dig dis!cover: Nadja Lind

Nadja Lind has been with her label "Lucidflow" since 2009. Today she tells us how the label was founded, how the collaboration with her music partner Helmut is going and what other interests she has besides music.

You founded the label Lucidflow together with Helmut Ebritsch in 2009. How was the founding of the label and how did it start in general?
At that time, I was making music together with Helmut under the moniker "Klartraum".
It was that we had a lot of music that we wanted to release and the process of applying to labels took too long. We only knew a few labels at the time, so we were sending out demos and waiting for their response - the whole thing was very slow. 
So it was a logical step for us to found a label ourselves. Helmut gave us the impulse because he was already in the music business and had his own label.
In fact, I'm not sure if I would have dared to do it on my own. Starting your own business in Germany unfortunately involves a lot of bureaucracy and I was very happy that we established it together.

How did you meet each other?
I was already making music before I met Helmut. That's how we got to know each other.
At that time I uploaded my music to a forum called ‘Pulsar’ and there you could exchange music and your thoughts with other musicians from the same music field. Helmut's music was outstanding to me and his sound was always super great. One day I had some technical questions for him and that's how we got in touch with each other.

Why did you go for dig dis!?
Helmut knew Frank (Founder of dig dis!) for a long time, because he already had a label at dig dis! and has always been happy. Therefore it was clear to us that we’ll join dig dis! also with our Lucidflow. We have not changed our music distributor since then and are very happy with what dig dis! has done and still is doing for our label. 

When you approach new artists for your label, which things do you  particularly look at? Character-wise as well as musically?
Musically, Helmut and I have a very precise idea and style of what should be released  on our label. We listen to the music very carefully and it is actually a bit difficult to put into words what we are exactly looking for. It has to fit musically and sound-wise. Sometimes we listen to a track that we like musically, but where we feel that the artist needs a few more years to develop sound-wise.
At Lucidflow we have agreed that both of us have to say yes when we welcome a new artist to the label. If just one of us doesn't agree, then the artist will be rejected.
Personally, it's important to me that we don't have any ego shooters who think they can do anything just because they brought out a release. Above all, it's important to me that communication goes well and smoothly. It has to be in harmony with us, because we also have to plan a lot.

How exactly does the application process work and do you directly approach artists you like?
We have a demo tool. Helmut is also a programmer and has automated many things in the background, so the process is much easier. 
Sometimes we also get recommendations from artists who are already with us, or it happens more often that promoters contact me after a gig and introduce me to artists who might be suitable. If I like an artist particularly well, then of course I also speak to him.

Maybe following on from this topic: is there anyone you would particularly like to welcome to the  label?
Who I like super well is KiNK. He has an excellent sound and performs with passion. I love watching him make music and since he is also very active on Instagram, you can follow his work process very well.

Speaking of Instagram, what impact does the internet or social media channels have on the music industry? And how do you use Instagram or Facebook to promote your music?
Music and social media are closely related, as everything is now digitized. Instagram and Facebook are among the most important social media platforms and have become indispensable in the digital world, especially since there's not so much going on in event terms anymore. There used to be regular label parties and events, and since those are no longer happening, you have to reach people in a different way. 
It's all much faster now, in the sense that you can update your fans way easier, but it's at the same time also more ephemeral. One of the good things is that if artists really want to express themselves, they have a lot more options and freedom to do so.

You've played a lot of festivals like the Subsonic Festival in Sydney and you've also played a lot of shows in Australia, but also at the ADE and you've played in a lot of famous clubs. Is there one gig in particular that has stuck in your memory?
That's always a difficult question, because there are so many club-nights but also daytime festivals that I could think of. If I had to name one, it would be Burning Man, of course. So it's hard to say what was the best, because every gig has its own style and flair. But the Burning Man was really special. Many years ago I watched a documentary about this crazy festival in the middle of the desert. At that time I actually didn't make any music but I already knew: I want to go there. That I actually performed there and got to know these fabulous sunsets and these wonderful people was really wonderful.

Are there any other clubs or festivals you would like to perform at?
No. There is no goal or anything like that. I just go with the flow of life. I have now stepped back from DJing - even before theCOVID pandemic started. Currently I concentrate more on my ambient and “Turning in” healing frequency series.

What are your passions besides making music?
One of my great passions is yoga and meditation. For decades it was hardcore sport. I did high intensity training every day. So out at 7 in the morning, even in wind, snow, ice or 30 degrees. At some point, however, I realized that I was overdoing it and discovered yoga for myself. I categorically refused it before, because it didn't exert me. I thought I would fall asleep there. *laughs* But then I noticed that there are also big differences in the quality and what you can do for exercises. Since then I have been hooked. In the meantime, I've been doing yoga every day for several years. Meditating at least once a day is  also very important to me. 

You have already released two singles and a best-of compilation this year. What else can we expect?
You can expect my next ambient release. Then there will be a remix release coming up for one of Helmut’s songs Oct 29, 2021 Beatport. And then we'll release some great Klartraum stuff too, which has turned out really good. So you can be excited.

How does the collaboration with Helmut work? What is your workflow like?
We actually have a shared apartment together. At some point it was logical for us to live together, because we always had to meet and make music together, and we both thought it was a great idea to start a music based flat sharing community. This way it was also way easier to have the music label under one roof. When we work together at Klartraum is that we have two individual workstations and they are synchronized. Then we agree on a note scale and basic idea and each one  is doing his/her  own thing while being able to fully listen to what the  other is doing. As soon as we have grooved in and it sounds good, we do a livetake of about 20 min. Helmut always masters the track on the fly and oftentimes there’s no need to add anything in the end.   

What advice can you give upcoming artists?
If your heart really beats for it and if you really really want something, then go for it. I think that we all have a soul for a reason and it lives and experiences our whole life and you do yourself a favour if you live out what you want deep inside.

Thanks to Nadja for sharing her story as a label manager and artist with us today. We hope you enjoyed the interview as much as we did. If you are also interested in sharing your story about yourself and your daily music business life with us, then please contact us anytime.