A Chat with Present Paradox (19.04.24)
The brainchild of German singer-songwriter David Kleinekottmann, Present Paradox is a head-first jump into obscure existentialism with a scraping of dark reality lurking in the danceable but deep tunes. For a decade, Kleinekottmann has traversed the realms of indie music, rock, electronica and pop with experimental fervour. Today, we speak with him about Present Paradox’s new album A Trace To Keep Control, upcoming plans, what he will do when he retires and much more!
OSR: What made you decide to become a musician? What drew you to music?
Kleinekottmann: I was looking for a creative vehicle and started with film work – which I still do. Later I added some sounds for my videos, so the step to music wasn’t that big. The whole Present Paradox project started in 2011 and I spent many evenings tinkering with samples and short song sketches. I used kitchen utensils as drum samples for example. Later I invited a friend who played a guitar over some of the sketches. It took two years before I decided to release something on my Bandcamp profile. I would say it started as an electronic-influenced project, but as time went on it turned into a full band sound.
OSR: What does music mean to you?
Kleinekottmann: It’s not just one particular thing. As a listener it brings me joy, peace, consolation, some sort of meditation, a place to dream, you name it. As a musician, it’s a creative vehicle when it comes to the writing part. Live it’s a chance to meet a lot of people. You know, it’s very interesting, everyone is very chatty after a concert.
OSR: You just released your album A Trace To Keep Control. What can you tell us about it? Is there a particular theme to the album?
Kleinekottmann: The new album A Trace To Keep Control somehow picks up where the last one (Caesura, released in 2022) left off. So if you listen closely, the first song of the new album begins with a reversed sound of the end of Caesura. But then I take a completely different direction. There’s more krautrock and post-punk on this record and I decided to incorporate more brass instruments played by fantastic musicians like Michael A. Grant from the UK. The recording span was quite long, from April 2022 to September 2023, and I’m sure that long period of writing and recording influenced the many themes that I deal with on this record, post-pandemic themes, personal things and so on. I mean, a lot of things have changed after the pandemic, and not for the better. The new “normal” gives me and us even more to do, with a spot on the “do”.
OSR: What was the most exciting thing and least exciting thing about creating A Trace To Keep Control?
Kleinekottmann: There were a few exciting things. I really enjoyed working with the saxophonists and clarinettists. Their work contributes so much to tracks like ‘A Lense To Find A Trace’, where Michael A. Grant played a wonderful tenor clarinet. I also enjoyed creating some of the drum parts, like this intro on ‘We Need To Take Control’. I never thought I could do things like that with the cymbals and toms, but it worked out pretty well. It was also a pleasure to record some parts outside of Germany in a room in Maastricht (Netherlands). The least exciting thing is always the long days when I’m doing the final mix. Ears get worn out quickly, so it takes time.
OSR: If you had to change one thing about A Trace To Keep Control, what would it be and why?
Kleinekottmann: In times of Spotify, 12 tracks are a bit too many, but I can’t change that and I don’t know which track should be sorted out.
OSR: Do you believe this album is a good representation of your sound at the moment?
Kleinekottmann: Yes, definitely. During the recording, in the first couple of months, I was really into some of the later Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds stuff. I also listened to a lot of choice tracks by Black Country New Road and some songs by Fountains DC that were on heavy rotation. And of course, my all-time heroes like Radiohead and side project The Smile influenced the recordings between 2022 and 2023. You can hear those influences to a certain extent, so yeah. I always absorb what I hear and make it my own.
VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED
OSR: If you had to introduce a new listener to your music, which song from the album would you choose?
Kleinekottmann: The first track on the album, ‘The Crack’. It somehow anticipates many elements that will later play a role on the album.
OSR: What do you want to do when you retire?
Kleinekottmann: Firstly, I try to stay cool. In the literal sense. When I retire, it’s going to be pretty hot here in the summer. That said, I’ll do some voluntary work or keep working because there’s hardly any money left in the pension fund by then.
OSR: What is the best TV show of all time and why did you choose that one?
Kleinekottmann: Borgen. This look into the world of politics is very exciting and thrilling and well delivered.
OSR: What does the future hold for Present Paradox?
Kleinekottmann: More live music, more new songs and hopefully more unexpected sounds.
OSR: What message do you have for our readers?
Kleinekottmann: Yes, if you can find the time, keep discovering new music and listen to some of the lesser-known artists, there is a lot to discover.
Many thanks to David Kleinekottmann for speaking with us. Find out more about Present Paradox on his official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more post-punk singles on The Other Side Reviews Post Punk playlist:
