This interview was originally broadcast over the KALX airwaves on September 23, 2025
Berkestir: [00:00:00] Hello? Oh, good, we got you. Yeah. Well, you know, yeah. You know how technology is. Um, anyway, um, Anika, I have some questions for you.
Anika: Oh, good.
Berkestir: Alright. My first question is, you’re just starting your tour of the US and Canada to promote your new album Abyss, and I believe last Saturday was a show at the Rickshaw Stop, which I saw. It was excellent, your third stop on your tour, and then you did Portland and after that you’re gonna tour Europe. Yeah. Um, how is your tour going so far and what musicians are you using for your tour?
Anika: Um, yeah, it’s going well. Actually. It’s, it’s nice that it’s even happening because right now as a European artist, I think coming, trying to get to the stage is very difficult. Um, you know, visas have become extremely expensive and, um, and there’s so many more obstacles than ever with the whole [00:01:00] visa process. So somehow we made it work. Um, and yeah, so that’s kind of why I put together a different band as well for the, for the live show. Um, and so this one is made up of my old friend Martin from Exploded View on, on drums. And, um, my friend Avishag from Cumgirl8 on guitar. So kind of like a mini super group. Um, just because I wasn’t able to take my band from Europe, so, uh, which is normally a different one. Well, I mean, Martin’s a, you know, he comes in, he’s like a special guest often, Whenever, whenever I can, but. Um, yeah, but this is, so, I feel extremely lucky that both of them could do it and, uh, because they’re, they’re some of my favorite musicians, you know? So, uh, I think that’s kind of, that’s the way at the moment. It’s just finding any way to make things happen and make things work. But, um, yeah, I’m definitely happy to be here and, um, uh, yeah, it’s good to play music, you know, I think that’s, that’s something that’s really important at the moment to [00:02:00] support the music scene and support these spaces where. Where there is a freedom, you know, and there’s a free speech and there’s a freedom to be who you want, uh, and, uh, respectful spaces and a place to vent and a place to come together. So, yeah, music is important.
Berkestir: It is. And, and the show was just fantastic. Alright. Your newest album, Abyss was recorded, live in the studio and has a very visceral and raw power to the sound versus the electro pop sound of your 2020 album Changes, especially songs like Oxygen and Abyss, um, explain your reasoning for taking this approach.
Anika: Uh, well, I think the music is always just a reflection of, of the time. And I think in change it was very, uh, reflective. You know, we were all stuck at home. We weren’t able to go out. So thinking a lot about things, it was, um. I think it was kind of [00:03:00] disempowering to be stuck at home and feeling like you couldn’t do anything about things. So, so it was a lot of pondering, you know, I read a lot around things and I feel like now it’s a whole different time. It’s like a time for action. So the, the, the music reflects that, you know, it’s a lot more physical and a lot more in your face, a lot more, more confrontational. And I feel like that’s where we are at right now. You know, it’s different, different time.
Berkestir: And, and I loved how during your live show you went out into the audience to, um, do the song that has, um, um, the Get My Own Room. Yeah. That was wonderful. Um, you’re described as a hybrid artist. Um, how is this descriptor reflected in your live performances?
Anika: Uh, well, I think it’s, it’s because I was never really, I never really considered myself a musician. Well, like a, you know, I think I, I have a lot of, uh, [00:04:00] imposter syndrome along with a lot of female musicians, and I’m sure male too. Uh, because I didn’t really study music, so I studied different things. So, and anyway, music is just a way to express stuff and, um. So I feel like all the influences I’ve had and all the education I’ve had sort mixes together to, to create whatever happened from the stage. But, yeah.
Berkestir: Alright.
Anika: Maybe it makes it more flexible or, I’m not sure I’m still figuring it out. You know, it’s like constant learning and um, that’s nice. But I definitely like working in different mediums like poetry and film and photography. Uh, yeah, it depends.
Berkestir: Yeah. Okay, Your songs have very strong messages about the present state of chaos in the world. Songs like Hearsay and Oxygen from your, from your latest album come to mind. =What message do you want to convey? [00:05:00]
Anika: um, yeah, I think it’s often my, my songs are trying to make sense of reality, you know, especially when I don’t understand things or. But I think with this album, it’s definitely, it’s a lot about keeping your eyes open and, and realizing what’s happening. You know, I feel like there’s a lot of time things are being done to us, inflicted on us, but we are being told messages in our ears that don’t correspond, you know? So it’s a different message and it’s to, to trust our senses and trust our, our, our, you know, ourselves in, in, in being able to tell the difference between what’s happening. Maybe what our morals are telling us, or what our lifelong beliefs are telling us. Um, you know, I think certain things can never be justified and I think we should always have freedom of speech.
