Musicboard Berlin joins collaboration on Danish-German songwriting camp in Berlin

"Berlin, the greatest cultural extravaganza that one could imagine." These words belong to David Bowie, but the sentiment still echoes through the streets of Berlin today. Bowie traveled to the vibrant cultural city in the 1970s to explore himself, the city's diversity, and its creative energy. Many musicians have since followed in his footsteps. The same spirit infuses the BauSongs project, where Danish-based and Berlin-based musicians come together to create new music in an intense songwriting camp. Just as Bowie once found his creative freedom in the city, BauSongs now invites today’s artists to discover their own musical voices amid Berlin's vibrant culture.

Berlin as an inspiring cultural backdrop

BauSongs came to life in 2022 as part of the Neustart project, which aimed to reestablish and strengthen collaboration between Danish music organizations, the Danish music scene, and the large neighbor to the south in the wake of Corona. Now, three years after its inception, the German music funding organization Musicboard Berlin has joined the project. The collaboration with a Berlin-based partner is an exciting next step in the story of BauSongs.

Maureen Noe, Referent for Artist Funding and International Projects at Musicboard Berlin, explains.

"Musicboard Berlin, on the one side, is a very local organisation, deeply rooted in Berlin’s music scenes. It is funded by the Berlin Senate Department for Culture and Social Cohesion and has the overall goal to support Berlin-based music communities.”, says Maureen and continues: “The music scenes in Berlin are very international and home to exciting and rapidly growing music scenes that are influenced by artists from the diaspora. We have funded Berlin-based festivals and platforms for African and Afro-Diasporic music, for new Anatolian pop music and radical sounds from Latin America – just to name a few. Berlin has a lot to offer musically, also besides the great electronic music scene that Berlin is widely known for. For me, this diversity of sounds, its global connections and its link to social and political activism is what makes Berlin so intriguing – and why it serves as a fantastic setting for the BauSongs project."

Platform for emerging talent

The camp is specifically aimed at upcoming musicians, and with only 10 spots available, the goal is to create an intimate and focused setting for the participants. Maureen Noe from Musicboard Berlin believes that this approach is essential for the musicians' development:

"In a time when independent artists also need to be social media experts and marketing pros, it can be freeing for them to focus solely on the artistic side of music. BauSongs gives them the space to explore their creative process without the pressure to immediately produce something commercial. This can be hugely motivating and open up new ideas and approaches to their music, which they can carry forward in their careers."

Sustainable artistic connections

BauSongs is not just a songwriting camp, but also an opportunity to build a bridge between Danish and German music communities. According to Maureen Noe, projects like BauSongs are crucial for creating lasting connections.

“From our experience, these programs are especially valuable for creating sustainable international connections. Often, they are the starting point for long-term artistic collaborations and they offer the participating artists deep knowledge and understanding of a specific music market or cultural scene. For this to happen, the personal contact and the opportunity to actually be “on the ground” that BauSongs offers is vital.”

Maureen Noe sees BauSongs as an ideal platform for future collaborations between Danish and German organizations: 

“Projects like BauSongs can create sustainable connection points not only between artists, but also between organizations like ROSA and Musicboard Berlin, who follow very similar goals in their own territory and aim to look beyond. With model projects like BauSongs, we can inspire other organizations to also join forces to achieve common goals and potentiate their impact.”

ROSA's director, Conny Jørgensen, also shares her excitement about the collaboration: 

"We are excited about the development of BauSongs, which now – again with support from DPA – enters its third year. We look forward to yet another camp for Danish and Berlin-based composers, and especially the collaboration with Musicboard Berlin, which we believe can push the project in new directions, benefiting both the participants and the organizations behind it. At ROSA, we believe that composers from different backgrounds can learn a lot from each other and create something truly unique together. BauSongs is a great opportunity to build bridges between cultures and promote creative exchange between the Danish and German music scenes."

Are you interested in participating in this year’s BauSongs?

Find out more about how to apply and what’s included in the project in our Open Call for BauSongs.

The application deadline is October 6, 2024, and selected participants will receive a response by October 14.

BauSongs is organized by GRETA, Kaspar Kaae, and Michael Møller in collaboration with Musicboard Berlin and ROSA, with support from DPA/KODA Kultur and the Danish Arts Foundation.