![]() ![]() “I realised that as a kid growing up in the Soviet Union, they didn’t learn English at school. He asked Reeder if his English was good enough to record. It was a good run, but eventually Chosnau wanted a change of pace to make music closer to his own heart. He dodged a life in factories after the fall of Communism, joined a band, and eventually became the biggest selling Lithuanian artist with his pop group Naktinės Personos. Chosnau, originally a Kurdish Iraqi from Baghdad, emigrated to Soviet Lithuania in his youth to be raised by his maternal grandparents. Then someone in a café told me the ceremony had been broadcast live on National Television and in the main town square, they had set up a massive LED TV screen and that thousands had actually watched it.” I was thinking, wow! Lithuanians are so über-friendly to foreigners. “I went for breakfast and people everywhere were smiling and offering free coffee. The next day proved even more surreal for the producer. “Almost as soon as I got off stage, I was introduced to Alanas and he revealed that behind me, a huge projection screen was showing excerpts from B-Movie. ![]() “I simply raised my forefinger and cheekily said “I’m going to just press, PLAY!” Reeder laughs. The emcee then turned and asked Reeder with great expectation, “so Mark, what are you going to do?” how can I get out of this? When it was my turn to go on stage, I looked up beyond the stage lights into this massive auditorium and realised, there were about 2000 very posh looking people staring at me in some kind of curious anticipation…I just stood there like a showroom dummy grimacing with fear at my inescapable plight.” “Luckily, I had just finished reworking a song called The Game for New Order the day before for my album Mauerstadt…The festival had set up a mixing desk and two turntables for me, which was dwarfed by the huge, expansive stage and I was thinking, what’s the point of two decks?. Due to time constraints, plans shifted and Reeder was asked to perform a brief song instead of the expected set. ![]() Reeder’s collaboration with Alanas Chosnau began at the Lithuanian International Film Festival, where Reeder presented his film B-Movie (Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-89) and perform as a DJ at the opening party. “I have always been interested in how past events can have a profound effect upon our present and future. I like to make melancholic songs that stir the emotions, but also there’s always a glimmer of hope at the end, because I am an eternal optimist and believe that even if today might be shite, tomorrow will be better.” Photo: Martyn Goodacre “I draw my inspiration from all over, films, books, childhood, my youth, the immediate past and present, or the news,” says Reeder. Reeder has been making music since the mid-70s, describing his sound as RetroModernSynthetikRockPopDisco. He has been writing, conceiving designs for his next album, and was recently involved in Dave Haslam’s memorial podcast for Ian Curtis. Like all good Capricorns, Reeder is most at home when he is working. The accompanying music video includes footage from Reeder’s film B-Movie (Lust & Sound in West-Berlin 1979-89), a documentary about his life in 1980s West Berlin. ![]() He recently worked with New Order on Singularity. He also managed the post-punk outfit Malaria!, started MFS Records (discovering future superstar DJ Paul van Dyk in the process), and remains a beloved producer and remixer. Mark Reeder relocated from Manchester to Berlin in the late 1970’s and began to promote his friends Joy Division in Germany, becoming the local rep for Factory Records throughout the 1980’s. The legendary Factory Records musician and producer talked with about his new track Children of Nature, the title track of a recently released electronic pop album collaboration with Lithuanian singer Alanas Chosnau, and the vibrant storyteller expounded on what makes him tick, what inspires him, and what is next on his plate. M ark Reeder’s icy-blue eyes have seen it all. ![]()
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