Editor’s Note: mi-so (mi-so-store.com) is a Berlin-based (Schöneberg) record shop housing two of my favourite labels: Miasmah and Sonic Pieces. I have visited the store on a few occasions and was impressed with the overall aesthetics, as well as the meticulous curation of the music, displayed art, and in-store concerts. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised since it’s run by Monique Recknagel (MR) and Erik K Skodvin (EKS). I really wanted to share with you this space. The following is an interview with this duo, where you can learn a lot more.
Where are you these days, and what have you been up to this summer?
MR : We are spending most of our summer in Berlin this year after travelling quite a bit in the spring. Summer is the best time to be in town. And we just had a new exhibition opening in our shop with textile works by Franziska Lutze and also have some in-store concerts lined up for the coming weeks. Whenever we have the time we take a trip to Berlin’s beautiful surroundings, jump into one of the plentiful lakes or pick some wild berries.
EKS : I’ve been finalizing and preparing upcoming Miasmah releases during the last months, for once there are several coming out this year. Some very exciting stuff (more on this further down)! Unfortunately, sending out promos for dark, existential music during the summer holiday season is not really optimal. Otherwise, our little part of Berlin is very nice during the summer, and we enjoy eating well, taking day trips and so.
Can you believe that this interview was published a decade ago? Can you attempt to reflect on the last ten years?
MR : Indeed, it’s hard to believe that it was ten years ago that we did this interview. It’s interesting to read it again, and I can still stand behind what I said back at that time. The circumstances have changed quite a bit throughout the years, though. And we have moved to a different part of Berlin. I very much appreciate the opportunity to have a small public space there to connect with locals and international visitors alike and to create a community. In this increasingly mechanised and digitalised world, the personal and human aspects of all our ventures are more important to me than ever before.
Could you tell us about Sonic Pieces’s partnership with Miasmah? How do you collaborate, and how do you keep things separate when needed?
MR : Erik (Miasmah) and I have been working closely together for almost 15 years now, even if we are still running two separate labels. It’s mostly great to have someone to exchange ideas with who perfectly understands the work and challenges of the other and who can give you a different perspective on things when needed. The two of us are actually quite different personalities, and we are good at different tasks, so in a way, it’s obvious how to assign duties. But, of course, things can also overlap and change with time.
The two labels have been sharing a webshop for many years already, and it was just natural progress to expand this to a physical space.
EKS : Monique puts this into words very well.
What has changed regarding running a label in the last ten years, and how has that impacted you both?
MR : How much time have you got? Things are changing increasingly fast, especially within the digital world. It’s getting more and more difficult to be visible, for instance. But what had the most impact on us within the last few years are the escalated prices. Pretty much every step of the production chain and the distribution of records got more expensive. As our sales prices were always calculated at the edge and often did not even include our own work, the only choice we had was to pass the increased expenses on to the customers. Therefore, fewer people can afford the records, we sell less and, as a consequence, need to manufacture smaller editions, which leads to even higher prices per copy. It’s a vicious circle, and a physical record becomes rather an art object. All of this makes it more difficult for us to chance on something, work with a new artist or release music that might be more challenging, which is a real shame. I’ve always been quite selective with what to put out and whom to work with, but even more so now. I put so much work and time into each Sonic Pieces release. Just crafting the covers by hand is a long process, as you can imagine. So, I want to work with people who understand and value that.
EKS : You could think that the future would have more focus on small individual creators and companies who do something out of passion instead of money and fame. Unfortunately, that world seems to exist only in some sort of fantasy. Things are becoming almost unbearable for people like us, who do not want to constantly grow, but keep a steady, good quality stand and just do what they love. Of course, people’s minds are also becoming increasingly distracted. To be seen by anyone is a challenge in itself.
It’s hard to be really positive about all this, though I also hate to constantly rant about it. I’d say all our individual actions speak louder than words. Support the places and people you want to survive and stop spending money on huge companies that increasingly take over everything. I know this is easier said than done – but we can at least try and be aware. All that said, I’m still passionate about running the label and naively believe it’s still possible to keep doing it somehow. Maybe we’re just old complaining farts who refuse to adapt to whatever you need to do to keep afloat. Selling our humanity for an AI-related direction is completely out of the question, though.
Could you tell us about the new space that you set up? How did you find it, and what made it ideal?
MR : We’ve been visualising and talking about a physical shop for quite some time before we found it. In 2019, there were some changes at our previous place that I was unhappy with, and that made me look for another space. I was mostly researching online, but we didn’t go to any viewings until our current place popped up. It was announced for combined working and living, which was exactly what we were looking for. And I was intrigued about the area in which it was located. The space had been empty for many years when we saw it first, and it needed to be renovated, so it required some imagination of how it could look. For us, it was a perfect opportunity to shape it to our needs and likes, although it was also quite a project that kept us busy for a good year.
EKS : Not to mention that our shop is located at maybe the most beautiful, hidden spot in Berlin. We’re lucky to have a great neighbourhood where we connect with the locals. Perhaps a bit far from the average Berlin music fan, but visitors to town don’t seem to have a problem with it.
Do you only sell Miasmah and Sonic Pieces there, or are there other curated items to buy?
