Milky Likelihood is able to rock. The duo of Clemens Rehbein and Philipp Dausch lately launched into a brand new world tour and the German-based band is about to proceed bringing the freshness with a brand new album Living in a Haze, dropping in all places June ninth. “There’s plenty of enjoyment in there,” stated Dausch of the upcoming report. “We’re tremendous joyful and stoked to launch it and share it, as a result of it looks like a brand new chapter.”
After years of touring and releasing albums, the band encountered a interval of stillness in the course of the pandemic and used the time to domesticate new materials with out the stresses of being on the highway. It’s considerably becoming then that as their present tour progresses, new singles will drop—equivalent to “Golden,” the most recent off the upcoming report—permitting the band to concurrently share new music dwell and digitally with out the strain to do each.
After we join over Google Meet, Rehbein and Dausch are in a relaxed, considerate place, and over the course of our dialog we discover Milky Likelihood’s origins, the group’s artistic course of, and the artwork of being intentional with one’s hashish consumption.
Excessive Occasions: Rising up in Germany, when did you uncover music was the trail for you?
Clemens Rehbein: I began taking part in guitar on the age of twelve and commenced taking guitar classes accidentally. A buddy of mine again then requested me if I needed to affix him [in the lessons] as a result of he didn’t need to go alone, and from the primary day onward, I used to be completely into it, and I didn’t need to do the rest.
I don’t know for those who may say we knew music was going to be the “factor” for us—as in “skilled” or a career—however from day one, taking part in guitar, entering into taking part in an instrument, and making and creating music linked to a brand new sauce inside me. I needed to spend plenty of time doing it, it gave me such a very good feeling and I had a lot enjoyable doing it. I used to be pushed by that.
Philipp Dausch: I began guitar taking part in once I was six, however extra in a classical method, and it didn’t actually join with that inside drive factor. That occurred later once I was in my early teenagers when my dad and mom broke up and the world grew to become a bit chaotic.
My finest buddy was a musician and he had a studio at his home the place I’d spend loads of time with drums, guitars, saxophones and we might jam. That—mixed with some life occasions the place you needed to develop up—linked for me actually onerous. I felt one thing with music that was parallel to dealing with emotional work. Music, making music, having a band and having this robust bond between individuals was one thing that undoubtedly felt like a path opening up that felt proper and felt like dwelling.
“Discovering a path” is an eloquent technique to describe it as a result of the trail isn’t linked. Getting a little bit misplaced—as traumatic as that sounds…all of us have that rising up, locations the place you’re feeling a little bit misplaced, and I believe music has at all times been—and at all times can be—the supply of steering and a compass to observe.
Excessive Occasions: You had been each in a bunch previous to Milky Likelihood. What was it about your particular person connections to music—that when mixed—created a collaboration you felt gelled in a very good way?
Philipp Dausch: We met in highschool and have become actually good associates and performed loads of music collectively daily. Musically, we had loads of mutuality. We shared the identical kinds, we liked the identical music and liked to trade stuff, and likewise simply actually lived in that neighborhood collectively. We had the identical associates and it was that each day life that linked us actually strongly. All mixed, it allow us to develop collectively.
As soon as we began doing Milky Likelihood and rising with the venture, we simply figured over time that with the inspiration we had, we labored properly collectively—musically and likewise on all the opposite ranges wanted to maintain a profitable band as a result of there’s extra than simply music, clearly.
Excessive Occasions: As you rolled with Milky Likelihood, was there a second the place you began to appreciate you possibly can probably maintain your self off your work with the venture?
Clemens Rehbein: It was the tip of 2012/starting of 2013 after we made the choice to report all of the songs, possibly do an album, begin a label and do all of it DIY as a result of we’d gotten loads of very optimistic suggestions and a spotlight on YouTube again then. After some time, you possibly can inform individuals had been digging it.
We had our first present right here in our hometown—possibly 150 individuals or one thing like that—they usually had been all going loopy. It was a kind of moments the place it was like, “Oh, wow. This music does one thing to the individuals.” With the choice to do an album and launch it ourselves, I believe that was our second the place we thought, “Let’s give it a shot.”
Philipp Dausch: However we additionally need to admit or pretty say that we’ve grown up in very protected locations and bubbles. Which means, there wasn’t an excessive amount of strain or determination making of, “We’ve got to do that proper now and dwell off of it.” We had been free and protected sufficient to know we felt one thing—as a result of we’d made music collectively for some time—and will really feel that folks actually dug the music. We needed to attempt to work it, however there was not an excessive amount of of a acutely aware thoughts having to consider residing off of it. We had time, we had enjoyable, and we had music.
Excessive Occasions: And you possibly can take dangers.
Philipp Dausch: We may take dangers, which looks like a privilege as of late.
I suppose the time the place it actually consciously hits was extra life expertise—stepping exterior your bubble—figuring out what you’re manufactured from and the place you come from. As in, it’s extra like at present—ten years later—that we have now an precise understanding and extra of a mindset the place we’re very grateful that we’re capable of dwell off of it. Music is our life and we are able to feed our households and dwell a protected life, nevertheless it’s one thing that got here method later.
