Daniel Haaksman – With Love, From Berlin [Man Recordings]

Morning Mari*‘s album of the week for 25 February – 1 March is Daniel Haaksman‘s “From Berlin, With Love“, out on Man Recordings on the 25th of January, 2019.

The culture of origin is transformed by a move, one can see migration as an initiation into other truths, through which one becomes a different person than the one one was before the departure. ” (Didier Eribon)

Daniel Haaksman has been traveling the world as a DJ and music producer for over twenty years to digest exciting new local music styles and, re-contextualized, make them accessible to a wider audience. In 2004 he released the compilation “Rio Baile Funk Favela Booty Beats” (Essay Recordings), introducing the formerly locally known sound from Rio to an international audience. En passant he created with his compilations and the following releases on his own label Man Recordings the genre term “Baile Funk” (in Brazil the music is called “Funk Carioca”). Travels to the northeast of Brazil (the first international Tecno Brega compilation) and to southern Africa (his last album “African Fabrics” was released in 2016) followed.

On “With Love, From Berlin” Daniel Haaksman focuses on the city where he has lived for more than twenty years: Berlin. The German capital has changed radically since the late nineties. The regional metropolis has become an international boomtown, growing by 50,000 newcomers every year. Today Berlin has become a global tourist magnet and, in a crisis-ridden political world landscape, a Noah’s Ark, for fugitives from Syria or Afghanistan, but also for intellectuals from Hungary, Poland, Turkey, even from Great Britain or the USA – who can’t do anything with the new nationalism of their countries or have lost their job opportunities for political reasons. And then, of course, there are the many international artists and musicians who have long since made Berlin a global centre of contemporary art and music. Remarkable is the fact that Berlin has become a global centre of contemporary art and music: In contrast to other European metropolises such as London, Paris or Zurich, Berlin was not internationalised by globally active corporations or a financial industry, but by tourism and an increasing influx of foreigners. If you stroll through Berlin’s inner city districts today, you will hear all the languages of the world.

“With Love, From Berlin” is Daniel’s third studio album, after “Rambazamba” (2010) and “African Fabrics” (2016). On his new album, the Berlin DJ and music producer addresses the growing globalization of Berlin. Haaksman cooperated with numerous international artists living in Berlin. Many of these artists had previously met Haaksman on his DJ journeys, performed together at festivals or in clubs or worked together on projects. At some point, many of his international friends suddenly moved to Berlin, including Cibelle (Brazil), Robert Owens (USA), Dengue Dengue Dengue (Peru), Paul St.Hilaire (Dominica), Kalaf Angelo (Angola), She ́s Drunk (France), Coco Maria (Mexico), Ori Kaplan (Israel), Lavoisier (Portugal) or Kzia (Belgium), and so Haaksman decided to record “With Love, From Berlin” with all his international friends. On the one hand because they share a similar, globally oriented musical taste, on the other hand because they all have a similar migration history: To move to Berlin because it is an inspiring city where you can live and work well as an artist. And to make music and art in this city out of love, and not primarily to earn money with it – “With Love”.

In the nine album tracks, Haaksman and his artistic partners reflect musically and lyrically on Berlin as a place of longing and its transformation. As an El Dorado for sexual self-determination (“Corpo Sujeito” ft. Cibelle), finding identity (“Occupy Berlin “ft. Kalaf Angelo), as a city that stands for freedom and fun (“24-7” ft. Robert Owens + Kzia), as a transitional place for artistic self-realization (“Como Sera” ft. Lavoisier) and personal maturation (“La Anoranza” ft. Coco Maria, Dengue Dengue Dengue + Ori Kaplan), or simply as an exciting metropolis (“City Life” ft. Paul St.Hilaire). The nine tracks of “With Love, From Berlin” are musical postcards from today’s Berlin. As international as the city is, so diverse is the music of the album, for which Daniel Haaksman picks up current, globally circulating musical genres such as Kizomba, Baile Funk, Afrobeats, Trap, Reggaeton or Dub and subjects them to his typical music hybridization. Each track embodies a different perspective on the city, which is as heterogeneous and diverse as a few major German cities, and which will retain its role as a dream destination in 2019.

You can also catch Daniel Haaksman on Rhythm Travels with Tash LC, going through his inspirations for this album.

Tracklist

1. Corpo Sujeito ft. Cibelle
2. La Añoranza ft. Coco Maria, Dengue Dengue Dengue, Ori Kaplan
3. Overture
4. City Life ft. St. Paul Hilaire
5. Love Horns
6. Como Será ft. Lavoisier
7. 24-7 ft. Robert Owens + K.ZIA
8. Occupy Berlin ft. Kalaf + She´s Drunk
9. Wolkenreise