Photo by Debby Rijnbeek @vonrijnbeekco
Experiencing Dee Dee’s Picks is like wandering through a beloved local record store, where every shelf and table is a treasure trove of Swiss Coldwave, Synth, and Post-Punk gems. This musical haven, nestled in the heart of Amsterdam, serves not only as a Swiss music beacon but as a lovingly curated guide through the intricacies of the scene. Imagine a cozy corner filled with tables laden with flyers and scrapbooks, each piece telling a story, each album a journey through the Swiss soundscape.
Dee Dee stands at the helm of this vibrant platform, not merely curating tracks but weaving stories through a meticulously selected collection that spans the frosty whispers of coldwave, the vibrant beats of Italo and synth-pop, to the boundary-pushing sounds of post-punk. Dee Dee’s Picks invites music aficionados on a captivating journey through the Swiss music landscape, offering a thriving cultural hub where in-depth interviews reveal the essence of the artists and their creative processes, and music video premieres showcase the unique Swiss aesthetic,
For those drawn to the allure of Alpine music, both old and new, Dee Dee’s Picks offers an exclusive backstage pass to explore the rich, textured world of Swiss coldwave, synth, and post-punk treasures.
Dee Dee was gracious enough to do an interview with Post-Punk.com to discuss life in and out of Switzerland, the platform’s foray into journalism, and what’s next for Dee Dee’s Picks.
What initially inspired you to specifically focus on Swiss music and culture with Dee Dee’s Picks? How has your experience of living abroad and missing aspects of growing up in Switzerland influenced the platform’s direction?
Prior to leaving Switzerland from the age of 11, I felt that not many people saw the appeal of things that were traditionally Swiss. Most media that were seen as cool on television programs , radio broadcasts or billboards were American, or at least spoken in English. So I felt that there was less incentive to be proud of your own culture. The beginning of the domestication of the Internet also meant that English was a must, since I was more curious in seeing what was happening abroad as opposed to next door, so to speak. In opposition to this, it seems that nowadays people are tired of everything being the same everywhere. There seems to be a newfound appreciation to go back to your roots and be more local. The search for differentialism and individualism has developed into a newfound attractiveness to the charm of the niche, rarity and exclusivity. Additionally, having moved around, meant that I was missing the aspect of integration in a specific community that you already had ties in.
Another reason I wanted to focus on Switzerland is by no means suggesting that its scene is superior, but rather to help me retain the focus on something, like a region. I didn’t know where to start otherwise as there’s so much good music out there. At first I didn’t know what to expect when I first started, whether I’d find enough music that I’d like or anything relevant to talk about. But it has been a continuous prompt of surprises and directions in the people I have met. Here I am in Year Four, which will end with (normally) a handful of more releases. Dee Dee’s Picks is after all to challenge myself into bringing something unknown to a more international audience. I wasn’t really sure why Swiss artists were not being more represented from abroad despite having the rich multicultural flexibility that it has. So I wanted to see if I could create a better bridge between Switzerland and the rest of the world. Eventually, this became a bit of a front, as the project evolved further than simply being a socio-cultural commentary. It rather became an opportunity to peek into the complexity of lives of others, the intimacy through their creative process and releasing their music or talking about their projects. You get so much more than just what’s on the surface. You get a real time movie, where you get to direct and act in.
You mentioned transitioning from wanting to start a record label to creating a website focused on Helvetian culture. Can you discuss this journey and what prompted the shift in your vision?
It’s to create context around my findings. And for accessibility reasons, especially regarding the music. I realised rather quickly when I started Dee Dee’s Picks you’d have to be a committed digger to have previously heard of releases from bands like Aboriginal Voices or Mario Scherrer beforehand, whereas if you were a regular record store attendee in Switzerland it was relatively easier (albeit still rather underground).
For myself, the best records are those where storytelling relates to the music in front of you. I find that humans are fascinated by stories, whether visually or sonically. The desire to dream and be inspired, which is why I find music and visual components related to storytelling very important to Dee Dee’s Picks. Because everything from the font on vinyl sleeves and graphic design are original, it was important for me to understand its origins and where it was coming from. I didn’t want to release things I didn’t know about so therefore opted to ask people around the scene if I could talk about Swiss graphic design, their perception of it and such to get more insight. It’s important to understand its origins and to get to know how the artist came to apply such techniques to their own work. The more I was digging, the more I realised that there is a lot more than just the music that revolves around Helvetian cultural identity. There is a whole creative facet that synergised around it, visuals artists, collectives, illustrators, graphic designers, all contribute to what a scene is. I wanted to unravel a storytelling aspect and unveil the artist differently than what we see on social media. To give depth to art as opposed to scratching its surface level by a half second scroll.
Dee Dee’s Picks seems to have evolved into a form of journalism, particularly with the inclusion of interviews. How did this evolution come about, and what role does journalism play in your platform now?
It’s also the idea to remove some mysticism around each other, whether it is our local scene or our neighbouring countries. I took it upon myself to tell the story of people the best way that I could, as I would be representing them. I think there is a responsibility to tell the truths of people and to genuinely ask thought provoking questions out of respect for their work. I could put out more content at regular intervals by repeating some template-like questions but I’d rather take the necessary time to cater questions relevant to myself and the featured artist.
