Happy Island. A night with Laura SCHEN

 

Laura Schen (Photos by Davide Faranda)

Das Madame Claude ist eine nette, verwinkelte Kellerbar in der Lübbener Straße in Kreuzberg, in der auch unsere DJ Nuit Noire (Marie Germinal) ihre Stammlocation hat. In einem Nebenraum im Keller finden auch öfters kleinere Konzerte statt. Am Samstag, den 7. September gab es hier ein beeindruckendes Konzert der aus Italien kommenden Electro-Künstlerin und Sängerin SCHEN.

Während erschreckend große Teile der sog. 'schwarzen Szene' darüber jammerten, dass das Urban Spree in Friedrichshain erfreulicher- und dankenswerterweise ein ursprünglich dort für den selben Abend geplantes 'Military-Pop'-Konzert (der Name ist Programm!) mit der rechtslastigen französischen Band Dernière Volonté abgesagt hatte, verpassten sie in Kreuzberg einen wunderbar großartigen und phantastischen Auftritt einer beeindruckenden Frau: Laura Schen. Selbst schuld!

Addicted to blue: SCHEN after her concert

Madame Claude is a nice, labyrinthine cellar bar in Lübbener Straße in Kreuzberg, in which our DJ Nuit Noire (Marie Germinal) also has a regular spot. A side room of the cellar is frequently used for smaller concerts. On Saturday, the 7th of September there was an impressive concert of the electro-artist and singer SCHEN from Italy.

While frighteningly large parts of the Berlin Gothic scene were whining over the gratifying cancelation of a 'Military-Pop' concert (just what it says on the tin!) with right-wing orientated French band Dernière Volonté by the Urban Spree in Friedrichshain where the concert had originally been planned to take place that evening, in Kreuzberg they missed out on the wonderfully great and fantastic gig of an impressive woman: Laura Schen. Their own fault!

Happy Island @ Madame Claude

Memories, faces
Fire, come with me
Fire help me

Schen live at Madame Claude (7th Sept. 2013)

Im Keller des Madame Claude performte Schen mit glasklarem Sound (großartig abgemischt von Olivier alias Oberst P. von Velvet Condom) und einer grandiosen Stimme eine Art Record Release Konzert ihres ersten Albums mit dem aufgrund der recht düsteren Klanglandschaften etwas irreführenden Titel "Happy Island".

In the cellar of Madame Claude Schen performed a kind of record release concert of her first album with the slightly confusing - due to the quite dark soundscapes - title "Happy Island". With crystal clear sound (brilliantly mixed by Olivier alias Oberst P. of Velvet Condom) and a superb and terrific voice.

CD-Cover: SCHEN - Happy Island

Hören wir doch gleich mal rein, in Whirl, den letzten Song, aus dem auch die hier verstreuten Textauszüge stammen.

Let's just listen to her music. This is Whirl, the last song, from which the lyric quotes scattered over this post are taken.

 

Schen - Whirl

Konzentriert am Laptop... hingebungsvoll im Gesang...

Focussed at the laptop... devoted while singing...

I look the fire, fire

And I feel the blood in my veins

I see the eye of the fire

I feel my energy

I see behind the flame

                  

                        ...tiefgehend...                                                                                                           und grazil...

                            ...deep...                                                                                                               and gracile...

 I'm burning for the passion

I'm burning for the visions

I see the magic city

Oh fire, look at me, oh fire guide me, oh fire help me

Oh snake, wrap me

Sounds & Gestures

Auch wenn ich nicht traurig war, dass der den 'Neuen Rechten' in die Arme laufende 'schwarze Mainstream' dem Konzert an diesem Abend ferngeblieben ist, war ich doch sehr traurig, dass auch meine lieben Freundinnen den Weg nicht mehr geschafft haben. Das holen wir nach!

Das Schen-Konzert beeinhaltete das komplette erste Album (weitere Anspieltipps: das tanzbare Plays Of Light und das schöne Instrumentalstück The Sea), wobei Laura nicht nur Laptop und Keyboards bediente, sondern wie bei Ihren Konzerten üblich bei einigen Songs auch zusätzlich Akustik-Gitarre spielte (siehe Photo weiter unten). Neben der sehr atmosphärischen Musik mit ihren beeindruckenden Klanglandschaften und Sounds schön anzusehen auch ihre eindrucksvollen Gesten und sparsamen, aber sehr ausdrucksstarken Bewegungen. Wow!

