name: Jonas Vebner
company: Music Export Norway
job: Head of GSA Office
city: Berlin
working on: Having recently relocated from London to Berlin to head up our GSA office, I’m currently spending most of my time meeting old/new colleagues in these territories. In addition to developing project proposals for 2013, we’re also introducing some schemes we initially set up for the UK market. I still work 20% towards the UK and part of my time is spent following up my successor in London. I still do a Nordic showcase series here called Ja Ja Ja which has spawned an editorial new Nordic talent music blog and we’re currently exploring some interesting new avenues for the platform. I’ve started preparations for By:Larm, the premier Nordic music conference, were we co-produce the international program. But the majority of my work is constantly dialoguing with our Norwegian music industry professionals (and their international partners) who are already active in the GSA market or trying gain entry: advising on service providers/partners, entry strategies and general information, mediating contact between professionals and administering our various schemes/tools. We are also about to into Pfuelstraße 5 in Berlin, a great creative environment full of other music companies. Oh, and I’ve just started my intensive German course!
favourite artist(s): Chopin, Debussy, Thelonious Monk, Roy Orbison, Bill Evans, the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, T. Rex, Arthur Russell, Serge Gainsbourg, Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Guided by Voices, Yo La Tengo, Andrew Bird, Fennez, Beach House, Grizzly Bear to mention a few that comes to mind.
first gig: My first proper gig was probably seeing Lauren Hill at 16 which I remember being a big deal as I was well into Fugees in my teens.
highlight(s) of the last year: I’m really pleased about how the Ja Ja Ja platform has developed over the last 3 years and excited about the new editorial site we recently launched with the Line of Best Fit. I’m also very chuffed about having been given the opportunity to relocate to Berlin and further develop our GSA office.
musical hero: Music is surely one of the most sublime art forms, but has also been a powerful tool to address social and political issues (from Shostakovich to Rage Against the Machine). The case of Pussy Riot got a lot of attention recently, but unfortunately censorship is quite widespread. The guys over at Freemuse work hard to advocates freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide.
listening to: Of new stuff I’ve been really enjoying Jessie Ware’s Devotion, Janka Nabay’s En Yah Sah, Tim Burgess’s No I Love You, Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland’s Black is Beautiful, Flume’s coming album, Savages recent live EP, Sizarr, Actress’s album RIP, Efterklang’s latest and a new discovery for me in Hélène Grimaud’s Reflections (thrilled to learn she is soon to play with the Berlin Philharmonie). Some (new) Norwegian music to watch out for; Stian Westerhus’s The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers, the debut of Moskus (winner of Young Nordic Jazz Comets award), Mikhael Paskalev (who is playing our next Ja Ja Ja night!), Highasakite, 1982 + BJ Cole, Machinebirds, Alfred Hall, CLMD, Terje Bakke, Mari Kvien Brunvoll, Okkultokrati, Bloksberg, Hanne Kolstø, Neneh Cherry & The Thing + the remix album (feat. people like Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, Four Tet, Kim Hiorthøy) . Still very much appreciating Susanne Sundfør’s latest album - catch her this November when she’s touring Europe. I’m also excited about Young Dreams impending release on Modular.
Connect with Jonas HERE
company: Music Export Norway
job: Head of GSA Office
city: Berlin
working on: Having recently relocated from London to Berlin to head up our GSA office, I’m currently spending most of my time meeting old/new colleagues in these territories. In addition to developing project proposals for 2013, we’re also introducing some schemes we initially set up for the UK market. I still work 20% towards the UK and part of my time is spent following up my successor in London. I still do a Nordic showcase series here called Ja Ja Ja which has spawned an editorial new Nordic talent music blog and we’re currently exploring some interesting new avenues for the platform. I’ve started preparations for By:Larm, the premier Nordic music conference, were we co-produce the international program. But the majority of my work is constantly dialoguing with our Norwegian music industry professionals (and their international partners) who are already active in the GSA market or trying gain entry: advising on service providers/partners, entry strategies and general information, mediating contact between professionals and administering our various schemes/tools. We are also about to into Pfuelstraße 5 in Berlin, a great creative environment full of other music companies. Oh, and I’ve just started my intensive German course!
favourite artist(s): Chopin, Debussy, Thelonious Monk, Roy Orbison, Bill Evans, the Rolling Stones, Beatles, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, T. Rex, Arthur Russell, Serge Gainsbourg, Pixies, My Bloody Valentine, Guided by Voices, Yo La Tengo, Andrew Bird, Fennez, Beach House, Grizzly Bear to mention a few that comes to mind.
first gig: My first proper gig was probably seeing Lauren Hill at 16 which I remember being a big deal as I was well into Fugees in my teens.
highlight(s) of the last year: I’m really pleased about how the Ja Ja Ja platform has developed over the last 3 years and excited about the new editorial site we recently launched with the Line of Best Fit. I’m also very chuffed about having been given the opportunity to relocate to Berlin and further develop our GSA office.
musical hero: Music is surely one of the most sublime art forms, but has also been a powerful tool to address social and political issues (from Shostakovich to Rage Against the Machine). The case of Pussy Riot got a lot of attention recently, but unfortunately censorship is quite widespread. The guys over at Freemuse work hard to advocates freedom of expression for musicians and composers worldwide.
listening to: Of new stuff I’ve been really enjoying Jessie Ware’s Devotion, Janka Nabay’s En Yah Sah, Tim Burgess’s No I Love You, Dean Blunt & Inga Copeland’s Black is Beautiful, Flume’s coming album, Savages recent live EP, Sizarr, Actress’s album RIP, Efterklang’s latest and a new discovery for me in Hélène Grimaud’s Reflections (thrilled to learn she is soon to play with the Berlin Philharmonie). Some (new) Norwegian music to watch out for; Stian Westerhus’s The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers, the debut of Moskus (winner of Young Nordic Jazz Comets award), Mikhael Paskalev (who is playing our next Ja Ja Ja night!), Highasakite, 1982 + BJ Cole, Machinebirds, Alfred Hall, CLMD, Terje Bakke, Mari Kvien Brunvoll, Okkultokrati, Bloksberg, Hanne Kolstø, Neneh Cherry & The Thing + the remix album (feat. people like Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas, Four Tet, Kim Hiorthøy) . Still very much appreciating Susanne Sundfør’s latest album - catch her this November when she’s touring Europe. I’m also excited about Young Dreams impending release on Modular.
Connect with Jonas HERE
