Features
GHEIST: meet the Berlin based production band and hybrid act that merges the DJ set energy with the intimacy of live concerts
We Interviewed the GHEIST guys weeks before their Global tour hit Brazil
GHEIST are a Berlin based production band and hybrid act that “merges the energy of a DJ set with the intimacy of a live concert.”
The group kickstarted the project at one of Berlin’s most iconic venues, Watergate, in 2017 and experienced a meteoric rise ever since, becoming recognized by their intense and energetic live performances.
In 2018 they launched Radau Records, the band’s own imprint, as a natural continuation of their artistic vision and instantly showed the world a first glimpse of genius, releasing ‘Frequent Tendencies’ on the label.
Radau, meaning “noise” in German, gives a more intimate feel to GHEIST’s delicate yet powerful sound, as every aspect - from the music production to the artwork – is created by GHEIST themselves.
In 2019 the band followed up with their outstanding vocal track ‘Venere’, which drew waves all around the globe. After their LP ‘Zukunft’ (2021), GHEIST hit the scene once again with their Disclosure’s ‘You&Me’ remix.
On their way to the top, the trio released music on many of the world’s most prestigious imprints, such as Sasha’s Last Night On Earth, Solomun’s DIYNAMIC, Watergate and Embassy One.
With more exciting releases on the horizon and an increasingly busy touring schedule, GHEIST are a must for every music lover out there.
We spoke to GHEIST guys weeks before their global tour hit Brazil, to learn more. Read on!
Hi guys, great talking to you. Please share your story to the new brazilian audiences.
Before we even met we individually were already on our way to making music the center of our lives. We learned different instruments like piano, guitar, drums, singing, and DJ’ing.
We also made our way through different musical genres such as Classical music, Indie-Alternative, Reggae, Metal, and eventually Electronic Music. But quite early on our way, we met each other and became friends.
We started to share thoughts on our music. We got involved with each other in various projects until it became inevitable and obvious that it was about time to start GHEIST and put it all together. This was about six years ago.
We heard GHEIST started as a live band, merging deep & melodic sounds. How can you describe the evolution of the band sound to what it is today?
Actually that’s not quite true, we were partly involved in an alternative band before GHEIST, but GHEIST started out as a hybrid act from the beginning.
The idea was and still is to merge the energy of a DJ set with the intimacy of a live concert. This being said, we are currently working on a full live performance as GHEIST, which we will debut in 2023.
As an act, we were never too much interested in the boundaries of a specific genre. We love the idea of being eclectic and composing music with a certain feeling that is the common denominator throughout all our releases.
Starting a band at a venue such as the iconic Watergate is not for everyone. How did you guys manage the first gigs and where else did GHEIST play those days?
We consider ourselves extremely lucky that we’ve been given the opportunity to start GHEIST at such an iconic venue.
The Watergate team and the people in Berlin have been nothing but warm and welcoming towards us and our music and made the beginning of GHEIST such a pleasant and special experience.
Up to this day, our shows in Berlin are always something we are very much looking forward to.
In general, we are very lucky that we have already played on festivals like Sonne Mond und Sterne, Awakenings and Feel Festival to name a few.
How is RADAU Records going? Please share its concept, how was the idea of launching a label born, the main releases, what is coming next, and things expected for the label in 2023
When we started RADAU Records, we had just finished our track ‘Frequent Tendencies’. As usual we were sending it out to various artists and labels but we didn’t get the feedback we hoped for.
We were so sure about the track, and we didn’t want to be in this position anymore; waiting for feedback, and that’s when we decided to find the label and put it out ourselves.
Having our own label was something we were planning on for a while, but we had the feeling that ‘Frequent Tendencies’ was the track to do it with.
So long story short, the track was released and went to #1 on Beatport right away. We were so happy that we were following up on our initial feeling, as you can imagine.
From then on, RADAU became home to our musical output and allowed us to do whatever and whenever we wanted.
What type of music and artists fits the label best and how can artists submit their music?
We don’t want to commit ourselves to one specific genre. Everyone should and can send us music. We want to open the label more and more for new artists this year.
A few years ago, when we started with GHEIST, our sound was a little different then what was “famous” at that time, so a lot of labels were too scared to release our music, but we believe if the song is unique and special, we want to be the platform with RADAU to support that.
You have released music in some of the world’s finest imprints, like Sasha’s Last Night On Earth, Solomun’s Diynamic, Watergate, Embassy One. What were the biggest milestones so far?
Some milestones involve certain festivals or clubs; of course, there are so many amazing labels. All of this is very important on personal and business levels, but our biggest milestones so far are created by ourselves.
Making our own label work, a place where we can put out our music any time we want, gives us such a huge amount of freedom and self-fulfillment.
Also the making of our first LP, Zukunft in 2021 after such a long and hard phase for every musician out there was very special to us.
But most of all, making music together every day as friends and traveling the world to share all these sacred moments with everyone out there is the core of what we are doing and will always be the most important.
Tell us about the Brazilian tour & events in the works or being planned for next year. Feel free to share any projects or plans designed for 2023 for the new fans discovering GHEIST!
At the beginning of 2023, we are touring South and North America:
Dec. 31. Vagalume, Tulum, Mexico
Jan. 04. Our Craft, Cartagena, Colombia
Jan. 21. Caos, Campinas, Brazil
Jan. 27. Alma Rosa, Praia do Rosa, Brazil
Feb. 17. Spybar, Chicago, US
Feb. 18. Kings Hall, New York, US
Feb. 23. Luzy Boom, Guadalajara, Mexico
Feb. 25. Lodge Room, LA, US
Mar. 25. Ultra, Miami, US
April 21 - Itajai, Brazil - Warung
April 22 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Breve Festival
There will also be another EP released, called ‘Gravity’ on Embassy One. Pre-order here!
Last: we always ask for advice for new talents hustling to get careers off the ground. Can you share some insights and tips for those guys trying to figure out to stand out?
Always follow your own guts, and don’t compare yourself to other artists. Make the music you love, and don’t try to be a part of a musical trend.
It’s a long way trust us; it took us almost 15 years until we found our sound and the right project where we knew this was it.
It’s always important to surround yourself with people who share the same vision and let go of those who don’t.
