Q&A: Ben Böhmer Breaks New Ground with ‘Bloom’
EXPLORING DIVERSE SOUNDSCAPES AND COLLABORATIONS in his new album Bloom, award-winning artist, and producer Ben Böhmer raises the bar for himself once again. A talented pianist from a young age, Böhmer mixes his sensibilities as a melodic composer with his curiosity as an electronic producer. His music is atmospheric, yet dynamic. He blends hard and soft elements into a spellbinding array of sounds. Bloom is one of his most diverse bodies of work to date. With features from Lykke Li, JONAH, Malou, Erin LeCount, Enfant Sauvage, Max Milner, and Oh Wonder, this album pulls inspiration from a variety of genres, tempos, and experiences.
Böhmer’s sonic versatility allows him to connect with listeners from almost every corner of the electronic music scene and beyond. His performances are as captivating as they are calming. In the past year alone Böhmer performed a set at Sonar by Night, a closing set at Lollapalooza, a set at Portola, and supported ODESZA’s stadium tour at The Gorge and Madison Square Garden. With an Australian tour underway, a European tour coming up, and 14 new North American tour dates announced, Böhmer expands his live performances in ways his fans won’t expect. His deep reverence for music and dedication to craft, both in and out of the studio, shines through in everything he does.
Luna sat down with Ben Böhmer to learn more about the process of making Bloom. Read below to hear more about this striking artist and producer!
LUNA: Congratulations on the release of your latest album, Bloom! Walk me through your release ritual.
BÖHMER: Oh, that is a tough one. I actually don't prepare myself for release. I try not to think about it because it often makes me very nervous. There are emotions like joy, excitement, and happiness [that I feel], but there is also some kind of anxiety. There's not much I can do to control that, so I don't do anything. I just accept that I liked what I did and that the outcome is something out of my control.
LUNA: What were the conversations or experiences that led to the making of this album?
BÖHMER: So the music I do is pretty diverse. It can be in between ambient, indie dance, progressive house, deep house, and some break stuff. So a full album is a good platform to showcase all that. When there's an EP with four songs and all four songs are completely different, there is not enough time to create transitions into the next genre. So I like to release a lot of songs with the track sequence guiding into the other worlds. No other release platform, like an EP, could do that.
LUNA: I love it when an album feels like one whole performance, with seamless transitions! How did the collaborations on this album come to be?
BÖHMER: Some of them are good friends, like Felix Raphael, and Jonah, and who I have already written songs with. Both of them are based in Berlin, and I will always write music with them — it is like they are my music best friends. I also had a little wish list with names I wanted to work with — I'm a fan of Oh Wonder and Max Milner. Luckily, they also like my music, so that's pretty amazing.
LUNA: What did those sessions look like? Were you in the room with those artists when you were songwriting, or was it a back-and-forth process?
BÖHMER: Both! For example, Lykke Li lives in LA and we never had the chance to meet in person, so everything was via Zoom or just sending stems back and forth. However with Jonah, for example, if you're in one city, it makes sense to meet. It's also way more fun. I love to be together in the studio, going crazy over small details and re-recording, until everything is where it should be.
LUNA: How do you prepare for sessions?
BÖHMER: It always depends. I often like to be very relaxed and well-rested, but it's also nice to write music when you're completely tired or even hungover. Everything affects the writing process, and everything can be useful. If your mind is too clear you can overthink, and if your brain isn't working when you're sick or hangover, then you focus on the things that matter and make you feel something.
LUNA: Who is someone you would like to collaborate with in the future?
BÖHMER: London Grammar! They are a band, and the lead singer Hannah Reid has the most amazing voice.
LUNA: Do you have any upcoming shows, or projects planned?
BÖHMER: Yeah, I'm on an Australia tour, and European and North American Tour, where I showcase this album with a completely new stage design. I bring a piano on stage, new visuals, and a new lighting system.
I used to play with synthesizers and mission control, but this is something I wanted to evolve. When I write music, it always starts on the piano, and so this is the next step to bring the origin of the writing process on stage.
LUNA: What is one song off of Bloom that you are excited to release?
BÖHMER: The closing song, “Blossom.” It is the oldest song on the record, and probably a song that no one would expect from me. I have always written music outside the electronic music world and the dance context, but have never had the right time to release it until now. So I think it's a very interesting fact that the one that sounds the most different is the oldest on the album.
I reworked a lot of old ideas. That's something that always happens — sometimes a song concept goes into this invisible ideas folder, and years later, you can choose something from that folder. That could be a high hat, a clap, a lead melody, or a guitar sound — you just make it work and fit the current vibe.
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