Excessive Occasions: How do you discover your artistic inspiration and execute on it?
Philipp Dausch: We’ll have concepts anytime, wherever, and we have now these cool issues within the twenty first century referred to as telephones [holds up iPhone] which have a dictation perform. At any time when there’s a factor in our heads and we’re randomly wherever, we simply report it rapidly and both the following day go to the studio and present it to one another or say, “Hey, I’ve this concept” and work on it. It occurs wherever—at dwelling, on vacation, if you’re with associates, if you’re within the automobile, if you’re on the tarmac.
We as soon as had an interview with James Blake that also echoes in my head generally. He stated one thing again then that I didn’t perceive as a result of we had simply began, however he was saying “The distinction between creativity and productiveness is that you could at all times be artistic, nevertheless it solely turns into productive for those who really take the time to catch your thought.” We’ll at all times have creativity and we are going to at all times have concepts—the one distinction that can be made is for those who really take motion and report it rapidly and catch it as a result of it will likely be gone in a minute once more. That’s actually necessary and is one thing I believe we’ve realized as properly.
All of us dwell our lives and we’re all distracted. We’ve got households, our duties, our routines. Inside that, we may have moments the place an thought will fly by, and both you catch it or it will likely be gone within the subsequent seconds.
Clemens Rehbein: You even have to create space and time to be artistic. After all at occasions there’s an thought popping up whereas taking a stroll someplace, but in addition after we’re most efficient, we’re spending loads of time within the studio on a regular basis. Simply being within the studio—even in case you have no plans or concepts—simply being there, taking part in an instrument, spending time making music…for those who take an hour a day to play guitar, finally concepts come.
Excessive Occasions: When it comes to your upcoming album—Dwelling in a Haze—what went into this report creatively?
Philipp Dausch: We had been popping out of eight years of touring and making three albums after which the pandemic hit, and we awkwardly took a break the place we wouldn’t have naturally. To be honest—
Clemens Rehbein: We had one of the best pandemic ever [laughs].
Philipp Dausch: It was a very good factor for us individually and personally, although to not say it wasn’t a horrible factor on loads of ranges. It helped us to regain loads of vitality, rebuild our mindset, and actually have time at dwelling. As Clemens stated, we may go on to the studio on the each day and spend time taking part in devices and simply be actual. These routines of journey, having loads of enter and feeling harassed [weren’t there], which helped us write so much, discover manufacturing and discover our sound.
We discovered that in any case of those years of touring and making our final three albums—which needed to occur parallel to touring—that we had been in a brand new chapter. This chapter felt like we had been taking huge steps and had developed so much, however we didn’t really feel like we had an album but. So we put out mixtapes—which was a really colourful expertise—of remixes, covers, and demos. We simply launched what we felt we needed to share, regardless of if we hadn’t carried out a “regular” album factor. It felt actually good, and at the moment, we simply stored writing and writing—till the tip of final 12 months—the place we felt we had an album put collectively.
Excessive Occasions: With regards to creating new music—and music usually—what position does hashish play for you?
Philipp Dausch: I’m a social smoker on all ranges, whether or not it’s weed or cigarettes. I by no means actually smoke on my own. To me, it’s a social factor that I love to do with associates and different individuals. It’s stress-free.
Getting older, I solely actually smoke homegrown weed as a result of the shit from the road makes me anxious, so I actually solely go for the bio–homegrown stuff.
Excessive Occasions: So you recognize what’s in your buds.
Philipp Dausch: For certain. It’s type of the identical with meals, proper?
Clemens Rehbein: [Laughs] The natural social smoker proper right here.
Philipp Dausch: [Laughs] There you go. However simply to be clear, [weed’s] not useful to be productive. We by no means smoke within the studio. Our productiveness and smoking aren’t linked in any respect.
Clemens Rehbein: We’re at all times sober after we’re doing music. I get so unhealthy [playing] once I smoke. I can’t “smoke good” [laughs].
Excessive Occasions: You want all your colleges.
Clemens Rehbein: It’s fascinating, I used to be simply speaking about this with somebody at present. In our society, most individuals devour stuff—not solely hashish—for enjoyment. However you may as well do it in a extra acutely aware method. Extra therapeutic. Typically I really feel like possibly there could possibly be extra to it than simply consuming it, being stoned, and having enjoyable. You already know what I imply?
Philipp Dausch: However that may be very therapeutic if you consider it.
Excessive Occasions: Similar with psychedelics. Identical to with hashish, you’ll be able to devour mushrooms to celebration, or you possibly can have a extra spiritually enriched expertise.
Philipp Dausch: I overlook who stated it—if you use a drug to suppress one thing else, it’s unsuitable as a result of it can lead you down a self-destructive path. However for those who deliberately use it since you really feel good and need to open up and use it for one thing increased—that’s higher than utilizing it since you really feel unhealthy and need to overlook about one thing. As a result of then even a social evening at a celebration is usually a non secular expertise.
A non secular expertise doesn’t essentially must be pictured as us sitting in a circle holding fingers. It is also that you just’re at a celebration in a backyard ingesting beer. That can be very non secular.
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