Um, so yeah, it’s a lot about, a lot about that, about supporting our communities and, um, and not, uh, giving into this, this ganging up on minorities and. Uh, these kind of, kind of things, I think, I think there’s no [00:06:00] justification for it and, uh, it’s the reasons behind it are bogus and, and distracting to the real things going on. So,
Berkestir: and yeah, there’s a lot of that going on. All right. Could you please introduce the song Oxygen as it has a strong message, and then we’ll hear it.
Anika: Yeah, yeah. Oxygen. Um, it’s a lot about, uh, needing oxygen, you know, feeling like you’re having your oxygen taken away a little bit by little, having your rights taken away little by little. Um, there’s a saying in Europe, like a boiled frog, you know, you’re being boiled slowly until suddenly you’re boiled. Um, so yeah, I feel like it’s a lot about that at the moment. And, uh, specifically also about communities like the trans community that are being. Uh, targeted by, by laws and, you know, things like this, I think, I feel like in, in these kind of times things become very binary and everything in between gets, gets, uh, eradicated or targeted [00:07:00] and I feel like yeah, we need to come together and support each other in these times. So, yeah, that this song is a lot about that.
Berkestir: Alright, well let’s hear it.
Music: Oxygen plays
Berkestir: Wow. I just love that song.
Anika: Oh, thanks.
Berkestir: Um, before your last two releases, Abyss and Changes, you made two excellent albums and an EP in Mexico City, as part as, as part of the group Exploded View. And I noticed that the song lyrics were credit to you. How was that experience working in a group and how did you end up in Mexico to create such wonderful music?
Anika: Yeah, it was a bit of a strange, uh, situation actually. I was, I was trying to quit music [00:11:00] and escape Berlin. So, uh, I was talking for a long time with a friend about trying to, he, he was a sort of, uh, a filmmaker, but like a student filmmaker. And I, I loved making film too. So, and he was living in Berlin and we were going to make a film there, but then he’s actually from Mexico, so he went back and then said, oh, you should just come to Mexico to make, you know, let’s do something here.
And then, uh, but the flights were so expensive and I didn’t have enough money, so I, I somehow managed to book a flight there, but, and, and book a show, but I didn’t, uh, I didn’t have a band, so I had to put together a new band in Mexico. So I, I found, uh, you know, I got contacts of local, uh, some local producers and put together a band, uh, which ended up involving Martin, who’s now one of my good friends.
And so, and then we ended up, we played the show, but all of this took so much time that I never made the film. But one of the, the best parts of it was that it, it kind of reignited my, my passion for music because I’d been looking for the right [00:12:00] band for so long in Berlin. I never found it. And then I, by accident, found this group of people.
And, you know, making music was such a creative process again. And, um, you know, without thinking about the aim, like I think in Europe sometimes people are restricted by the fact that they’re thinking, oh. You know, this is, needs to make money or this needs to fit into a Spotify playlist. Or whatever.
And, you know, with this particular group of people that, that wasn’t the aim. It was just purely making music, you know. Um, and then we accidentally started Exploded View because we were recording some, uh, jamming jams that we were doing. And, you know, the lyrics were all improvised and everything was improvised, the whole, whole thing.
So, and it was all recorded to tape. Um, because whose studio it was, had just. So it to tape machines. So it was all a very strange set of coincidences, as always seems to be, uh, in this, in this whole adventure of my music career. So, you know, I’m grateful to all of them and, um, yeah, I, definitely reminds [00:13:00] it’s a good reminder that music is, is is creative that it’s, uh, you know, about, I don’t know, like not worrying too much about fitting into stuff or. Um, yeah, I feel like especially at the moment, that’s, that’s definitely a bit of a struggle that a lot of people are having, you know, with, with platforms like Spotify that maybe only stream your, or playlist you if you have a certain style of music or a certain structure. And, you know, I feel like for me, this is music backwards. You know, I don’t wanna be, I don’t want to chase the robot. I, I want the robot to chase me, you know?
