A six-week residency connecting German electronic producers and Aotearoa-based artists and the wider community. The programme centres on open masterclasses, listening sessions, studio workshops, and public conversations, made for producers, DJs, and music-curious people at any level who want to learn, trade notes, and get close to the craft behind a thriving scene.
Made possible by the generous support of the Goethe-Institut New Zealand, the residency is designed with accessibility in mind, allowing us to offer weekly masterclass sessions free of charge.
A new visiting artist each week keeps the energy moving forward. Join a single session or follow the full run. Individual masterclass details will be announced soon.
Expect practical insights, that go beyond technique into creative practice, culture, and community.
All sessions are free. Places are limited: early registration is recommended.
CONNECTED BY MUSIC
MUSIK VERBINDET
A Conclusion of A Story: From Concept to Performance
In the first Parallel Sounds session, Ouhana will share his first-ever live set in a guided, reflective format.
In the first Parallel Sounds session, Ouhana will share his first-ever live set in a guided, reflective format.
Before performing, Ouhana will talk through the ideas, intentions, and creative decisions behind the set, inviting participants into the right state of listening, not just hearing sounds, but understanding context, flow, and feeling. He’ll then perform the full live set (approx. 1 hour), followed by an open conversation where we unpack specific moments, transitions, and choices within the performance.
There will be space for questions, discussion, and gentle dissection of the live set, focusing on how abstract ideas, emotions, or concepts can be translated into a coherent musical journey. Participants are encouraged to listen deeply, ask openly, and reflect on how their own ideas could evolve into live performance or hybrid sets.
This workshop is less about technical perfection and more about intention, storytelling, and translating inner worlds into sound, offering inspiration and practical insight for anyone curious about live performance, creative process, and musical narrative.
From Phone Recording to Punchy Beat
What if your next beat started with your phone?
What if your next beat started with your phone?
We see it all the time: people thinking they need a €2,000 mic to get a "professional" sound. Honestly? You don't. We want to show you how we take a simple, crunchy voice memo and turn it into a punchy beat using zero external plugins.
Just us, you, and the stock power of Ableton.
Whether you’re just starting your first project or you’ve been producing for years, we’re going to share the exact tricks we use to make "simple" sound "expensive."
We’re keeping it really simple. The goal of this workshop is to strip away the "gear fear." We’ll show you that the most unique sounds in your tracks don't have to come from a sample pack, they come from your pocket.
We’ll start with a raw recording, mess it up, polish it, and by the end of the session, we’ll have a professional-sounding beat. No fancy VSTs, no third-party stuff - just Ableton Stock Plugins.
Learning Outcomes (The "Tricks" You'll Learn)
The "Kon Faber" Sampling Workflow: How to find musicality in everyday noise.
Stock Plugin Mastery: Making Erosion, Corpus, and Echo do the heavy lifting.
Vocals on a Budget: Turning a phone voice memo into a crisp, professional vocal.
DIY Sound Design: Building your own unique Drum Racks from scratch.
The Project File: You get the full Ableton project we build together to keep, dissect, and use for your own tracks.
What you need to bring
Your Phone: Charged and ready to record some weird sounds.
Your Sound: Something that fits in your pocket and sounds great (kalimba, spoon, seeds…)
Your Laptop: With Ableton Live installed - optional
Your Ears: That’s it. You don't need to buy a single plugin before this class.
From Music Content to Music Creation by HOVR
In this hands-on masterclass at the Goethe-Institut, the focus is on two closely connected aspects of being a contemporary music producer: how you present your work, and how you build it.
The first part centers on content production and promotion. Participants are invited, on a voluntary basis, to share promotional content from a past release with the group. Together, the group will analyze what works, what does not, and why. Key observations will be collected on a whiteboard and used as the foundation for a focused input on video communication basics, artistic positioning, and principles of effective content for music releases. Building on this discussion, practical demonstrations will show how to create clear and engaging behind-the-scenes or “how I made this” content using Ableton Live and straightforward video production setups.
The second part shifts fully into music production. Starting from a single source, a series of techniques will be demonstrated to turn minimal material into a functional loop suitable for further development of a full song. This source will then be shared with the group, and participants will create their own loops using headphones, while receiving individual feedback throughout the process. The session concludes with a group listening and collective feedback round. If time allows, one selected loop will be developed live into a full track, with creative decisions and technical tools explained in real time.
