The recent dark period the world has stepped into also reflects in music to a degree, with many darkwave duos appearing with new great music. Among those is Her Absence Fill The World, a fresh duo based in Berlin. To them, music is not merely a tool, it is a path to salvation. Luckily for us, music allows us to express our inner worlds in a liberating way. We asked Her Absence Fill The World to describe their free and personal space in the light of their first EP, Part-Time Punk.
First of all, how did you come together and decide to make music?
Sascha: I think it was less about coming together but more about sharing the way. At some point, it just happened that we shared the idea about a song. And afterward, we did not stop.
Kubi: We were always in search of music individually, I guess. I was, recently, more on the side of electronic beats from EBM to techno, and Sascha was in a more harmonical way, I believe. It was a magical moment that we got the idea to try together.
You are at the very beginning of your music career and you are currently advancing in a certain style of music such as darkwave. But of course, art is not a branch that likes patterns. Accordingly, how would you describe your music without a pattern?
K: I do not have strict categories for our music. But, considering all the songs that we produced -both the ones that we shared and unreleased ones-, I perceive our sound as sad, straightforward, and vulnerable. We try to make it honest.
S: I would say our songs change with every emotion we put in them. They are deeply rooted in our dynamics and feelings, and creating is not always easy – I think this is what you can hear.
Darkwave is a dark but sensitive genre and Berlin, in particular, is an important center of this genre. Are you inspired by the atmosphere and climate of cities such as Ankara and Berlin in this sense?
S: I have never been to Ankara. So I will leave the space about that to Kubi. But Berlin, for me as my hometown, is changing a lot. It carries a lot of Punk, and in general music and resistance history and sometimes even still, now you can get a glimpse. But mostly, it is lost. And I think even this empty and somehow numb feeling is giving inspiration.
K: I personally find many similarities in both cities. Their gray-capital city feeling in common… On the other hand, of course, they are very distinctively different than each other. All in all, they both are very dark indeed.
Speaking of inspiration, what are the other sources that motivate you during this period? Which music groups do you enjoy listening to?
K: I love a variety of music. Recently I started to explore jazz-guitarists. Retrospectively, darkwave and EBM artists gave me so much inspiration. Regardless of the genres, I admired the dark aesthetics of different artists such as She Past Away, Ancient Methods, Minuit Machine, Years of Denial.
S: I could maybe add some more artists. But tbh I think, surprisingly, during the last months, that was the time in my life I listened to the least amount of music. I also did not read much. I am just starting to fill my body with stories and feelings again. After an emotional or social drought, that needs time.
I guess your name comes from the work of William Kentridge. In this context, do you think that the lack of something triggers the existence of other things? So what is the effect of this on your view of art?
We think the existence of things triggers their counterparts.
We also think the meanings of things reflect in their counterparts.
When you think of your first single, Inside Outside, and your emblem, a question comes to mind: Is the outside of the dark side always the light side?
S: I would not say so. Reality in any of its layers is not just black and white. I think we tend to think like that. Me too – for if you mean it like that: I would agree with this one hope I want to quote with one of my favorite German songs: “Ton Steine Scherben – Wenn die Nacht am tiefsten” It gives me power.
K: To be honest, I have no clue where outside starts and inside fades out. It took me a while to make peace with my dark side. Over time, I realized it is all about balance.
You recently released an EP, can you summarize the production process of your songs?
K: It was again very intuitive. I am not sure if we had a clear roadmap in the very beginning for the EP. First, we did what we had to do. I mean, I do not really know how I could go through this winter without making music and this EP. Then, we got some appreciation and encouragement from the people. It brought a degree of exposure and opportunities for an EP.
S: I found them mostly weirdly contrary – pure and intense joy and excitement on the one hand. And pure and intense pain on the other. I can imagine that the combination of both is the essence of giving birth to something – creating. And maybe if it would just be fun, we would have been getting bored already.
A future where music is not silenced is our hope. What are your future plans within the framework of this hope?
S: I would consider myself a political person. And whatever happens – I will not give up the fight.
K: Music is a beautiful way of resistance. Our music will always be political. One way or another…
Finally, what would you like to say to the readers?
K: I would like to thank the Kıyı crew for caring about what we do. I appreciate it. Then, I would tell the readers to embrace their dark side. It is not necessarily something to fight. There is so much creativity and beauty within. And, of course, I would thank each of them for being part of our journey!
S: I want to say – whatever you feel need to do – try to do it. There is actually nothing bad that could come out. It’ll make you grow in some direction.
You can check out Her Absence Fill The World’s Bandcamp page here.