'Though I wasn't particularly heartbroken that the 'Gothic mainstream' running into the outstretched arms of the 'New Right' (Nouvelle Droite) didn't show up that evening, I was rather sad that my dear friends didn't make it to Kreuzberg. Another time!

The Schen-concert included the complete first album (check out the danceable Plays Of Light and the beautiful instrumental pieceThe Sea), with Laura not only working on the laptop and keyboards, but also, as is usual at her concerts, playing acoustic guitar on a couple of songs (see photo further down). Apart from the very atmospheric music with its impressive sonic landscapes and sounds, her striking gestures and economic yet very expressive moves were a sight to behold. Wow!

Earlier

Laura ist Autodidaktin und hat sich den Umgang mit Synthesizern, Keyboards, akustischer Gitarre und Musikprogrammen in Italien selbst beigebracht. Vor kurzem ist sie endgültig nach Berlin gezogen.

SCHEN live at Circolo Ribalta in Vignola (Italy), 17-03-2013, in blue tights and a blue jacket

Laura in an autodidact and has taught herself the use of synthesizers, keyboards, acoustic guitar, editing and mixing software. She recently moved to Berlin.

 

SCHEN at the keyboards live at Eschschloraque (Hackescher Markt / Berlin), November 2012 in a blue satin top

SCHEN singing and playing acoustic guitar live at Eschschloraque (Hackescher Markt / Berlin), November 2012

Easy to spot that Laura is a big fan of David Bowie

Afterhours

Laura Schen after her concert in Madame Claude. She has a nice taste in accessories, too.

Nach dem Konzert hatten wir eine großartige Zeit in der Bar des Madame Claude, wo ich auch Olga und den Photographen all dieser Photos, Davide Faranda, kennenlernte. Wie Ihr seht hatten wir riesigen Spaß - und Davide hat auch das mit seiner Kamera festgehalten... ein wunderschöner Abend und ein ganz großes Konzert!!!

After the concert we had a great time in the bar of Madame Claude, where I also got to know Olga and the photographer of all these pics, Davide Faranda. As you can see we had lots of fun - and Davide even captured this with his camera... a wonderful evening and a very great concert!!!

Sign SCHEN!

What shall we do, Davide?

Olga strikes a pose... (^.^)

All photos in this post by Davide Faranda (except the one from the concert in Vignola by Fabrizio Arletti). Davide's photography page is here:

www.facebook.com/pages/Davide-Faranda-Fotografo/316048035206505

Like a ballerina...

Please like Schen on Facebook:

www.facebook.com/pages/Schen/144113279067460

 

 CD-Cover (back): SCHEN - Happy Island

SCHEN will be performing live again at STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 4 during Berlin Fashion Week on

Friday 17th January 2014 at Urban Spree

♥

More about SCHEN in this blog:

More nights with SCHEN

Introducing DEGENEROTIKA fashion

A glamorous & international family... ♥

The Sea by SCHEN wearing a harness by DEGENEROTIKA

SCHEN live wears DEGENEROTIKA

(all from January 2014)

CONFLICT! CRASH! STRIKE! FIRE!

 "It's ooops so quiet... so let's start a riot!!!"

CLEA CUTTHROAT performing BLACK BOULEVARD lingerie (photo: E. Tanev)

CONFLICT!

Every second of this evening of STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3 in the beautiful garden of Chalet Club has been absolutely perfect: from the beginnings in the afternoon with lovely lilies by JARKA SNAJBERK and our super nice LITTLE MARKET through the breathtakingly wonderful performances by MARIA KALEDENKOVA and LILIYA CHIKOVA doing rhythmic gymnastics, EVILYN FRANTIC being our sweet mermaid, NAMJIRA the geisha dancing Asia Fusion and CLEA CUTTHROAT performing Alice in the earlier evening to the fantastic live concerts of NORA BELOW and VELVET CONDOM during dusk and into the night. Between the shows we had a perfect DJ with MARIE GERMINAL / NUIT NOIRE and we had such lovely and sexy guests, too...

Only one thing has been a bit strange in the background the whole day... part of the nice and competent staff of Chalet Club have not been in that good mood of our lovely and wonderful event... Why? We got to know that most of our partners we were working with that day and evening were kicked out by a new club management! STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3 has been their last working day before being thrown out, ironically exactly before the club's 'birthday celebrations' of 'One year Chalet Club' starting right after our event at midnight. WTF!!! Though we never like managements kicking out their employees, you still could say, it's not our business or problem... but unfortunately things took a different turn!!!

