Beyond the Charts: 2raumwohnung’s Blueprint for Longevity

FROM DEFINING BERLIN'S MILLENNIUM TO BECOMING A POP INSTITUTION, 2RAUMWOHNUNG HAVE SPENT TWO DECADES FUSING ELECTRONIC PRECISION AND UNAPOLOGETIC MELODY. FORMED BY INGA HUMPE AND TOMMI ECKART IN THE EARLY 2000S​ AFTER YEARS IN THE PUNK AND UNDERGROUND SCENES, IN THIS CONVERSATION THEY DISCUSS BUILDING A LABEL TO PROTECT THEIR ARTISTIC FREEDOM, THE EVOLUTION OF THEIR LIVE SHOWS, AND WHY AFTER OVER A MILLION RECORDS SOLD, THEY STILL OPERATE PURELY ON INSTINCT.

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ANOMIE: Hi Inga and Tommi! To start from the beginning, do you remember the moment

electronic music first really pulled you in, individually and then together? What did that

early fascination look like before 2raumwohnung even existed?

2raumwohnung: In the beginning, there was a fascination for electronic bands like DAF (Deutschland Amerikanische Freundschaft), Kraftwerkm or Liaisons Dangereuses. At a time when electronic aspects in New Wave seamed to get less inspiring, club-music, house, and techno appeared in our lives and were even more fascinating.

ANOMIE: You both came from very different musical backgrounds: punk, new wave, and club culture. When you first started working together around 2000, what felt immediately natural,

and what had to be negotiated creatively?

2raumwohnung: It was exciting to work with german lyrics, that was immediately intense for us. More evaluation sometimes was needed to combine pop-ideas and dance-structures in a new matter, this was a question we loved very much.

ANOMIE: Over two decades, you’ve managed to move between underground experimentation and mainstream success quite fluidly. What allowed you to exist in both worlds without losing your identity?

2raumwohnung: It just happened naturally, we love to hear music from Madonna or Goldfrapp, and we also love to hear music from Jeff Mills or Underground Resistance.

ANOMIE: Selling over a million records and achieving chart success could easily come with

pressure to repeat formulas. How did you protect your sense of artistic freedom as your

audience grew?

2raumwohnung: Maybe you cannot be free from repeating formulas, but sooner or later there will be a surprise, a mistake, a new tension or something like that, and ideas will happen like a chain reaction.

ANOMIE: Releasing music through your own label has clearly been central to that independence. What did having that control change in the way you approached making and releasing music?

2raumwohnung: We feel like an autonomic centre, that gives us a sense of freedom. But it also means that you are sometimes slow, because there is a lot of organization and communication to be done.

ANOMIE: Albums like 36Grad and Nacht und Tag feel almost like time capsules of specific moods or eras. When you create a record, do you think of it as a cohesive world, or more as a collection of individual moments?

2raumwohnung: These are very individual moments, not really like a diary, but very connected to our lives, to our different emotions and themes of our life. We translate them into our songs.

ANOMIE: Nacht und Tag in particular explored duality in a very literal way, day versus night, light versus dark. What drew you to that concept, and what did it allow you to express that a “normal” album wouldn’t?

2raumwohnung: At that time we had the idea that we were like a salvation army band, playing all the time at any occasion. We loved to imagine how this band would sound, playing day and night. 

ANOMIE: Looking back, do you feel your records document your personal lives as much as they reflect the cultural moment around you?

2raumwohnung: We hope so!

ANOMIE: Do you see the visual side of 2raumwohnung as an extension of the music’s emotional language?

2raumwohnung: We love to try something new and we try not to look like everybody else. But to be honest, we work on the visual side often in "trial and error". We are searching as long as it takes to find something that seems to fit.

ANOMIE: There’s a certain Berlin sensibility running through your work, but also something very international. How important is place to your aesthetic?

2raumwohnung: Berlin feels free, it gives you freedom. That was powered by the historic moment as the wall came down. This is still important. People are open minded and that is very inspiring, you see a lot of ideas on the streets.

ANOMIE: As a duo and long-term partners, your collaboration is both personal and artistic. How has your creative dynamic evolved over the years?

2raumwohnung: We try not to get in big endless discussions. If there is an open question, very often, we just wait. On the next day the answers will come naturally. And then you will see which idea's work and which don't.

ANOMIE: Do you have clearly defined roles in the studio, or is the process more fluid and intuitive between you?

2raumwohnung: The process is fluid, but at the same time we work like gears that interlock. There would be a word, and then there would be a sound, and then a melody, and then a rhythm...

ANOMIE: With upcoming shows across Germany this summer, what kind of energy are you drawn to bringing to a live audience right now?

2raumwohnung: This summer we play concert-shows. 90 minutes with our best tracks and a lot of energy, visuals and lights. We ask the people to come together and feel the connection that our music and the lyrics are delivering.

ANOMIE: After so many years on stage, what still makes a crowd or a moment feel special to you?

2raumwohnung: Every evening is very different. In some ways, we are a mirror for the people.

ANOMIE: Few electronic pop projects sustain both relevance and evolution over such a long

period. What do you think has been key to the longevity of 2raumwohnung?

2raumwohnung: We don't know, but we take it as a compliment.

ANOMIE: Looking ahead, where do you feel your sound is moving next? Are there ideas or

influences you haven’t explored yet that are calling you now?

2raumwohnung: In the last 2 years we worked a lot in the studio. A lot of the new stuff is very surprising for us. New songs are like meeting new people.

ANOMIE: After more than two decades of creating together, what continues to inspire you, both musically and personally?

2raumwohnung: Get up every morning and explore something nice. Work and cry and love the world. Feel your life is a gift.

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