Null Positiv

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Elli Berlin- The voice of Null Positiv

Interview conducted on Aug. 10, 2020

By Dan Locke

Hello darkness my old friend

What is your upbringing?

I grew up in a town with 100K residents in a very harmonic family environment, which left me with a strong aversion against injustice.

What was your first performance at like?

I was very nervous and anxious of course, I only had to sing one song but it felt much longer, like a big show.

Tell me about your new album?

Our new album is called „INDEPENDENZ“ and it’s about freedom and autonomy. Two values (in many different forms) that unfortunately are not available to everybody today. When talking to our fans I sometimes notice a missing degree of freedom from fear, exclusion or denial. Through our music, we try to extend our hands to the listener and reveal to them the inner freedom that is always there but not always easy to see. We want them to be free of those suffocating imaginary restraints and pave the way for the realization that freedom starts in your own mind. There are enough obstacles in everyone’s life so these are not worth focusing and holding on to.

You played your last show on March 13 and then the virus hit. What were you thinking at that time?

Well, for the first time a tour start was the tour end as well. At least we were able to play the gig before everything shut down. We had (still to a certain degree) no idea how this whole situation would play out.

Thousands protested Germany’s coronavirus restrictions Aug. 01, 2020, in a Berlin demonstration marking what organizers called “the end of the pandemic. What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the Germany?

It’s not an insurgency, some people simply are insecure about their future and feel misinformed and misled. Therefore, they are becoming more skeptic and susceptible to many different sentiments they read on the internet or hear from their neighbors. It would be the best for everybody to calm down and to remember the fact that there are many more things that connect than separate us. Only then can we tackle the different problems we are facing now.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?

Right now, it’s Zombie by the Cranberries, which I used to sing a lot back in the days!

How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

I don’t know right now, nobody does really. This is an unprecedented situation for everyone and people are starting to make adjustments in their business situations. I try to view it optimistically though; new challenges may result in new opportunities.

You did record your version of The Sound of Silence inspired by Disturbed. Why not Simon and Garfunkel?

Simon and Garfunkel did their song in two voices. David Draiman’s single voice version (whose voice I love) was much closer to my world and taste

Live Nations just started Live Nation from Home. Which are concerts from artist homes. An all-new virtual music hub keeping fans connected to their favorite artists featuring daily live streams, performances, new music and more. Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?

I think it is a nice alternative for the time being but live shows are something else, being at home and watching a screen vs. being in a crowd with so many different people releasing energy and positive vibes collectively with the artists can’t be recreated in any other way. That being said I love the fact that people are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and innovating towards new ways instead of busting their heads in the sand. Artists had to seek new ways of making money for some time now, this crisis now is only the symptom for an industry that has progressively devaluated the value of music itself.

Anything you would like to say in closing