MR : We mostly sell records from our own labels, but also have a small selection of releases from like-minded labels and artists or records we personally enjoy listening to. Furthermore, we offer a few book publications that are hard to find otherwise. And recently we added some porcelain pieces by ceramic artist Deborah Metherell which I find very beautiful. They are a perfect match for our space.
EKS : I can recommend Nick Mott – The Fall of the Human Empire, which I think we might be the only record shop offering this obscurity. This would fit great together with the triple screen print version of Kaboom Karavan – Fiasko! A bundle for the artisticly minded mad person who doesn’t mind spending some extra cash.
I find the shop’s minimalist design appealing, from the furniture to the beautiful artwork on the walls. What are your particular aesthetics when it comes to setting up this environment?
MR : I’m generally drawn to minimalist design and beautifully crafted, well-made items with a timeless character. Often, I feel overwhelmed by the plethora of things, and as a consequence, I look for good quality and materiality in almost anything. It’s more than just an aesthetics but a way of living in the world. I believe that’s what I have intuitively been pursuing with Sonic Pieces for the last 15 years, and it was just logical to reflect this with the shop as well. For the interior of our space we got some simple, custom-made shelves from a small Berlin-based manufacturer. And we combined them with vintage pieces and elements that add character and warmth. Erik takes care of the lighting, which is important to him, and he generally pays a lot of attention to it. And for the optimal sound we got speakers from listude in Nara, Japan.
EKS : I also take care of the plants!
Please tell us about the concerts that you host at this venue. How can folks find out more about upcoming events?
MR : We started the concert series in September 2022. These events are rather unofficial and with reservation only. The space is very limited. We only accept between 10 and 15 guests per session, which makes for an intimate atmosphere and an ideal listening setting.
To find out about upcoming shows I recommend to sign up to our Berlin mailing list (link through the mi – so website) or follow us on social media.
EKS : We originally envisioned doing more listening sessions – though that somehow turned more into these intimate performances, which have been very rewarding. It’s always great fun, and we somehow get some new people attending every time, even if we have many people who keep returning. I should also add that we often have more than one concert, as they fill up fast. Sometimes, it becomes more like a residency with 2-3 concerts. We also have had several occurrences where we had an exhibition opening + concerts over a long weekend.
And what about the art exhibitions?
MR : Hosting art exhibitions was an idea we already had while planning the shop. The visual aspect of our labels is very important for both Erik and me, and it was an exciting opportunity to further explore that interest. Most of the works we showcase at our space are related to record releases or music in a broader sense. However what we exhibit is not limited to that. Typically, we set up three to four different exhibitions a year, and it’s always fascinating to see how the space is changing with each one.
EKS : It’s also a way to try to expand our audience. I feel we are not typically only music-related but somewhere on the border between music and art. So, it feels like a natural progression in some ways.
How is the music community these days in Berlin?
MR : I can hardly find a sense of community within the Berlin music scene anymore, it feels rather scattered to me. But our shop offers another type of community that is not limited to the music world, it is open to artists from different fields of work as well as locals, regulars and occasional visitors.
EKS : I feel I always tried to create my own community since I never felt really connected to any broader music scene. I do feel that our shop mi – so, on top of both our labels, has its own community, which I appreciate very much. Before mi – so we had Rrose Sélavy with its monthly DJ events and occasional concerts – so in a way, our new venture is an expansion of that. This also counts, especially now that we are based in a totally non-hip, less visited part of town. I do think there is a music community in town, but it’s very scattered, and we fall in between all the chairs (as always). Perhaps the future consists of many small scenes that reflect people’s varied tastes. There are bubbles all over at the moment, which can be both a good and a bad thing.
What are you working on right now?
MR : I’m working on a new album by Rauelsson who has been part of Sonic Pieces almost from the very beginning when he appeared on the Portland Stories compilation. This will be the third solo album I release with him, and it is scheduled for the end of this year. Raúl and I have also recently been working together on a publication of some of his photographs. This will be released as part of the mi – so editions art book series I started last year. I have planned several other publications in this series, which are at different stages in the process. Furthermore, we have a couple more art exhibitions in the works. And last but not least, there will be a few Sonic Pieces showcases this autumn to celebrate the label’s 15th anniversary.
EKS : It’s quite a big year for Miasmah now in 2024. Firstly, the new Kaboom Karavan album – Fiasko! was just released. It’s a record that has been in the works for some time now, which is just unique, really. I then have two more physical releases coming up, which are both very special. Though one of them is especially special. I’m finally gonna release a project I have worked on for 7 years now, which will be unveiled this August (perhaps on this platform? Yes!) for release this September(!!). I can’t put into words how much I’m looking forward to finally releasing this into the world. Closer to the end of this year, I will release Polish artist Olga Anna Markowska’s debut album, which, if I may say – is one absolutely beautiful record that recalls the sound of early Miasmah releases in the best possible sense while being very personal. Lastly, I decided to release one of the two soundtracks I did last year as a spontaneous digital release on August 9th. It’s from the film Afterwar. This is purely an experiment, as I really prefer to release something physical. I’m very happy with this, though, and it’s more of an EP.
