haftw

Unknown Territories: The Makings of a Longplay

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HAFTW


HAFTW is a Berlin-based post-indie and Neue Türkische Welle band formed in 2021 by members from Turkey and Germany, whose music fuses the chaotic energy of Neukölln with the soulful melancholy of Turkish poetry. Their sound—equally cathartic and conflicting—is showcased in their single “One by One” from the upcoming album “Unknown Territories,” and they have earned recognition with releases on influential indie labels like Detriti, Cold Transmission, and Oraculo Records. Acclaimed for their dynamic live performances across Europe and featured in film and television projects, HAFTW continues to push musical boundaries while inviting audiences on a transformative cultural journey.


So to start with, why did you call the LP ‘Unknown Territories’

HAFTW: From the very beginning of our musical journey, we were placed within genres like post-punk and goth. We happened to make music in that style, worked with certain labels, and found ourselves in the goth scene, but it was never a conscious decision on our part to fit into a specific category. We have no problem with any scene or genre, but honestly, not many things about our musical journey have been planned or deliberate.

We wanted to explore, take the road less traveled, and embrace getting lost in the process. Maybe we got a bit too lost. It took us two years, after all! Haha.

Jokes aside, the moment that really shaped our perspective was when we came across a quote by David Bowie. He said something like:

“If you feel safe in the area you are working in, you are not working in the right area. Always go a little further into the water than you feel you are capable of being in. Go a little bit out of your depth. And when you do not feel that your feet are quite touching the bottom, you are just about in the right place to do something exciting.”

That gave us the courage to step into the unknown completely, to break free from any perceived boundaries, and to see where the music could take us.
 

What made you decide to start working on a LP instead of another EP or a single?

HAFTW: We felt an LP would give us the canvas to accommodate full-on discovery. A single would not allow for full-scale exploration. An EP was something we had done before, and we were expected to do another one, but that did not really suit the nature of the unknown discovery process.

It somehow also gave the possibility to build a whole map of the spheres we discovered. It felt more round if this makes sense. 

For emerging artists, it is highly recommended to release singles to build a following and gain attention. Even for that reason, it felt liberating to break free and choose an LP, allowing us to create in the way that felt right to us.

What did you find to be most different about working on an LP?

HAFTW: The number of songs makes an LP a larger-scale project. The discovery-based approach of the LP also makes it difficult at times to have a clear reference point for individual songs. The purpose was to break free and get lost in the process, but that also made it harder to interpret the results of our discoveries. Overall, it took longer than expected. It could have been an ongoing process for even longer, honestly, but we needed to set a finish line somewhere to allow for new discoveries. We have more songs that will remain unreleased than the number of songs on the LP. We might release them at some point in the future.

Last but not least, collaborating with other artists, sound engineers, and technicians was a different process for this LP compared to before. It was also a unique opportunity to observe their approach to music and our songs.

How’s your relationship with LPs changed over the years? What was it like buying them back then, what is it like for you to listen to them now?

HAFTW: We always enjoyed buying LPs. It is like buying an immersive experience. You put it on more consciously and travel to this different place the artist created. Also, getting an LP gifted is great, I feel. Your friends invite you to share an experience which touched them. It is a concept from beginning to end. Everything is as it is for a reason and even though it might bring you to different destinations in itself, it is a whole. And every time you listen to it, it adds a layer of your own experience during those times. It’s a purely magical collection of different memories and emotions of different people. 

For our own LP, we feel like we are archaeologists of ourselves. This is actually applicable to any artist. When the magical process of creation ends and the artist revisits their work, it can be haunting or challenging. As someone who was deeply involved in the process, your perception of the work changes. At times, it matures, develops, and grows. Other times, you might find yourself in an ongoing struggle with the piece.

We have love and compassion for our past selves. Listening to these songs and walking with them through the countless streets of Berlin over the past two years is, in a way, like embracing your past selves, revisiting memories, and watching yourselves grow. It goes beyond any categorical adjectives. It is truly a new experience.

And finally, is the LP a generational relic? Do you think it will live on with younger artists?

HAFTW: Younger generations are discovering that too. You can see that with younger artists. Maybe the medium changed so much, so the decision to listen to an LP is less conscious. It is of course more ritual to put on a vinyl and sit there to listen than to press a button for digital consumption. But this doesn’t break the idea of a concept in general. 

Interviewee: HAFTW
@haftw.music
Interviewer: Yiğitcan Erdoğan

Buy Me A Coffee

HAFTW’s Summer of Gigs

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The summer of Her Absence Fill the World was an interesting one.