 VELVET CONDOM performing KNOTH KOUTURE (photo: Jarka Snajberk)

CRASH!

Seconds after 10pm - the agreed time for the end of the live concerts - the new boss arrived at the DJ desk, shouted at the Chalet technician to immediately stop the live concert of VELVET CONDOM just at it's height, during the last or penultimate song of their amazing performance... and then he tried to pull out the cables in a both very aggressive and ridiculously stupid manner (DJ headphones included!!! *lol*), but no way...

... after pulling out every cable existing, live music stopped and there was a horrifying silence in 'our' garden for minutes... a shocked technician, a shocked light guy, a shocked me, a shocked band and a shocked audience... no sound at all, not even a microphone left for me for communication, nothing...

Originally, right after the concert, CLEA CUTTHOAT should have been the next and final performer in a wonderful white dress by fashion designer LILY CUT, doing a very bloody Grande Finale zombie show. This should lead over to a nightly DJ MARIE GERMINAL party and dance set inside the pavilion, celebrating our glorious evening right before Berlin would sink into chaos at last... (^.^)

STRIKE!

STYLE! IT! TAKES! was born out of experiences of alienated wage labour.
STYLE! IT! TAKES! started after deciding to never work again.

(from our Manifesto, chapter Birth)

CLEA CUTTHROAT performing Alice earlier that evening (photo: E. Tanev)

Waiting just around the corner for her cue, CLEA CUTTHROAT directly has been watching that disgusting situation - opening eyes about the sometimes fucked up arrogant Berlin art and club situation and maybe (this has been stated as the official 'reason') some ridiculous neighbours calling the police because of something different happening on a noisy Saturday night in Kreuzberg... (we are not sure if we should believe this and even if, we are talking about some minutes live program left and the club DJs were going on all night anyway without any police arriving...)

Both the Chalet club's sound guy and I had been fighting against this attack on Berlin underground culture, but no chance...

...and then our wonderful friend CLEA looked at me and said:

"Kersten, you are such a lovely person and this is such a great event, I appreciate what you are doing so much, but I will NEVER perform for such douche-bags treating artists like shit!!!"

So CLEA CUTTHROAT went on the first STYLE! IT! TAKES! strike - and I strongly felt that this was the very right decision and absolutely coherent spirit!!! ♥

Not knowing who was comforting whom, that must have been the moment when CLEA and I fell into each other's arms for quite a long time...

XXX, ♥♥♥ 

FIRE!

So I think we both missed this... EVILYN FRANTIC took over spontaneously in this situation without music (at least: not our music!), getting naked and playing with fire... ♥♥♥

Burlesque dancer EVILYN FRANTIC starting her fire show at the pond, in front of our rhythmic gymnastics pavilion (photo: Jarka Snajberk)

EVILYN FRANTIC night show at Style! It! Takes! # 3 (photo: Jarka Snajberk)

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

"So when the hurting starts / And when the nightmares begin / remember you can fill up the sky /

You don't have to give in / You don't have to give in / Never give in"

(The Cure - Fight, 1987)

While I was wandering around trying to personally inform as many people as possible about what happened here in the background, suddenly our music started again. :-) It came out that our fantastic DJ MARIE GERMINAL / NUIT NOIRE reinstalled the DJ desk shortly after being cut off and fought back her place together with the dismissed Chalet technician (thank you, this was super nice and you did such a great sound and mixing job the whole evening - hope you find a new place to work, you deserve it!!! Everyone knowing something about mixing was very satisfied and impressed by your sound...) for another round of her great DJ sets!!!

This courageous intervention has been another situation showing how great our artists have been throughout this amazing evening... thank you so much, NUIT NOIRE!!! ♥♥♥

  

DJ Marie Germinal / Nuit Noire earlier that evening (pictures by me)

So even this disgusting situation was turned by everyone involved into something amazing:

a strike keeping head-held-high against disrespectful treatment of artists in Berlin club culture,

a fantastic spontaneous sexy fire show in the garden which helped over the sudden silence and our DJ fighting successfully with solidarity by kicked out technicians to get back her place and finish what was promised to her by us and by the club!!!

