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Soundcheck

Friday, November 09, 2007
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  • Inside the Hansa Studio (Brian Wise/WNYC)
    Inside the Hansa Studio (Brian Wise/WNYC)

    Inspired by Berlin's Strange and Colorful Spaces

    Berlin Without Walls
    Since the 1960s, musicians from around the world have made pilgrimages to the legendary Hansa studios ("Hansa at the Wall") in Berlin. The recording studio's credits include major albums by David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Luciano Pavarotti, Nick Cave, and U2, among many others. In the fifth and final installment of our shows recorded in Berlin, we learn about Hansa's colorful past. We then travel to a very different space: the KulturBrauerei, a former 19th-century brewery where the acoustic folk-rock band 17 Hippies records their high-energy, danceable music. Finally: hear about the man at the helm of the Berlin Philharmonic: conductor Sir Simon Rattle.

    Slideshow: Hansa Studios: Then & Now



    Soundcheck in Berlin is supported in part by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Hansa at the Wall

David Bowie, Iggy Pop, U2 and Depeche Mode among other artists have come to Hansa Studios in Berlin to record some of the greatest pop albums of the last century. Today, we speak with Eduard Meyer, the engineer who worked at Hansa Studios during its 70's and 80's heyday. We also hear from Alex Wende, the current co-owner of the studios to find out how it's changed over time.

Hansa tonstudios Web site
Blog: Soundcheck on Site: Berlin

Just Simon

To the world, he's known as Sir Simon Rattle. To the Berlin public, he's considered a real "Mench." If you ask the conductor himself, he'd prefer to be known as "just Simon." WNYC goes behind the scenes with the Berlin Philharmonic's music director, and hear from his friends and colleagues.

Berlin Philharmonic's web site

17 Hippies Live

The 12-piece band 17 Hippies is one of Berlin's most unusual bands, making music that is a confection of various folk influences. They host us in their rehearsal space -- a former brewery turned artist studio complex -- for a conversation and live performance.

Web Only: The 17 Hippies play "Besho"

17 Hippies Web site

audience

Soundcheck Smackdown: When Contemporary Met Classical

Soundcheck

Like vegetables stuck into a delicious meal, contemporary classical music is forced on concert audiences before they are allowed to enjoy their Brahms. So says humorist, critic and author Joe Queenan. Today, Queenan and John Berry, Artistic Director with English National Opera, join us for a Soundcheck Smackdown debate on the merits of contemporary music.

musical clouds

You Are What You Hear

Soundcheck

Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi takes us through some of the most famously botched song lyrics in rock history. We’ll explore why the words we make up are usually more interesting than the real version. Then, listeners confess their favorite and most embarrassing reinvented lyrics.

Leave a comment: Give us your favorite set of misheard lyrics! Were you disappointed when you learned the actual words?

Rosanne Cash and Mark O'Connor

Soundcheck

For her, he was a father. For him, he was a boyhood hero. For the nation, he was an icon. Singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash and composer and violinist Mark O'Connor join us to talk about how Johnny Cash has inspired their musical collaboration. And they will play live.

Katy

Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll

Soundcheck

Every year, popular and critical opinion somehow converge to settle on a "summer song." In 2007, it was Rihanna's "Umbrella." The year before, it was "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley. The practice stretches back to the very dawn of pop radio. Yet defining the essence of a "summer song" is a bit elusive. We enlist the help of Blender editor at large Lizzy Goodman -- and of our Soundcheck listeners, in an online poll.

Cast your vote: Soundcheck's Summer Song Poll 2008

Can't decide? Check out audio and video clips of the contestants here.

Our blog: John Schaefer asks what makes a good summer song,

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