Catalyst collaborates with music residency programme Amplify Berlin

Amplify Berlin is a creative development mentorship programme for Berlin-based emerging musicians, presented by Acud Macht Neu. Here’s our rundown of our upcoming collaborative events.

At Catalyst, we believe that greatness is grown, not born. True success cannot be gifted; it’s the result of hard work and, often, a number of helping hands that push us in the right direction. That’s why we are thrilled to announce our collaboration with Amplify Berlin, a creative development mentorship programme that’s helping our city’s up-and-coming musicians to reach the top of their game.

“Catalyst is a natural partner for Amplify Berlin,” says Shub Roy, the programme’s founder and project coordinator. “I believe both share the same mission: the sharing of knowledge, the provision of resources for experimentation, and to act as a springboard for artists in reaching their creative goals.”

Hannah Deans, Catalyst’s events and student experience lead, agrees: “The collaboration offers a wealth of opportunities to our students. From direct learning with Amplify’s accomplished mentors to networking with the external creators and professionals, who will also join as learners at these sessions. It's a perfect interchange of knowledge sharing and community.”

2020/21 Mentors

From October to February, we’ll be hosting a series of public panel talks, interviews and workshops with Amplify Berlin’s selected mentorship roster – some of Berlin’s most envelope-pushing musicians. For those of you who can’t make it to our Funkhaus location, the events will also be live streamed. 

Our collaboration with Amplify Berlin will continue into 2021 – so you can look forward to more amazing mentors to be announced.

May: Lucy Railton

Wednesday 5th May

Berlin/London-based cellist Lucy Railton has been an active performer and music producer and composer for over a decade, releasing albums on Modern Love, Editions Mego – GRM Portraits, PAN (with Peter Zinovieff) and Takuroku. Having emerged from a long-term engagement with classical and contemporary music, these recent works exist between modern instrumentalism, electroacoustic composition, improvisation and expressive musique concrète.

Join Lucy and Doron Sadja for an in-depth discussion on experimental performance and collaborations, improvisation and recording, curation and responsibility and much more.

YouTube livestream

February: Lyra Pramuk

Thursday 25th February

Lyra Pramuk fuses classical training, pop sensibilities, performance practices and contemporary club culture in what may best be described as futurist folk music. She has just released her critically-acclaimed debut album, Fountain, via Iceland’s Bedroom Community label in March 2020.

Join Lyra and artist, instrument designer and Catalyst tutor, Doron Sadja live from our music studios at Funkhaus.



Facebook event

YouTube livestream

January: Afriqua

Wednesday 27 January

Afriqua (AKA Adam Longman Parker) crafts his mercurial productions with an eye to the future and an ear to the past. Join him and Catalyst Tutor Philippa, live from our music studios at Funkhaus Berlin.

Facebook event

YouTube livestream

November: Phase Fatale

Thursday 12 November

Techno innovator and Berghain resident Hayden Payne, aka Phase Fatale, discusses creative workflow, technical process and life as an artist with Catalyst host, Isabassi.

YouTube interview
Phase Fatale Catalyst Berlin x Amplify Berlin November Mentor

October: Jochen Arbeit

Thursday 22 October

We host avant-garde musician and Berlin band legend Jochen Arbeit for an ‘On the Couch’ interview with Catalyst’s music tutor Renée Thérèse Coulombe.

Online interview
Jochen Arbeit Catalyst Berlin x Amplify Berlin October Mentor

September: Khyam Allami

Friday 16 - Saturday 17 October

Joining our Signals Festival 2020 ‘Impact of Design in Music Making’ panel – in collaboration with both Amplify Berlin and Ableton – is multi-instrumentalist musician, composer, mix engineer and label manager Khyam Allami

Panel discussion
Khyam Allami Catalyst Berlin x Amplify Berlin September Mentor

About Amplify Berlin

Amplify Berlin is a residency programme that supports new music projects by up-and-coming musicians from Berlin. They receive guidance from established mentors and a productive work environment with professional equipment. Amplify Berlin is an initiative by Acud Macht Neu, which is co-financed by the Senate Department for Culture & Europe through the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) and Musicboard Berlin.