Munich is well-known for one of the highest standards of living in Germany, a reliable transport system, an abundance of architectural and historical monuments as well as vibrant cultural heritage. In the 60s, the basements of Munich were shaken by the revolutionary spirit of the krautrock classics from the likes of Amon Düül, and later Giorgio Moroder, who gave the Bavarian land a phenomenon called "Munich Disco."
The current musical life of the city is represented by such names as Skee Mask, Zenker Brothers, Schlachthofbronx, veteran labels Schamoni Musik, and Gomma, as well as Blitz club and now closed MMA Club that gave the nightlife its big splash.
Still, the city is often somehow undeservedly stripped of attention and usually resides outside the radars of those who are interested in an independent music scene and underground night culture. Indeed, it is hard to believe that behind the image of a removed corner of Bavaria lies a kind of alternative reality, different from everything that we've already known. However, each coin has a flip side.
We went to Munich in April to try and find out what is behind the ordinary of a traditional and relatively conservative European city. That is where we discovered dozens of labels, groups, artists, self-made organizations that give the new Munich scene its constant dynamism and prove that small, musical communities generate genuinely unique talents.
Supported by Goethe-Institut Ukraine.
Munich is well-known for one of the highest standards of living in Germany, a reliable transport system, an abundance of architectural and historical monuments as well as vibrant cultural heritage. In the 60s, the basements of Munich were shaken by the revolutionary spirit of the krautrock classics from the likes of Amon Düül, and later Giorgio Moroder, who gave the Bavarian land a phenomenon called "Munich Disco."
The current musical life of the city is represented by such names as Skee Mask, Zenker Brothers, Schlachthofbronx, veteran labels Schamoni Musik, and Gomma, as well as Blitz club and now closed MMA Club that gave the nightlife its big splash.
Still, the city is often somehow undeservedly stripped of attention and usually resides outside the radars of those who are interested in an independent music scene and underground night culture. Indeed, it is hard to believe that behind the image of a removed corner of Bavaria lies a kind of alternative reality, different from everything that we've already known. However, each coin has a flip side.
We went to Munich in April to try and find out what is behind the ordinary of a traditional and relatively conservative European city. That is where we discovered dozens of labels, groups, artists, self-made organizations that give the new Munich scene its constant dynamism and prove that small, musical communities generate genuinely unique talents.
Supported by Goethe-Institut Ukraine.
Anja Lekavski is an artist, graphic designer, and poster creator for such parties as Mother Finest at Griessmuehle, Drive at Institut fuer Zukunft, and Mels G Club at Golden Pudel. Her career is closely connected with two essential institutions in her native Munich scene - the MMA and Blitz clubs.
We met with Anja Lekavski at the latter to find out more about her design process, references that preceded the artist's bold creative decisions, as well as the inexhaustible significance of posters in modern club culture.
Tell me how you started working with MMA and Blitz?
An essential part of my career was my love for music. It’s the key to everything. And also, my brother. We evolved together and always listened to music together, read stuff, watched movies, and so on. He evolved more into the direction of producing music, and I started going to raves. Then I went to University, took the design classes, and I went into the graphic design direction. Basically, all my friends were musicians and DJs, and they were asking me to make flyers, and among them were MMA club owners who asked me if I could do the identity thing for the club. So it was this simple connection.
I was invited to join the team of Blitz a year after they opened. Before that, they had the posters with just one color with a line-up placed on it and a logo behind. There were no images.
What is the difference between these two projects when it comes to the design you've created?
The principles I had for MMA are not the ones I have for Blitz. MMA was a dark and rough warehouse club with mostly techno bookings. Blitz's artworks, styles, and the logo are changing monthly. These are often colorful, representing the club's diversity. I collaborate with different artists, so the aim there is not to have one particular style.
Creating visuals for a club means understanding the club, the booking, and creating a concept that fits it. If you wanna say, "Love is the message," "Be open," you always have to show it in the visuals. A poster is a thing people see before they enter the club. So, in the end, it's just about communicating the idea of having fun at the party and to attract the right people for the right event using particular visual language. Any club or party stands for something, and I want to make it visible.
Is there a brief? Does Blitz set any limits or design restrictions?
The Blitz concept gives me and other artists I work with the freedom to work without any briefing. The thing is that this place is about connection. Blitz club is inside the building of Deutsches Museum, which actually has a dark history. Now it's there to celebrate diversity and diverse musical styles, so the graphics have to represent that freedom as well. Every month I try to create something entirely different.
What aesthetics, visual references do you most often refer to in your work?
When I started doing my first regular club posters for MMA, I was fascinated by the conceptual world and mythology Drexciya and their illustrator Abdul Qadim Haqq created around their music. It inspired me to create a mythology for the club, in the form of an illustrated comic in a Sci-fi universe. The posters I am doing for queer parties are often inspired by the 80s vogueing culture and dance moves. This might be the most obvious reference. Generally, I like to hide references and symbols of topics I am dealing with in my work.
Also, it’s often way more exciting to use artworks you would not have put in a club context. A photo of mountains or a renaissance painting can end up being a perfect club artwork with a strong message.
What are your interests besides design?
Besides music I like to stay curious and inform myself about relevant topics. I'm also interested in science. I watch documentaries, look at technical illustrations or drawings. I've always been interested in stuff I didn't understand. I remember when I was 15-16 something, I went to concerts and saw all these groups, like, ska, punk, goth groups with all these symbols. It is a big attraction because you don't understand it. You don't know why they are dressed like this or why DJs rewind the records sometimes. It has this kind of mysterious appeal of “not knowing”. Same goes for electronic music. When I heard Aphex Twin for the first time I wanted to understand what he was doing and that curiosity is the interesting thing.
Does this aspect of the "unknown" translate into your works?
A good example is the collaboration with Die Pinakotheken for Blitz Club. They had this exhibition of renaissance art, and I could remix the paintings. I was thinking about how to draw connections from the spirit of renaissance to today`s zeitgeist. I wanted to highlight the next shift of humanity in the painting. From detaching themselves from the subordinate existence in the renaissance, to trying to develop an AI and being gods themselves in the 21th century. The whole topic is hidden in symbols and sentences like “If I would be fire I would destroy the world” (“S'i fosse fuoco, arderei 'l mondo”) by renaissance poet Cecco Angolieri.
The renaissance was about individuals coming to face themselves for the first time. It was about people and not about religion, and I wanted to make the same connection. People are gods now. They want to create AI, so they think they are the gods themselves. That was the connection.
Do you think the role of the poster has changed today?
The printed poster has been redefining its role and changing from being an effective way to communicate something to being a collectible graphic art object. For me, the term itself doesn’t necessarily mean it has to be printed or be of a certain size. With Blitz, we use it as a space for immediate visual communication. A poster is an instrument that we use to show personality and attitude.