Berkestir: yes. Um, your first album from 2000 and then came out with a chance meeting you had with, is it Geoff Barrow?
Anika: Yeah.
Berkestir: of, of Beak. And resulted in an album of mainly covers like, uh, Ray Davies’ I Wanna Go to Sleep. Yoko Onos’ Yang Yang and Dylan’s Masters of War to name a few. What did you learn from that experience and what [00:14:00] moved you into becoming a songwriter and not a cover artist?
Anika: Yeah, I mean the, the reason we used covers at the time, I think, is because, uh, there was no, again, there was no intention of making an album. It was more about. Ripping things apart and, and, and rebelling against the structures that we felt, you know, that had become quite claustrophobic, again in the music industry. Um, because at the time I was a promoter and I was getting frustrated just by, I was putting on bands that were great, but people wouldn’t come. And then I put on a band that, in my opinion, wasn’t so interesting. But they, they’d had their songs played in some TV show and like the whole place was sold out. You know? And this still happens now. It’s, you have the hype ones and the not. You know, some great band like just didn’t pull the audience just because they may be, you know, they don’t have as good a, a media machine.
So we, we kind of made an anti-record and it was just more like recording anti songs, you know, and, and I’m not, I wasn’t really a singer. Like I, I love [00:15:00] music and it plays a, you know, for me it’s a, it’s a release and it’s, but I, I was never wanted to be a lead singer. And I think that’s what. Kind of, um, made us get on because Geoff is, uh, is also not into that kind of thing, you know?
So we were just making strange songs and, and I just, uh, you know, we were suggesting stuff every day, bringing stuff in, like, oh, how about we try this one? How about we try this one? And that, how could we sort of mess it up, you know, like just do it in our own way and break it apart. And I learned so much working with them, like working with Beak and working with Geoff.
You know, he’s an old school, you know, the way he works with music. We were often. Just working on like four track or, or very few, you know, no overdubs and, um, using quite creative techniques like recording vocals to tape and then scrunching up the tape, you know, like a tape cassette, uh, ripping it apart and then re-recording that and, and kind of, yeah, it was, there was a lot of analog techniques, you know, a lot of it was very creative in that way. Like even with things like, because it was [00:16:00] recorded to take, we sped it up a tiny bit. And which puts the pitch up a little bit as well. You know, there were just some little
Berkestir: fun stuff
Anika: techniques that, you know, it was, it was definitely very out of the, out of the computer, which is, which is again rare in this, in this day, so, yeah.
Berkestir: Yeah. It’s a, it’s a great album. Let’s take a short musical break. You picked a song, Lost Illusions from the first Exploded View album. Please introduce the song and then we’ll play it.
Anika: Uh, yeah, no, it’s a stranger. I mean, like I said, with this one, everything was improvised. Uh, and we kept things post, you know, everything was on tape. So, so keeping that in mind, um, I think it’s just about, um, hmm. I don’t know. I almost don’t wanna explain it. I feel like this, these songs should exist. Other people, people should make up their own, uh, conclusion. So, yeah.
Berkestir: Alright, well let’s hear Lost Illusions
music: Lost Illusions plays.
Berkestir: All right. I wanna remind the listeners you are listening to KALX Berkeley. Alright, Anika, besides being a recording artist, you’re also a political journalist and a poet. Would you like to talk about some of your writings or poems?
Anika: Um, yeah, I don’t know really. I mean, the thing is the, the songs anyway are often poetry, you know, it’s a specific form. [00:21:00] Um, and I’ve not been writing so much lately, but I think it’s something that I want to go back to again, more writing, more actual text. You know, it’s a different, it’s a different form of communication, but, but I love that about song, you know, you use poetry in itself anyway, so you know, you, especially with the new album, I think there’s stuff, there’s stuff in there that makes sense, but
Berkestir: it definitely has poems.Yes.
Anika: Yeah.
Berkestir: Alright. I understand you were involved in music for an upcoming movie directed by Jim Jarmusch.
Anika: Yeah.
Berkestir: Uh, called father, mother, sister, brother. How was that experience and what is the film about?
Anika: Uh, yeah, no, that was an interesting experience. I mean, I, I was asked to last minute, kind of last year, um, whether I would make some songs and I was in between recording my album actually, and also another album I was doing. Or another two albums. So I was working on a lot of different albums last year. Um, [00:22:00] so yeah, I, I’d known Jim for a few years before, so he, he, uh, he asked me whether I could do some songs and then he came out, he was just filming in Paris or something, so he came over. Um, and I made some arrangements with, uh, a classical ensemble as a string ensemble that I work with sometimes in Berlin.
