BIMM University Berlin and Hamburg: Top Masterclasses of 2021
Being a student at BIMM University Berlin allows you to attend exclusive Masterclasses with industry giants. These Masterclasses are a chance for students to hear from those driving the industry – including their highs and lows – providing real-life insights and the opportunity to develop a personal connection with influential individuals.
Let’s recap some of the best Masterclasses at BIMM University Berlin and Hamburg from 2021:
Jacob Hellner – Music Producer
Jacob Hellner is a Swedish music producer, best known for his production work on Rammstein’s albums over the last 20 years.
In his Masterclass he spoke in detail about the process of planning an album, from conception to release, as well as the psychological aspects of recording and producing. He also focused on the importance of preproduction and rehearsing before entering the studio and emphasized how important it is to find and develop your own musical taste as a producer and musician.
“Each song has a soul. You need to go out and find it.”
– Jacob Hellner, during his BIMM University Berlin and Hamburg Masterclass
Jonathan Wyner – Producer, Mastering Engineer and iZotope’s Education Director
Jonathan Wyner is a Grammy-award nominated producer and mastering engineer, author and professor. He’s also iZotope’s Education Director AND the President of the Audio Engineering Society. Not to mention his work with David Bowie, Nirvana and Miles Davis.
In his Masterclass Jonathan explored how audio technology has affected the aesthetics of music production. He also discussed machine learning and A.I., and the possibilities for using these in music production and engineering.
We interviewed Jonathan to talk about his Masterclass and ask what advice he gives to aspiring mastering engineers.
Alice Phoebe Lou – Artist
Alice Phoebe Lou is a South African-born indie-pop artist who has released multiple albums and EPs. After finishing school, she made the move to Berlin. An avid busker, she was spotted by her now-manager, who offered to represent her for free at first. Her song ‘She’ was included on the shortlist in 2018 for the ‘Best Original Song’ Oscar.
Alice shared her story about being a self-made Berlin-based artist and gave students an inspiring insight into the life of an artist as well as answering an array of questions from students.
Community-building with Patreon and Native Instruments
In this exclusive BIMM University Berlin Masterclass, Kikelomo Oludemi (Native Instruments), Jonas Sudendorf (Native Instruments) and Ronny Krieger (Patreon) focussed on why creative communities are the future of independent music.
Building and understanding fan communities is quickly becoming an essential skill in the music industry, creators can now build their own spaces to establish closer connections with their fans. Community building is the underlying model that this new economy runs on.
The masterclass explored what makes communities like this tick and looked at some of the tools and platforms available today, they also discussed what to focus on when starting your own community.
Hansa Studios – Tour
Students at BIMM University Berlin could attend an exclusive tour of Berlin’s legendary Hansa Studios, which has played host to the likes of David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Depeche Mode.
It was established in the early 1960s as a small recording studio in the headquarters of Hansa Music Production, originally founded by brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel. It has become one of the most renowned studios worldwide.
Bjørn Pfarr – Director of Music Programme at Reeperbahn Festival
Bjørn Pfarr is the Head of Music Programming and Alternate Director of the Hamburg-based Reeperbahn Festival, Europe’s leading 4-day club festival and conference, designed for a public audience and professionals active in the music and creative digital industries.
In his exclusive Masterclass with BIMM Hamburg lecturer Jörg Tresp, Bjørn talked about how Reeperbahn Festival came to be and gave students an insight into how festival bookings are carried out. He also shared advice on how to get noticed when applying to showcase festivals. The Masterclass was then followed by a Q&A where students could ask all their questions.
Luke O’Malley – Guitarist, Composer, Singer and Producer
Luke O’Malley is a guitarist, composer, singer and producer who has done studio work with musicians including Mark Ronson, Mary J. Blige and Usher.
As a performer Luke often sits in with The Roots on Fallon and has shared the stage with Pharrell Williams, Justin Timberlake, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Stevie Wonder, and many more. He also composed a large portion of the score to the VGX “Best Original Video Game Score” winner Red Dead Redemption 2 and brought his distinct guitar style to the soundtrack for Grand Theft Auto V.
Led by BIMM Hamburg’s own Rick McPhail, a general discussion was followed by a Q&A for students to bring their questions to Luke.
Luke also joined BIMM University Berlin Hamburg in 2021.
At BIMM University Berlin and Hamburg we are dedicated to hosting a wide range of inspiring and insightful Masterclasses and inviting music experts from all parts of the industry to share their incredible wealth of knowledge with our students. We cannot wait for this year’s exciting Masterclasses!