Social media broke down boundaries on granular levels regarding what’s happening next door. I also think the fact that most people speak English fluently and are online breaks down a lot of barriers and incites more curiosity in what is happening beyond your neighbourhood and also ways to find out about it. Therefore, the need to evolve into some form of journalism became apparent. It’s my way of bettering and contributing positively to today’s digital music ecosystems in terms of context and information. It can be difficult to get the whole picture of an artist solely from their online presence. I find the presentation of the music and art via social media so database-like; souleless, that it usually doesn’t really incorporate any valuable knowledge or inspiration on how a piece of art is made. It became more of a list of numbers, accounts.. with the idea that its value is determined by the number of plays/likes/views on it, all seen and to be opinionated upon publicly. Moreso that streaming services like Spotify do not provide much archival information as opposed to when you own a record on a tangible format, it is more likely to have information in the back, on inner sleeves and so forth. Sure, this is perhaps more relevant to those who build collections, archives or libraries such as myself, but it also speaks for the interests driving the design of these services. People should have the possibility to inform themselves about the whole universe that came into place to ‘make’ this release or art. It’s a way to branch out to make the listener/viewer aware that a release/project does not always just come from a sole member, but an array of creative individuals that were able to make this project real. From who did the mix, mastering, pressing, graphics, videos, promotion…It’s also another way of discovering a certain period, or a certain scene from a certain network. It’s the way it should be held to help each other. In the end, the art outlives the person who made it, so there is a sense of responsibility to preserve context that will in the end translate into memories for the next listener. I find the idea to immortalise yourself and your art online very powerful. Love it or hate it, you will always find pieces of yourself and others from the past and for future generations.
It’s also to retain the imagery of the ethic of working together, not for or against each other. To be involved in each other’s lives as opposed to seclusion. To give the opportunity for people who have something to say, whether it’s a concept, production technique or really just an identity. It is so important to credit each other with our works in order to thrive together. Regardless, whatever kind of artistic output an artist has in the end, they shine through these aspects that turn into their own artistic signature. This is why I think that some people get confused when I say “we released” as opposed to singular. Because it is really a collaborative effort to make these things happen. It would not have the same impact or surrounding vision just by one person. You sometimes need to have an outsider to help you see outside of the box in how your art can be perceived, be defined and what it means to them and to yourself. Hindsight and reflection is not something you can always do by yourself in the present. It is not always evident to reflect on your work, as you continuously evolve as a person in life and go forward with future projects. So actually discussing projects and topics is something most of the people I’ve worked with seem to appreciate instead of being pushed into constantly having a creative output with no reflection.
Given your unique perspective, having lived both inside and outside Switzerland, how do you see Dee Dee’s Picks contributing to the global understanding and appreciation of Swiss culture?
Something that I noticed is that on one hand, I think that it is really fascinating to Switzerland is how despite its size, it functions with 4 languages, quite intertwined with English and other cultures. So you really get a melting pot of influences from each respective neighbouring country and meet in the middle. From what I’ve witnessed, the broad range of influences comes from neighbouring countries before amalgamating from within. Regarding music, I find that on the Swiss German side, cities like Zurich have a more Industrial, EBM edge to the music, probably due to germanic influenceas. Whereas cities like Geneva on the french side, something more bass and dub oriented, possibly due to the immense squat scene that occurred in the 90s where Dub genres were very prominent.
On the other hand, I find that the concept of locality and the underground scene dissipating to some extent because of the popularisation of social media makes trends less grounded to a local scene or movement, but rather to the world wide web directly. Since we have access to so much content online, it’s easier than ever for example to draw inspiration from the work of a Swiss artist based in Brussels who was then influenced by someone’s work in Beijing. The lines are getting blurred from their origin. To further elaborate, Swiss typography or graphic design is something quite unique, although replicated in various cultures, However, many artists that I featured on Dee Dee’s Picks have an educational background that focuses on this style or art that has been ingrained in Swiss culture for decades, to which they naturally include into their own creative endeavours. Whatever is encompassed in this core is what never leaves. The trends surrounding it come and go quickly because they do not stick as much due to its speed of diffusion, whether related to social media algorithms or not. There’s a globalisation of using tools and techniques that if reached high in popularity, means we will get bored of it a lot quicker due to over exposure.
It’s inevitable that by living in the modern world, using the same tools as others, that people will spot similarities to their own works. Thus I try to always be aware of maintaining an aspect of traditional and personal in Dee Dee’s Picks. To respect the influence of Swiss design that is still obviously relevant to this day and my own, as well as the artist’s personal perspective.
What do you look for when featuring or releasing someone via Dee Dee’s Picks?
There’s no strict criteria besides the fact that you have to be at least based in Switzerland. Or Swiss living abroad. The idea of nationalism does not particularly interest me. You could be Swedish but based in Switzerland and that would still work. I focus more on the idea of contributing and taking something to your community. That, and to explore the more “underground” areas of the world.
