the 2000s, he opened the legendary Bar 25 Club with a few friends – a cultural microcosm that would become a source of inspiration to an entire techno generation in the years that followed.
Here we discuss what’s going on with his labels Bar 25 Music and Sirin Music as well as other plans moving forward.
Electronic Groove: Hello Danny and welcome back to EG. The last time we spoke was to celebrate Bar 25’s 100th anniversary. Now it’s two years later and you are releasing the label’s 150th release. How does it feel?
Danny Faber: It feels great and I am very proud that every day we have the opportunity to work on new releases with great artists from all over the world.
Electronic Groove: Aside from it being the 150th release, what makes this one special?
Danny Faber: For every anniversary we release an extra compilation. We pay special attention that it represents the past 25 releases but also gives a preview of the upcoming releases.
Electronic Groove: And about the label where you see it moving? What has changed in the target since its foundation?
Danny Faber: The label was born 15 years ago with the idea to offer the artists of the Berlin club Bar 25 a platform to release their music and to carry the vibe of the club into the world with our showcases. We have remained true to this idea, even though the club doesn’t exist since 2011. But it also gave us the opportunity to expand our genre and work with artists who may have never been to the bar. New technologies are giving us a lot of new opportunities and we are changing more and more from a pure music label, which we were, to a service company that offers our artists a wide range of production and marketing possibilities. We want to continue on this path, entering into new collaborations and offering the best experience to our fans.
Electronic Groove: Also, the last time we spoke ‘Sounds of Sirin’ was coming out. How has Sirin Music evolved since its inception? What are the plans moving forward? Any special events?
Danny Faber: We are now on release number 34 and are very happy about the positive feedback. With Sirin Music, we have more possibilities to play with the organic house and downtempo genres. We are constantly developing the label and are already looking forward to the next releases. Showcases will also be on the program for 2022.
“Modern electronic music started as an answer to this discrimination and yet to this day we face very
controversial actions of our colleagues”
Electronic Groove: The past year has been quite different with everything that’s been going on. What positive and negative effects did the lockdown have on you?
Danny Faber: I’ve always known that we need to be flexible. The world is constantly changing, and if you think you can use old techniques for the rest of your life, you’re probably wrong. We humans always have to evolve, find new ways, that’s what keeps us alive and creative. With all the difficulties the music and events industry has been through, it’s painful for me to see colleagues lose their jobs and the work of a lifetime, but we have to move on. We were lucky it happened now and not in 2005, imagine how we would sell music? No streaming, no real services, nothing. There has been a lot of trial and experimentation to find new ways of consuming music and events, a lot of it won’t catch on in the long run but some good approaches will continue to be developed and give us a lot of pleasure in the future. Despite all the progress, I still think we will have to live with this situation a little longer than we all expected.
Electronic Groove: Do you practice any wellbeing activities that you could share with our readers? Maybe get them inspired?
Danny Faber: I now pay a lot of attention to eating healthy and exercise regularly to keep myself fit. I also try to stay away from stress as much as possible. Alcohol only very rarely. In January I fasted for the first time in a retreat for 12 days and had a very good experience.
Electronic Groove: For the last 12 months there’s plenty of music that came out. Can you mention any tracks that stood out and gave you that WOW feel?
Danny Faber: On Sirin Music, ‘Acoran’, by Dubelu & Marcelo Cura is a great downtempo track. The guitar is mind-blowing. Greg Ochman’s track ‘Stellar Ocean’ has amazing harmonic melodies. And on Bar 25 Music, still the number one track for me of the last year is the Facundo Mohrr remix for Miyagi’s song ‘Far Away’, the ultimate dance track 🙂
Electronic Groove: Do you have any artist friends or colleagues that we should keep an eye out for?
Danny Faber: Sure! Aiwaska, Dole & Kom, The Organism, Paax (Tulum), and Kellerkind.
“We were lucky it happened now and not in 2005, imagine how we would sell music? No streaming,
no real services, nothing”
Electronic Groove: in the past month’s we’ve seen plenty of homophobe, racism, discrimination and sexual abuse come to light. What do you think should be done make the industry a more equal and safer place?
Danny Faber: That’s crazy right? Modern electronic music started as an answer to this discrimination and yet to this day we face very controversial actions of our colleagues. I think the answer should be everywhere the same, at home, at cafe, within the industry and on the country level – start with yourself. See discrimination? Speak up, stop it, don’t let it spread. We should always start with ourselves, educate ourselves, and try our best to understand human diversity.
Electronic Groove: Thank you so much Danny. As always, all the best!
Danny Faber: Ciao, was great talking to you!
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