I'm deeply impressed by all of you and your amazing actions: thanx so much, Clea Cutthroat, Evilyn Frantic and Marie Germinal!!! Thanx so much, too, to Velvet Condom who showed great style in getting disrupted and to our great audience, who had so much understanding and showed such a great solidarity!!!

We love you all!!!

XXX, ♥♥♥, yours truly, 18th of August 2013

Kersten aka Magenta for Style! It! Takes!

p. s.: I want to say loud and clear that ALL of Chalet club's old personnel has been absolutely nice, helpful and competent during the whole evening: starting from the cleaning people in the afternoon fulfilling all our (partly complicated and stressy) wishes to all of the bartenders, the super nice barbecue man to the great sound and light technicians and many others. Also, the former boss was pissed off and sorry for the unneccessary and aggressive break-up only some minutes before the end of the concert. So no complaints, everyone working for this club till that night did a fabulous job!!!

p. p. s.: Still, we feel very sorry for Velvet Condom not being able to finish their great live set, for Clea Cutthroat being unable to perform her and our planned 'Grande Finale' in an acceptable way, for fashion designer Lily Cut since Clea Cutthroat has been wearing a wonderful white dress by her for her blood show and for Marie Germinal who has still been cut off of one hour party time (orginal schedule had been till midnight, but she had to stop at 23 h). Also we feel sorry for our later guests, partly not knowing what had been happening at all... but having that great evening in mind, everyone felt happy in the end - no chance for the 'douche-bags'!!! (^.^) ...

We simply are larger than life!!! ♥

Please check out all of this amazing summer evening in pictures, videos and stories:

http://style-berlin.blogspot.de/2013_07_01_archive.html

Afternoon garden of STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3

"You will find me if you want me in the garden" (Einstürzende Neubauten)

Welcome to our photo and video reports from a breath-taking wonderful STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3! ♥

Birthday greetings from Jarka Snajberk at the entrance of STYLE! IT! TAKES! in Chalet Club Garden...
Thank you, Jarka - you are so lovely and brilliant... ♥♥♥

Great photographer Jarka - feminine and confidently stylish as always - wore a beautiful black skirt, a black shirt, sexy black high heeled shoes, black nylons, black underwear and a black ribbon in her blonde plaited hair... :)

Usually being mostly addicted to clear colours like black, white or red just like Jarka, I decided for this garden party on a floral pale green dress I bought just a few weeks ago from Burlesque dancer La Rubina (Foxy). It's a theater costume from Vienna, made for the opera singer of a ballet group. It comes with two waistbelts in light and in dark green and this fantastic pair of gloves reminiscent of leaves. When I saw it I immediately fell in love with it. Nearly not to be seen, I combined it with white stockings and silver glitter high heeled pumps.

Don't you think our so different outfits make a wonderful combination?

And the pink lily made just everything perfect... ♥

*

... and now we are zooming with a little video cam through the afternoon garden of STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3 with some of our amazing and lovely guests and participants... you all were so great, beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, sexy, helpful and kind!!!

Thanx so much to all of you, love, hugs and endless kisses...

XXX, ♥♥♥

Some of our participants in order of appearance in this video:

UPPER GARDEN:

* Inka & Jakob at the entrance
* Laurent with Maren from PINK CADILLAC
* Emanuela at the Velvet Condom merch stand (RUSTBLADE label)
* designer Yukiko at her MAGPIE (Japan / Berlin) stand
* designer CRUDELIA VON GRIMM at his booth
* the booth of headpieces by SWEET HATTRICE
* Ariadni with her very nice vintage booth
* the booth of MASKENZAUBER & ERLEBENSKUNST (headpieces & masks)
* designer Marén Söhnlein from Maskenzauber & Erlebenskunst
* model Doria Gray and designers Lars from ÄTHERWERK and Anna from LILY CUT 
(standing together)

LOWER GARDEN:

* an employee of Chalet Club setting up a torch at the pond
* Liliya Chikova and Maria Kaledenkova warming up for their Rhythmic Gymnastics at our nicely decorated RSG (Rhythmische Sportgymnastik)-Pavilion
* some of our lovely guests
* our great photographer Jarka Snajberk (the blonde woman in black sitting at the bar)
* the pond
* more lovely early guests
* Nico and Olivier from VELVET CONDOM sitting at a table with friends
* our fantastic DJ MARIE GERMINAL / NUIT NOIRE 
* the carousel horse, later used by our great dancer Namjira
(I'm sure I have overlooked somebody... ;-) ...)


