Rising Music Star Oliver Bach On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Edward Sylvan
You don’t need expensive equipment to produce a good song. Many people tell you that you need exactly this special synthesizer to get the amazing sound, etc. But most of the time you can achieve the result with other tools as well. Knowing your tools is much more important than always buying something new.
As a part of our series about rising music stars, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Oliver Bach.
‘Break From Myself’ is the latest in a string of releases from German songwriter and producer Oliver Bach. Written during the height of the pandemic, while locked down, the song captures the feeling of being home alone, but rather than this being a dispiriting or lonely experience, Bach lifts up his eyes to the possibility of breaking out, taking a break from ourselves as we party, relax and escape the sense of isolation created by covid.
Bach explains: ‘Leave your day behind and enter the relaxing feeling of leaving yourself behind — that sounds impossible? I wanted to put my finger on the scars of feeling home alone and lift your eyes to entering a new self. A self that encourages others to break out, to live the night instead of the day, to dance in your body’s rhythms that has for too long been forgotten…’
Oliver Bach grew up in Zweibrucken, Germany, where his earliest musical influences were 80s chart hits and his father’s preferred soul, funk and blues. Offered the chance to learn a musical instrument, he was less than enthusiastic until his father bought an Atari ST and Notator software. The combination of computer and synthesizer was the musical spark that he’d been waiting for.
Simultaneously the electronic music scene in Germany was exploding with techno and house music, and Bach began to dj at house parties, playing techno and house and deepening his interest in electronic music. As a producer, he explored different styles and genres and began remixing tracks for other musicians before beginning to write and release his own original songs in 2016.
His songs have charted in the UK, Germany, Switzerland and many more. His influences include Michael Jackson, particularly the albums produced by Quincy Jones, as well as, more recently, ARTBAT, CamelPhat, Adriatique and Innellea, and he is now signed to German electronic label NoSodaPlease.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in Zweibrücken, a mid-sized city in Germany near the French border. My father has been making music since he was a child and was a keyboard player in several bands, and music was always very present in our home. So, my life has been influenced by music from the very beginning.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
As a young man going to university was very important to me, so I have an engineering degree in building technology and before that a vocational training in electronics. But I’ve always loved music, it’s part of me and I always knew that I wanted to do it as a career. Because I work in an investment bank I know the ups and downs of society and my affinity to honest music grew even more. It’s important to me to share social issues, my thoughts and feelings with others in my music. After a 9–5 analytical job I create my harmonic counterweight through my love of creating music — to give people beautiful moments, because everyone associates music with special memories.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
A few years ago, there was a party in the backyard of the house where I live. I talked there to a guy, Andy Düx, who had a record store in the house and told him that I make music. At some point, I think we know each other from the past. It turns out that we DJed together in a club a long time ago. I was his warm-up DJ, and it was my first DJ set in a club.
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I’ve made mistakes in my career, but unfortunately, the funny ones are less present in memory — I should start a diary 😉.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I am working on my new song called “Love Bring Us Together”. I wrote it under the influence of the last few years, but especially at the beginning of the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Whenever I turned on the TV, social media, I saw images and videos of violence and destruction. I also had the impression that the discussions were becoming more and more binary, that no one responded to the other and insisted on their opinion. People should find each other again instead of separating.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
It’s already having an influence on our culture. If you compare our society over the years, a lot has changed, and it will continue.
It reflects the society around us. Our society is diverse, so it’s also important to show that in the media.
It creates a normalcy.
It gives value to everyone’s experiences. Everyone has different experiences. It’s helping to give value, authenticity to stories and can prevent stereotypical clichés in music, film and television. You can also learn to see something from a perspective that you haven’t had before.
It creates role models for new generations. Media has the power to open the gates of possibility for young people. Diverse media that creates a wide range of role models helps make previously unimaginable dreams accessible, especially after growing up with media that inadvertently tells young people that if they don’t fit into society’s default.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. Please share a story or example for each.
You don’t need to finish everything. Sometimes you have a good idea, but at a certain point, you can’t go any further. In the past, I used to work through the whole night and then have a result at the end, like the perfect bass line for the song. But when I listened to it the next day, it was mostly just crap. Now when I realize I’m stuck, I take a break and get back to it the next day.
Just because it works for others doesn’t mean it will work for you. If I start mixing songs, I work with old Hi-Fi speakers. A friend of my dad’s, a guy with a studio, told me I need a Yamaha NS-10 Speaker, you know that speaker with white membrane you can see on every big studio desk, to make a good mixdown. So, I scraped together my money and bought this speaker. But I have not been able to make a proper mix and I returned to my old speakers.
You don’t need expensive equipment to produce a good song. Many people tell you that you need exactly this special synthesizer to get the amazing sound, etc. But most of the time you can achieve the result with other tools as well. Knowing your tools is much more important than always buying something new.
Give it a second thought. When you are done, leave it for a few days and then check if it is needing some changes. In each of my songs I find details in the composition, sound design or mixdown that could be even better.
Always keep learning. We live in an interesting time today. It has never been so easy to get knowledge. I watch a lot of videos and articles. Of course, you have to filter the information, but if you only gain 10% knowledge it is already worth it. And don’t give up, and know that you’re enough!
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Define a fixed time window for work. It’s not a typical 9 to 5 job, you often work on productions late into the night and then you can’t really switch off. Once is ok, but in the long run it can become a problem.
I wish I would always follow this advice myself.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I imagine that it’s time for some ease again. Away from all the negativity. Like the classic Loveparade that happened in the ’90s in Berlin. Only peace and harmony.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
You always meet a lot of people on the way and many have supported me. If I compare each highlight to a candle in the dark hallway, there now are so many bright lights shining on my way that I can’t distinguish them all.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Be yourself and don’t let others tell you what is right or wrong. In the end you always must live with your own decisions.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Elon Musk. He always has interesting ideas and also thinks ahead. I think that would be an interesting conversation. He makes electronic music, too. Maybe we can do something together ;)
How can our readers follow you online?
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/bach_oliver/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/OliverBachMusic
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
My pleasure! Thank you for having me.
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