So we made some stuff. And I’d, um, arranged some tracks and then, yeah, Jim came in and then he was sort of happy in a way with what we were doing, but had given absolutely no brief or anything. I think that’s the way he works. You know, he kind of just lets people do their thing. Um, and then just said, oh yeah, I’d actually rather if we made some tracks together.
So, so he said, okay, I, I want to come back in a few weeks. And then, uh. You know, arrange some stuff and I’ll, I’ll come in and play stuff to what you are doing. So then I, you know, I was working on a load more stuff and ended up just playing a lot synth and guitar. And then he was playing a lot of feedback guitar to it.
Um, so yeah, so that [00:23:00] was an interesting experience. Um, I’ve never really made music for film in that way, especially a film I hadn’t seen, and especially not knowing anything really about it, you know? I think he was just saying originally he didn’t want music for the film, so it was kind of. Music, not non-music.
Um, kind of, that was the brief. So, so that was interesting. So it had, it was very sparse and, and definitely not, um, leading, you know, it wasn’t gonna stain the images. It, it needed to be just very gentle. So that was that really. And now the film is out. Um, I’ve not actually seen it. Uh, so I don’t really know.
But, um, but that’s, that, I guess that’s the experience of working in the film industry, you know?
Berkestir: Right, right. You’re not always sure what, what the film’s about. I know it’s coming out here in December and I’ve not seen it either.
Anika: Yeah. Well, yeah. Let’s see, let’s see what ends up. Uh, I, I don’t actually know what, what, what sort of ended up in there. So we see they seems to be doing well. So that’s, that’s good. Um. Yeah. [00:24:00] So, um, we’ll find out.
Berkestir: And I also, yeah, I also understand there’s an album of live music recorded at a planetarium called Eat Liquid. Which I only learned about in doing research in advance for this interview. The little I heard from the album sounds very peaceful. Can you explain the concept behind this composition?
Anika: Yeah, so this, this was a commission piece that I did in Berlin, um, and I wrote it on since like Junos and also on, um, guitar and with vocals and some, some, uh, real piano. And it was kind of, it was a, it was an investigation into how music could elevate you into higher rounds of consciousness, you know, in the same way that acid might do.
So I read a lot of these, uh, Leary books about, um. You know, guiding people through acid trips. Mm-hmm. Because I felt like, especially with Exploded View, I used to have this experience that I often like, kind of slightly outta body experience where I didn’t [00:25:00] really remember what I was writing. You know, it was very much tapped into your subconscious.
And so, you know, it was around this time when a lot of bad stuff started happening in the world, at least in Berlin. It was a very dark winter. Um, and so I wanted to try and do something or offer something to people that maybe will be a way to, you know, not escape what’s going on through drugs and alcohol, whatever, but actually just use music as a therapy tool.
So I tried, I just wrote this thing that was, it kind of lifted me out of maybe the slightly bad place I was in. So, and then I recorded it live and made sure I could record it, you know, it was well recorded and then just released a live recording with no overdubs either. So that was, um. Yeah. Interesting. And it’s, uh, yeah, I, I hope to do more of that actually. It was a very interesting experiment and I think that’s, that’s what I love about music. It can, can be always an experiment
Berkestir: and take you to many different places. Um, your British and German, [00:26:00] how does being by bi-cultural affect your music and what other artists influenced you?
Anika: Um, yeah, well definitely I, I think like being half German, half English, which was a interesting combination. You know, they, they have a history. Uh, so I think it definitely meant I grew up being slightly in conflict with myself, you know, and sort of, um, and realizing that maybe history is, is complex and that it’s not really, you know, you can’t group people into nationalities and say one is good and one is bad.
