What infrastructure does unusual music need? PETER KUTIN, NIK HUMMER and DANIEL RIEGLER renovated the WESTBAHNSTUDIOS. Well hidden in Vienna’s 15th district, the three artists, recently also managing directors and partners, now offer a “co-production facility”: rooms with high-end acoustics that can be used for rehearsals, concerts and networking. Thanks to funding from the City of Vienna, musicians can rent them below commercial prices. In an interview with Michael Franz Woels and Michael Zangerl, PETER KUTIN, NIK HUMMER and DANIEL RIEGLER explore their relationship to the studio business, declare their solidarity with the independent scene and call for long-term cultural-political strategies.
You have been a tenant since February of this year Westbahnstudios. How did the three of you in the core team come together to start and carry out this project?
Peter Kutin: I had been working in the premises off and on for a long time. Mathias Lenz and Karl Edlmayer then confided in me that they no longer wanted to operate the studios as such. Then I approached Nik and Daniel because they were both actively looking for spaces for music and had the necessary skills to actually manage/realize a cultural project.
The press diagnosed in 2011 regarding the then Westbahnstudios: “The music business has seen better times. That’s why recording studios concentrate on advertising and film – or analogue retro sound.” Why did you decide – a decade later and in a different team – to take over the Westbahnstudios?
Peter Kutin: We don’t see the entire project as a classic studio, but as a high-quality workspace for people who work with sound and beyond. This essentially has nothing to do with the studio business, but is a cultural project that enables musicians to use good and very affordable space. We are very careful to ensure that we do not undermine traditional studio operators with dumping prices. We do not provide any recording equipment.
Nik Hummer: There was sound insulation inside and outside. The previous owners did a very good basic renovation and handed these rooms over to us on really altruistic terms. We were surprised by these perfect conditions: cheap rent, homeowners who support this project. And it has to be said that the three of us are doing this project alongside our actual artistic work.
Daniel Riegler: It’s about optimal working conditions for creative people who work with sound and therefore need a good acoustic situation. Working with sound means being audible to those around you. It is therefore useful that this infrastructure is built in such a way that neighboring residents are not disturbed.
“THE SO-CALLED FREE SCENE IS IN MANY THINGS THAT OF CONSTRAINTS ‘LEASTEST’. WE WANT TO WORK AGAINST THIS ON AT LEAST ONE POINT.”
You read about them Westbahnstudios following description: “The Westbahnstudios see themselves as a creative workshop with a distinctly social approach”. What do you mean by a distinctive social approach?
Daniel Riegler: This is a disclaimer for the fact that the rental conditions are unbeatable considering what we offer in return. For artists in the so-called independent scene, it does not seem to be intended that working conditions correspond to what one would expect from the quality of the artistic work. In many ways, the so-called independent scene is the least free from constraints. We want to work against this at least in one point. A distinctly “social approach”, if not a solidarity approach, in my opinion.
Peter Kutin: Every person in Vienna who is actively working on sound ideas and forms of music that go beyond the scope of the bedroom studio knows that there are simply no affordable rooms to rent, with good acoustics, a good system, daylight and no volume problems. And that’s exactly what’s happening now. For €90, those interested can get an almost 100m2 room with a high-end PA system, grand piano and all the other basics for 24 hours.
Nik Hummer: As a social space, this studio is special in terms of a music and art scene that works with sound. There is a very large lounge and parallel operations. Artists who are there permanently – like the Artists in Residency – should also be able to get to know the people who come on a daily basis and network with them musically. We also want international artists in residence, because the artists living here are internationally networked. We don’t want to limit the musical style, but we want to particularly support contemporary, experimental music.
Westbahnstudio (c) Nik Hummer
Die Westbahnstudios see themselves as a “co-production house”. What are the advantages of one?
Daniel Riegler: That not every scene group has to run its own house.
Peter Kutin: Of course, we strive to implement artistic projects in the future. So far we have only remodeled the room etc. That was an enormous task that cost all of us a lot of time and energy – in addition to our other professional activities. The long-term goal would of course be to achieve international exchange and relevance, e.g. B. via residency projects and artistic exchange. A place like that EMS Stockholm has had a lasting impact on music culture across an entire country. That would be a best practice example of the positive effects it can have if a city thinks about the potential of spaces for “long-term work on music” and listens to the people who create music and takes their concerns seriously – the expertise almost outsourced.