Regardless of the storytelling aspects, there is still this immense feeling of responsibility to not just put anything out. It is important that I foremost find a connection in these artists for me to be able to talk about them confidently. I look for identity to relate to a core, basically artists who have their own musical language or artistic identity and not necessarily experts in a certain field. I do keep some popular appeal in order to be enthused by others because I am considerate and realistic about how many people go to record stores and buy such albums. Therefore, in the decision making process, I don’t want to have this rapid pace of picking up trends and moving on. I like to ask myself when considering a release: can I see myself listening to this in five or in ten years time? After all, the artists I work with are the people who define Dee Dee’s Picks. It’s not enough to give, you need to take something also for yourself.
With the dissolution of locality, do you keep trying to keep a balance between keeping the outside world from Switzerland connected? Old and contemporary? To what extent is is strict?
I find it particularly difficult to be very reactive yet focused in today’s fast-moving environment. You are exposed to a lot more work by talented individuals and trends come and go much faster. Sometimes, as rapidly as they are conceptualised. I do incorporate some trending and outside elements on my platform because I do belong in today’s world regardless where my head is at. My surroundings, whether past, present or future, are constant influences on how we evolve as people. I’m not against mimicking external influences as they indirectly shape us as an individual. In my case, I add a personal touch with the inclusion of the obi on every release. Something very common on LP formats in Japan, which I took interest in through an internship with Guruguru Brain. I do this because it’s important to have a piece of myself in Dee Dee’s Picks. This also be expressed through writing, mastering or graphic designing. It is important for me to not only stay true to my ethic, technique or approach but also that my work relates to contemporary tastes and be relevant with what is happening around you. Therefore to better myself as a curator on Dee Dee’s Picks means I have to keep a healthy balance of awareness and development, which is a reason why I have not released the same artist twice. At the same time, being self-indulgent gives me the ressources to be able to keep inspiration going.
Despite not having the same upbringing that the people I have worked with, I do have memories, things that were once ever so present in my surroundings, that make me gravitate and recognise pieces of myself in the Swiss art style. Whether its graphic design or typography for instance, is something I am subconsciously drawn to. It’s rather unique, which I want to maintain in the releases and Dee Dee’s Picks identity. This is in part to why I also like to collaborate with non-Swiss people, like we did for the artwork and graphic designer for Infesta’s record. This continuously helps me break out of the box and to have non-natives have their interpretation of the work, have their own signature with it, and thus mutate it into something new. This idea of inclusion probably comes from me growing up in Singapore, where my environment encouraged me to use other’s ideas and cultural upbringing and incorporate them the best way possible in your environment in part for diplomacy and for the other, progress.
Looking towards the future, how do you envision Dee Dee’s Picks evolving, especially in terms of balancing the representation of past and present Swiss music and culture?
In regards to releases, I couldn’t tell you. I treat it as I see things developing, the people I encounter, the situations I find myself in. I try to plan my year to maintain a sort of chronological order for releases so they make sense to some extent next to each other, as some of them intertwine per collective, location, collaborators and the such. For the near future, I will be solely working with contemporary artists. Unfortunately, tracking artists that were active pre internet era is a very time consuming task, whereas I do not always have the resources for. Thankfully, I have my two radio residencies on Echobox Radio (Amsterdam) and Fade Radio (Athens) to have the possibility to broadcast my various findings, and thus maintain a sort of coherent balance between time periods. For example, in February, I will be broadcasting on Echobox Radio one hour of 70s-80s Swiss Italo Disco as part of my “Dee Dee’s Club Picks” series, and for Fade Radio, two hours of unearthed Swiss Minimal Wave, Post-Punk, and more, from the past and today.
But to conclude, the way that I’ve found myself preserving the Dee Dee’s Picks seal of approval on upcoming projects and the eclecticism in its content is on one hand unpredictability. On the other, it’s through experience. Dee Dee’s Picks has been active for quite a while now, so the recurring fanbase seems to “get” what I am doing. It also plays a part for myself and the audience in what you like and what works for you. Trial and error. I think what makes it exciting and enthused is that I am willing to take risks and not go for the obvious and already established artists. Artists that are part of a scene, but outsider enough that their work does not quite hit evident genres, despite evoquing familiarity. That’s what I look for, regardless of its genre. Even though we did releases that were perhaps more traditional and in their element, there was always a twist. For example, some of the artists’ I have worked with wanted to compose an album without a theme, which they were worried they would have nothing to talk about prior to its release. I make it my duty to tackle it from an outsider’s perspective. It’s important to make one think (whether the maker or consumer), to challenge them, in order to break barriers and move on to next levels of experimentation in discoveries.
Next releases will be from March onwards, always contrasting what we have put out so far on Dee Dee’s Picks. We have Baroque music with an electronic contemporary reimagination by Basel-based Marie Delprat, Baile Funk rhythms from the Neuchatelian skateboard scene by Dimosoundz, and breakbeat madness from Lausanne’s Atonal.
Check out some of Dee Dee’s mixes:
Post-punk, minimal wave, punk, coldwave releases:
Follow Dee Dee’s Picks:
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