Sit In On Friday presents an interview with Till from Tiflis Transit, a band collective from Wuppertal, Germany. Their sound is a fusion of motown soul and jazzed up indie. Till, the pianist and singer, writes powerful lyrics in a rough, unpolished style. The band’s EPs Mondaene Dysfunction (2018) and Dim Daze (2021) showcase themes of coming of age and melancholic contentedness. Read on to find out more about Till’s music and creative process.
1. First of all, of course, we want to know from you what True Identity means to you?
To me true identity means, you internalize that identity changes or adds up over life, that identities change over time, and that you will experience situations, in which you will get to know new traits or things of your or someone else’s identity and deal with it somehow.
2. What is your first memory or experience of music?
I wanted to be able to whistle at a very early age because my mom did it quite often; so I practiced and practiced and practiced until the house was filled by my annoying whistling every day.
3. Why did you start making music?
Starting with music and starting to play in bands are different things I guess. I started to get piano lessons because I wanted to learn an instrument (actually mandolin). I started playing in bands when I was a ninth or tenth-grader. I did it because I felt there was more to music than just songs, something immediate. It had immense social energy for me as well.
4. What inspires you most about the city you’re living in? And what did the city add to your individual sound?
The people, but the people do not depend on a city, it is always friends and experiencing intense social situations. I don’t think the city I live in added anything, maybe some groovy urban sadness.
5. How do you think your journey has shaped you so far?
I think that freedom has given me the possibility and the time to reflect on so many things. It made me look at things from different perspectives I hope!
6. When do you feel most creative and most inspired to make music?
As I said when meeting friends, listening to music with them, talking about what comes to our minds, or when I walk home late.
7. We have all been isolated since the middle of March 2020. How has the quarantine treated you?
It made me really tired and cost loads of energy. I think it treated me ok.
8. And how does the current situation in the world influence your creative process? What are your musical or creative goals for the next few years?
It takes energy and gives no energy back, it’s a trap for creativity in my case. I did not feel very creative since all this started. Everything I worked on was nothing but work. I just become madder about so many things, that happens out there in the world: injustices, inequalities, politics, finances, violence, diseases, and so on.
My high priority goal is to play shows again. With real people in the audience. And I wish for and create my own good and comfortable recording and creativity spot.
9. Was there a musical experience, a concert, or a performance that touched your soul?
Is that a trick question? 😀 I do not know what my last answer to this question was, but the last musical experience/concert, that touched my soul and comes to my mind now were two Sophie Hunger shows on festivals in 2019. Actually every concert I call “good” touches my soul in at least one moment.
10. If you could speak to yourself in the past, what would you say to yourself?
Go and practice the f***ing piano.