I think, uh. You know, I think that that’s what led to me wanting to become a political journalist, actually, or a journalist, just to put across stories of people and, and humanize things to. To, to, you know, kind of highlight that we don’t live in a Disney film. It’s not like, oh, you know, history is written by the victors and Um, there’s a lot of, you know, for example, with the Second World War, I think there was a lot of information edited out on, on both [00:27:00] sides about, you know, what happened. And I feel like if we want to learn from history and prevent bad things from happening again, I think it’s important to actually take things as a whole and, and realize that you can’t just say, okay, one country is the Hero and one is the villain, or, you know, realize what actually happened. Um, so yeah, so that’s definitely influenced my music and there’s a lot of inner conflict often, so I think that’s, that’s true even in the new album. You know, even in things like Walkaway, there’s, it’s all a lot about this inner conflict and, you know, fighting yourself, fighting maybe saying that we’re made to feel throughout, you know, in, in, in this consumerist capitalist society of like, how we’re incomplete or too old, or too fat, or too whatever, you know?. So it’s, it’s, it’s this kind of thing of, of, of breaking that apart and, and making it less, less heavy and almost poking fun at it, so, you know. Yeah. Um, and in terms of other [00:28:00] artists, yeah, there’s loads that influenced, I don’t really know.
I mean, I would say PJ Harvey, which is always an obvious one, but. She’s, you know, she’s, I think she, she’s the reason a lot of women play guitar I know a lot about her, you know, she’s such a, a powerful force and, but equally so, I don’t know, gentle somehow, like it’s such a sweet character. So that’s, that’s a big inspiration. Um, but yeah, many, many,
Berkestir: many, many,
Anika: for sure.
Berkestir: Yeah. Um, I know you have lots of touring in front of you, but what other projects do you have planned in the future or do you wish to mention any past projects that we have not touched upon?
Anika: Um, I don’t know. Well, at the moment I wanna just keep touring this album because I feel like it was a bit difficult to break this one through because it’s a bit of a strange system at the moment. Like a lot of things are changing. You know, I’m on a smaller label, so I feel like the way to grow it organically is just to play as much as possible. So that’s what I’m trying to do, you [00:29:00] know, that’s why I’m here in the states and just wanna get away from these, these, these, uh, mono structures that seem to be dominating the industry right now.
And, and I hope that the public starts to follow that and starts to maybe use their own brains to decide what music they wanna listen to and not rely on algorithms or whatever. Um, and I’m hoping there’s gonna be more grassroots communities, more zines, more supporting records stores, all this kind of thing.
And I feel like we, we’ve, we are less easily manipulated that way. And that that’s, you know, from, whether it’s in music or in in, in news or whatever else, I think, um, is coming back to our, to our senses. Um, so that’s the future plans. Just keep playing and, and see and, and kind of create alternative ways to get, um, to get the message across. So.
Berkestir: Alright. Um, and, uh, would you like to, uh, give us, uh, station, uh, ID?
Anika: Yeah. Can do.
Berkestir: Okay.
Anika: So, um, so this is Anika and you are listening to KL No, sorry, I always do this wrong every time. It’s okay. KALX, Berkeley. I can do it again.
Berkestir: Okay. And, uh, if, if you want, um, at the end of that, could you add with the Berkestir and then I could use it personally
Anika: with the Berkestir?
Berkestir: Yeah.
Anika: Is that you?
Berkestir: That’s me, that’s my dj name. Okay. Alright. Go ahead.
Anika: Uh, hi, this is Anika and you’re listening to KALX and uh, we’re with the Berkestir.
Berkestir: Alright, well thank you so much Anika. And I know you picked, um, a song to go out on. Buttercups. Um, did you wanna say something about that song?
Anika: Yeah, I think, uh, I think it’s in, this one’s important as well because it’s sort of, um, I feel like we, we are dealing with a lot of heavy stuff around at the moment [00:31:00] and it’s important to sometimes just go and line a field or climb a mountain or, I don’t know, do something in nature or, you know, just have a day off. So this, this song is a lot about that. Just, um, you know, taking it easy for a bit and going back to the centers again.
Berkestir: Alright, well let’s hear Buttercup on your KALX with your Berkestir and Anika.
music: Buttercup plays.
Berkestir: All right. A big thanks to Anika for giving us the time to interview her and, uh, we just heard her do Buttercup from her new album Abyss. Before [00:35:00] that we heard Exploded View do Lost Allusions from their self-titled album. And then we had Anika do Oxygen from Abyss and we started out way back there with Hawkwind doing Death Trap from PXR.
Berkestir: So I am the Berkestir. This is your mighty KALX. We’re University of California and wonderful, wonderful listener supported Freeform Radio, the great 90.7 FM or kalx.berkeley.edu.