Nick Hummer: We need to start sharing resources. City Councilor for Culture Veronica Kaup-Hasler immediately understood this and supported this project. I come from the co-working sector and basically built the first co-working spaces in Vienna. We are also considering initiating and financing projects to help the artists implement them. This is a medium to long term consideration. On a small scale, we are already providing open support for the scene, cross-subsidizing various artists – in cultural Newspeak – for monetary value.
“I THINK IT’S A REALLY NEW DIMENSION FOR VIENNA IN HOW MUSIC CAN BE HEARD AND EXPERIENCED THERE.”
You have them Westbahnstudios It has now been used more often for concerts, for example at the opening. What role should live performances have in the future?
Peter Kutin: Live concerts simply work wonderfully in this location. Pianissimo, fortissimo both sound very good in this room. I think it’s a really new dimension for Vienna in terms of how music can be heard and experienced there.
Daniel Riegler: Concerts should not be the focus of our work. Above all, it’s about long-term work and developing new projects and ideas. If there is a small public presentation at the end of such development work, it is an optimal project setting. It is clear that there will also be interesting stand-alones from time to time.
The singer and musician Karolina Preuschl is the first SKE-Residencies-Artist of Westbahnstudios. How was she chosen? What will be the outcome of the residency?
Daniel Riegler: Our residency program is under construction and we particularly want to raise it to an international level. Karolina is very familiar to everyone in our team. Apart from her artistic suitability, she was particularly suitable for the first residency because our infrastructure didn’t yet function perfectly. So she was able to develop some new things. And we learned a lot for future residencies.
Peter Kutin: Residents can decide whether they want to do a final presentation or not. Basically, we only provide the most important thing, namely a good space to work. We don’t want to create artistic pressure. The residents are selected and contacted by a committee. There is currently no application process as we are still exploring and waiting for feedback. The aim, as I said, is to also accommodate international residents here in the future.
“THE ROOM IS DESIGNED AND BUILT FOR ENSEMBLE MUSIC AND ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS.”
The previous tenant had already used the premises of a former carriage factory in this Wilhelminian style residential building as a studio. Nik Hummer, who, in addition to sound design, also works as an interior designer and exhibition designer, was in charge of the renovation. What acoustic measures and what alignment were specifically implemented?
Peter Kutin: The task of acoustic construction was to enable the most diverse use possible – rehearsals, recordings, concerts – for all current forms of music. It was very difficult to reconcile this.
Nik Hummer: The room is intended and built for ensemble music, i.e. for acoustic instruments. During ensemble rehearsals, everyone can hear everyone else. The reverberation time is important. This is standardized in offices and public spaces. There are also basic standards in the music sector. But these are not always so easy to adhere to because rooms like this one, for example, do not have such good spatial proportions because it is very long and not very high. The aim was to make this room linear across the entire frequency range, with the same reverberation time across almost all frequency ranges. This can also be achieved with tweaking (Note: fine adjustment) through mobile elements. For an electronic music concert, we set up this acoustic element to achieve a drier sound and shorter reverberation times.
Westbahnstudio (c) Nik Hummer
You yourself have worked with electronic music, hip-hop, jazz, new music and sound installations. Such diverse genres come with different requirements – or at least conventions. Were these taken into account when designing and renovating the studios?
Daniel Riegler: Yes, that was a very, very big advantage of our cooperation. Very different requirements were taken into account. This makes us flexible for many applications.
Peter Kutin: Attention was paid to all possible situations, with surround sound being given top priority. But things like multichannel, video projection, screenings or streaming, they’re all possible.
Final question: Were there any points of friction or situations where you had to make difficult decisions regarding the different genre demands and conventions? If yes, which?
Peter Kutin: Basically, we try to proceed with a first-come, first-serve principle and not exclude anyone – unless the project is politically on the dark side… That would of course be a reason for exclusion.
Daniel Riegler: There were points of friction, but they weren’t related to the issues of different demands and the genres we come from. The group can work very constructively, but building a house is always an effort. Thank God we’re not married…
Thank you very much for the interview!
Michael Franz Woels & Michael Zangerl
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Deadline:
9.10. 8 p.m. Twixt, Negativland
Westbahnstudios, Preysinggasse 5, 1150 Vienna
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Link:
https://www.westbahnstudios.at/