Sorry for bad quality, I had to do it quick and just wanted to catch the fantastic atmosphere of this sunny and lovely afternoon. Especially our performers NAMJIRA, EVILYN FRANTIC, CLEA CUTTHROAT, NORA BELOW and her bass player are missing here, also photographer Maren Michaelis (also working for the Dit Is Fashion! blog) and film maker Martin Fürstenberg (Platyn Filmproduction) were either busy that time or attended a bit later. Same goes for fashion designer Jenny from KNOTH KOUTURE who made the wonderful grey suit for Olivier of Velvet Condom.

The welcome committee:

Jakob (with blue mohawk) and Inka (wearing a wonderful blue dress with black imitation leather seams) with flowers, records, bubbles, homemade woodruff syrup & candies for free, a Venus sculpture and, of course, our blue TARDIS money box...

... and the pink satin perfectly suited the colours of Velvet Condom's "Vanity & Revolt" box whose release has been celebrated at our great Berlin Fashion Week party!

Thanx so much to Inka and Jakob, who spent hours and hours working for free to make our event such amazing from the beginning. And like always they did it gorgeously friendly & nice and with great style. 

♥♥♥

STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3 - The Flyer

    

Flyer / Collage by Kersten Haines

VELVET CONDOM Self Injury / Kalter Lippenstift

 

STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3 freut sich, eine unserer Berliner Lieblingsbands, die aus Frankreich kommende Wave-Pop-Shoegaze-Band VELVET CONDOM bei unserem Berlin Fashion Week-Sommerfest am 6. Juli 2013 im wundervollen Garten des CHALET Clubs in Kreuzberg begrüßen zu können!

STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3 is happy to announce one of our favourite Berlin based bands (originally from France) for our Berlin Fashion Week summer party on the 6th of July 2013 in the wonderful garden of the CHALET Club in Kreuzberg:

VELVET CONDOM

Wave-Pop-Shoegaze

Velvet Condom by Johanna Marie Bodeux

Hier ihr phantastischer Klassiker "Self Injury" von ihrem 2007 in Straßburg aufgenommenen Album "Safe & Elegant" (erschienen 2008 bei Cymbeline/Enfant Terrible):

Here's their fantastic classic "Self Injury" from their 2008 released album "Safe & Elegant" (Cymbeline/Enfant Terrible), recorded already 2007 in Strasbourg / France:

VELVET CONDOM: Self Injury

Ein paar sehr frühe Presse-Stimmen zu ihren ersten Veröffentlichungen /
Some very early press quotes about their first releases:

"This album is hopefully only the first of many more releases, as this is one of the best independent (electro) pop records recently released… This album could well be hottest release for this summer."
(Enfant-terrible.nl)

"This Album has no genre. And it’s all the better for it! It deserves not to be overlooked." (Artrocker)

"BEST UNSIGNED ELECTRO BAND" (Gothic Magazine)

"Mit ihrem Knaller 'Kalter Lippenstift' landeten sie bereits auf jeder einschlägigen Tanzfläche in den Szene-Clubs von London, Paris und Berlin." (stadtmagazin07.de)

"Die Band hat in den vergangenen Jahren beachtliche Erfolge erzielt. Alice und Oberst P. haben mit Songs wie 'Kalter Lippenstift' oder 'Never Ever' nicht nur Tanzflächenknaller geschrieben, sondern glänzten ebenso durch grandiose live Performances. Die 2006 erschiene Debüt EP lief in ganz Europa in einschlägigen Discos und Clubs. Live sind Velvet Condom ein absolutes Muss!"
(Deaf Blind Dumb)

... und hier VELVET CONDOMs großartiger erster Hit, "Kalter Lippenstift" (mit deutschem Text) /
... and here VELVET CONDOM's great first hit, "Kalter Lippenstift" (with German lyrics):

VELVET CONDOM: Kalter Lippenstift

VELVET CONDOM

www.velvetcondom.com

VELVET CONDOM Record Release Concert "Vanity & Revolt" (June 2013)

at

STYLE! IT! TAKES! # 3

Summer Evening of Fashion, Performances & Music

Sa 6 July 2013

17.30 - 24.00 h

CHALET Club Garden

Vor dem Schlesischen Tor 3
10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg 
U 1
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♥