The band; which were featured in the previous issues of DolmusXpress, went on its first three live shows throughout the course of last summer. 

First one was in a music festival called Art Carnivale in Steendam, Netherlands. 

Second one was in a club called Christa Kupfer, located on Maybachufer, Berlin. 

And the last one was at a streetfest called Kiezfest, on Mainzer Straße; in Neukölln.

These are three very different settings to play your first three gigs in, so it became impossible not to wonder how it felt for the band. 

We met up over Discord, and they answered four simple questions.

This was the first one.

Which one was the most challenging?

Sascha: I think Kiezfest, for me. I felt a bit strange about the audience, because it was a moving audience. If you’re feeling a bit nervous maybe, the moving audience will be more challenging in my opinion because you will not get a direct feedback regarding whether they like it or not. They kind of just ignore when they pass through. 

Kubi: I was thinking the first one was really challenging, but then listening to what Sascha was saying and then I realized that yeah actually the last one was challenging in a different way because people are moving. It’s hard to focus, it’s really hard to build an atmosphere playing on the street. 

Kubi then adds,

Kubi: For me they were all actually challenging in different directions. But it’s good to be challenged, right?

Sascha: I think also the feeling you got afterwards, when you look at it retrospectively; it’s the balance of anxieties or challenges you had before compared to the reward you feel afterwards and for that I think the last one was the most challenging, because the reward wasn’t balancing enough. 

Which very gratefully brings us to the second question. Which one was the most fulfilling?

Sascha: The first will always be super special and beautiful, and it felt very fulfilling. The one in the club too, they were fulfilling in different ways. I can’t really pick between those two.

Kubi: It’s really hard to rank them. The first one was super magical. It was our first concert, first of all. Also we were weirdly headlining. In our first concert. So it was extra pressure and it was a bit ridiculous but it was amazing. We prepared for months for that concert. 

But I would say Christa Kupfer was really special for me too because Christa Kupfer is home to me and we were presenting our project to our friends. Our family I would say. Because of that it was like a launch for us. 

The conversation then drifts into how the experience of a live performance is split in two ways: The preparation and the act. That brings us to our third question.

Which one was the most exciting?

Sascha: I think they were differently exciting. In the festival there was a more surprising and nice interaction with the people, but the club was exciting as well. It’s nice to see how music works in different surroundings and moods and where it can bring you emotionally in different settings. For example the Kiezfest was also exciting in this way, maybe exciting doesn’t have to mean positive all the time. It was exciting to see what’s happening there, which songs are working where and where they bring you emotionally. 

Kubi: I would agree with that. We had three different concerts in three different settings. We already have more gigs scheduled and what we have in the future will either be this or that. I mean I can’t imagine a different setting than a festival, or a club or a street festival. 

So we arrive at the final question.

Which one would they like to do again now that they know what they know?

Sascha: I think I would do the first two again. Not to make it better but it was super nice. I think I would feel a bit more relaxed so I can enjoy it a bit more. The last one was good practice as a performing artist, to play in front of an audience which is not giving you direct attention. I think even if it’s just one person, even if you feel maybe disappointed about it or disappointed about their reaction; I think it’s a good practice to play in front of them because this is your job in this moment. I think it’s good, even though it feels maybe weird. 

Kubi: Seriously, I’ll be really honest: I wouldn’t go back to any of them. They were amazing but they were once-in-a-lifetime things. But I have a wish. If I really had a magical power to go back I would go to our first concert as an audience member. I would love to experience that. I think at the end of the day it was an interaction and it doesn’t matter which end you are at -either the audience or the band. In the concert there were moments where we felt unified and I enjoyed it but I would enjoy it also from the audience perspective. 

Instagram: @herabsencefilltheworld
Spotify: Her Absence Fill the World

Interview: Yiğitcan Erdoğan

Her Absence Fill the World – EP Launch (Gazino Berlin Session)

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After releasing our EP “Part-Time Punk” on Detriti Records, we feel more motivated than ever to play our music, make new tunes, and vibe with you people. So, we would like to have a tiny session with you to celebrate our EP.

While hoping to play for you in smokey, trashy bars and clubs, this time we invite you to a tiny online session in our Gazino in Wassertorstrasse, Berlin.

We would love to pass our warmest thanks to Kor for mastering our sound. Big thanks also go to Dolmus Magazine and NCOUNTERS for supporting us in this event. Without any of them, this event would not be possible.