Michael Schiefel

Jazz vocal artiste Michael Schiefel demonstrates the dynamism of repetition in his music with his loop machine

Michael Schiefel: ‘I am like a parrot, but a little more creative’

“Repetition is an integral part of music,” says German jazz singer Michael Schiefel of the most basic element rampant in his music – loops. Looping has, in recent times, evolved into a musical form in its own right wh at with the works of minimalist composers like Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Brian Eno, and Robert Fripp of King Crimson and Guitar Craft fame.

Schiefel, however, demonstrates the dynamism of the music with his loop machine in a manner hitherto unseen. His avant-garde use of mimed and played-back beats, sounds and melodies, all fashioned by his vocals, form a brilliant mélange of pop/jazz moods and rhythms.

“It was the piano that drew me into jazz,” says Schiefel recounting his foray into jazz in his late teens. But having learnt the jazz piano only as an accompaniment instrument, there was a dire need to express himself through his voice. “I was always singing and I found that improvising on the piano was tougher than improvising with my voice.”

Soon he began developing a highly androgynous voice from soprano through baritone and even bass. “It wasn’t hard for me to sing and imitate artists like Ella Fitzgerald, Bobby McFerrin, Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington.”

Having moved to Berlin in the early 90s from his hometown of Weimar, Schiefel was suddenly exposed to the burgeoning post-Wall cultural scene in the city. But the 21-year-old soaked in the atmosphere and soon began his musical career. “There was a mixture of East and West jazz scenes and a new scene was emerging with influences from as far as America and Eastern Europe. The time and space felt very creative.” With places to learn and play jazz sprouting up rapidly, Schiefel started gigging at small clubs around Berlin with his band JazzIndeed. As the cultural awakening slowly changed from an underground subculture to an established tradition, Schiefel joined Berlin’s University of the Arts and worked under the tutelage of noted composer David Friedman.

It was here in the conservatory that he chanced upon a prototype loop machine. “The idea of playing with this machine emerged as I started toying and having fun with it,” says Schiefel. With a dynamic vocal range, he was soon experimenting with linear melodies and repeated musical phrases using them as a background for extended solos like in a small jazz band and developing a three-dimensional vocal architecture. And another chance encounter at the annual Loop Festival in Berlin with the machine’s (called Echoplex when released) inventor Matthias Grob set the ball rolling for Schiefel.

“Matthias was impressed by the experimental jazz work that I was doing on his instrument and agreed to help me make it more versatile and portable.” Soon Schiefel launched into a solo career and began touring extensively with his loop machine. His three solo albums among other collaborations include “Invisible Loop” (1998), “I Don’t Belong” (2000) and “Don’t Touch My Animals” (2006). “The instrument is no more just an effect device that it was intended to be,” he asserts.

Schiefel claims that the inspirations and influences in his music are as random as they can be. “I am like a parrot, but a little more creative,” he quips. “I listen to stuff all around, play it in my head and try to reproduce it. It is much less systematic than what it seems.” Of course, his stylistic flexibility and the dynamic nature of his vocals are indelible on the listener’s mind.

In addition to his solo performances, Schiefel is also noted for his numerous collaborations: with the classical-inspired big band Thaerichen’s Tentett, modern jazz with David Friedman, Balkan music with the German-Bulgarian quintet Batoru, and also as a guest artist for the Goethe Institute.

It was as part of his Asia tour organized by the Institute when Schiefel recently performed in the city. So how do audiences across the world take to his kind of music? “It is a small stream within jazz music,” he says. “Audiences are actually not that different from each other when it comes to experiencing new things. Some simply leave, but most are willing to experiment.” Schiefel claims that people often dub him as an alien. “I’m new and weird every new place I go to,” he smiles.