The masterclass combines discussion, practical exercises, and live demonstration. It is designed to give producers concrete tools for both creative work and communication around their music, with an emphasis on clarity, decision-making, and finishing ideas.
Bring a laptop with Ableton installed, basic Ableton skills, and headphones.
Finding Your Voice in A World of Beats
At a moment when the underground is in danger of giving way to the mainstream, Princess Room offers a collaborative session on the importance of using authentic voice to keep the dance scene from turning beige.
The focus of the class is the question of why: Why dance? Why create? Why celebrate? Participants are invited to share their stories, forming the basis for a deeper discussion on how our personal why shapes ourself and our community. They will also present the why of known artists and party collectives in both Germany and New Zealand, including their own.
Drawing on their experiences in Berlin—and asking why it has retained such influence—Princess Room proposes that the underground’s longevity is rooted in holding on to its authentic voice, even as it faces growing threats such as commercialisation, the disappearance of independent spaces, and limited funding. Together with participants they will examine these topics and discuss what can, and is, being done.
The session will include a live performance by the duo, blending dance music with lyrics that express the why behind their own artistic practice.
The session welcomes anyone interested in club and festival culture and its values, and any artists, promotors, or dancers needing a reminder of why they’re doing it in the first place 🙂
How to Get Inspired, Find Your Own Way and Actually Finish an Idea
In this hands-on session, Fabian Krooss focuses on one of the biggest challenges producers face: getting started and actually finishing an idea.
Beginning with a simple but interesting sequence, Fabian will demonstrate a few different ways to develop it further, sharing personal tips and approaches he uses to stay inspired, work within his own capacity, and move ideas forward without getting stuck. Along the way, he’ll touch on practical techniques around sequencing, arrangement, and mixing basics, while reflecting on how artists gradually shape a sound that feels like their own.
The session will include moments of hands-on creation, alongside discussion and demonstration, with space for participants to follow the process and ask questions as it unfolds. Toward the end, there will be time for an open feedback and discussion segment for those who’d like to bring along existing projects, whether they’re early sketches or (half-)finished tracks.
This workshop is designed to be interactive and encouraging, offering practical tools, mindset shifts, and real-world insight for producers at any stage who want to build confidence, develop ideas more fully, and keep moving forward.
No prerequisites required, however, strongly recommended to bring along your laptop and have a trial version of Ableton installed.
It Takes Two to Tango
A deep dive into what being a DJ is really about.
A deep dive into what being a DJ is really about.
This masterclass is an interactive Q&A session exploring the many layers of DJing - far beyond mixing records. Drawing on 20 years of experience working in the industry and touring internationally, Franca will share insights, reflections, and honest lessons learned along the way.
What a DJ really is - and the relationship and responsibility we have towards the crowd
Timing, trusting your intuition, reading the room, and working towards the “fourth dimension”
Ego on stage: why it doesn’t belong there - and why authenticity does
Being a female artist: mansplaining, gender politics, and when gender matters (and when it doesn’t)
What mixing on vinyl really teaches you
Mixers: why the Pioneer vs. Allen & Heath debate is only partly valid
Finding new music: the endless dig for what moves you, and how that energy translates to the dancefloor
Preparing for the show of your life - creating magic in both big rooms and small rooms
Working with agencies and management, and learning how to define your worth
Touring realities: travel, solitude, lack of sleep, and mental health
Depending on the interests of the group, the session may also include a shared listening segment or a hands-on vinyl-focused discussion, creating space to explore music selection, texture, and intention in a more tangible way.
Please bring your questions and an open mind.
Closer to the date of the masterclass, you’ll receive a short questionnaire so we can shape this particular session around what participants are most interested in.
ABOUT THE
COLLABORATION
SILK COLLECTIVE
Connecting the NZ underground music scene with the world. Building bridges between communities for shared musical experiences.
GOETHE INSTITUT
Promoting the teaching and learning of German language and encouraging international cross-cultural exchange and dialogue.
THE BUTTON FACTORY
A vibrant creative community in the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau. Your space for events, co-working, arts studios, gallery & hangouts!
