Interview with Fly Fast Records

Rock in China interviewed Fly Fast Records on December 17th 2008.

Azchael: Fly Fast Records is a Germany-based record label distributing not only the Beijing Bubbles documentary, but also several Chinese artists. Today’s interview is with the founders of the record label, George Lindt and Susanne Messmer, and we are talking about their record label, the Chinese music scene, Fly Fast’s plans for the future and which bands George and Susanne would like to see more often in Europe. George, Susanne, could you maybe shortly introduce yourself and how Fly Fast Records came into being?

Fly Fast Records: We have both been working as music journalists since many years. George has also been running record labels since he was seventeen years old. We have both moved to Berlin in the beginning of the nineties – a rather exciting period for this city. East and west had not totally been reunified at that time, there were lots of illegal clubs in buildings where the owners still had to be found and the music underground was very vital and manifold, too. There was an atmosphere of “anything goes” just everywhere. This seemed to disappear more and more ten years later. we missed this time a lot. When we first came to Beijing in 2004, we had not planned to explore the music underground at all. We came as tourists. But what we found inspired us immediately.

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Poptastic Conversation China (VA) – reviewed

The compilation “Poptastic Conversation” was released in 2008 by German record label Fly Fast Records, which is basically consisting of the people behind the documentary Beijing Bubbles, and therefore it should not astonish anyone that Beijing Bubbles heroes Joyside and Sand, besides The Honeys, The Pancakes, My Little Airport, PK 14 and Car-sick Cars, sing their songs on the record (in German!). A good selection of underground bands from China and Hongkong. What is more astonishing is the selection of German bands participating: Die Ärzte, Wir sind Helden and Die Sterne are singing in their songs in Chinese.

In total 19 songs plus an additional CD with a German and a Chinese language course by respectable publishing house PONS and the Goethe Institute surplus a informative booklet / book with German/Chinese texts, explanations, photos and lyrics are offering not just a pleasent experience for one’s ears, but also an hour worthwile of information about the German-Chinese cultural experiences of exchange students, the Chinese underground music scene and the German one. Most songs can be categorized to punk, pop rock or pop music. There are no experimental songs or heavy metal songs on the record, which is certainly due to the fact that a criterium for the band and song selection had been the clearness of vocals and lyrics, as the CD definitely can be seen as an approach to foster the intercultural and interlanguage exchange (with the Goethe Institute as a sponsor of the record). An approach which has been also taken when Fly Fast Records introduced Joyside to the German punk audience and toured with them.

The quality of the songs is overall excellent and the lyrics, both Chinese and German, well recorded and understandable (which as both German songs and Chinese songs are not sung by native speakers, is quite an effort sometimes). Due to the nature of the songs, it is perfectly applicable for being listened to in the background (e.g. office or at home) or to push up the volume and bring the tune up on a party (e.g. “Junge / Er Zi” by Die Ärzte). There are no major rhythm breaks or style breaks on the record, so that you can go from one song to the next without having to fear to destroy the atmosphere. A well balanced record and a must for every German student and Chinese student, for it offers lyrics in both languages and thereby a well-sound (listening) experience to get a grasp of how the other culture is thinking.

– Azchael