Maxim Meyer-Horn

18 Jan 2023
Music

Introducing: Walking Through Brussels at Night With German Dream Pop Newcomer Orbit

It is a cold evening in Brussels when we see Orbit at work at the incredibly cozy concert venue Bonnefooi. The German multi-instrumentalist just played his first show on Belgian soil here and was immediately impressed. Well after midnight, we set off with Marcel Heym, Orbit’s real name, and delve further into his musical story in the wings of the Grand Place. We talked about his music, how his song “Perspectives” suddenly became so big, and what’s ahead in the coming months. Let one thing be clear: Orbit is an artist who’ll conquer many hearts with his soft electronic music.

How would you introduce yourself to people who aren’t familiar with who you are?

I’m Marcel, but I try to differentiate my identity a bit from what I do artistically. The project I’m currently working on is called Orbit. It’s a dream pop project that originated two years ago. The project describes what’s going on in my life and the life of my friends.

Your song “Perspectives” has over ten million streams. What’s it like to see such a massive response and now get to know the faces behind the streams because of touring?

It’s all still a bit surreal because it’s still all fresh, and these numbers aren’t tangible. Through playing concerts and festivals, I slowly start to realize the dimension of this project and feel how it is to talk to people that listen to it. It’s definitely beautiful that it’s getting out of the internet into the real world.

Did your perspective on your music change now that you’re performing these songs live?

I already played a lot of shows in a different band I had with my brother. I was always in rock bands since I was 14, and it’s ever-evolving. Being an artist and performing live changes constantly with your state of mind or where you’re situated. I reflect a lot on being an artist and what that means, so I think that my perspectives change a lot.

You already released a couple of songs and even some EPs. How did you build such a project?

I try to keep it as intuitive as possible and try to create an environment that makes it possible to make music freely. I never try to plan too much in advance or try to squeeze everything out of situations. I focus on letting situations sink in that facilitate the creation of a new project. Fever Dreams was a pure coincidence. I had a lot of time because of my week of quarantine. I was thinking about what I wanted to do with this week of isolation. My roommate made me tea and did his thing while I was producing this EP. It wasn’t planned at all but just happened.

Did you ever expect that these bedroom-produced songs would have such an impact and bring you around the world?

I didn’t expect that at all because I expected nothing. I started from zero and started this project because I didn’t want consideration. I just wanted to release my art and continue without having too many dimensions or goals set. I, originally, didn’t even think of performing live, but that evolved, and it actually feels very authentic. It all comes step by step by itself but not because we plan too much in advance. It’s crazy. We did the first shows a year ago and organized a little tour with five people somewhere in Germany. Meanwhile, there are people all over Europe that come to shows: that’s still surreal.

What music or which artists did inspire you to start Orbit?

In general, a lot of alternative and indie acts like James Blake. I even think about even more dreamy acts like M83 and The 1975, who I’ve listened to a lot. Bon Iver is an absolute music god for me; I’m still overwhelmed when I look back at his concert.

What are you planning for the next months?

We’re on tour until Christmas, and there’s almost no free day until then. I feel like I’ve been on the road for months now, so we’ll give everything we got until Christmas, and then, it’s really time to rest a bit. I told everyone that I’m taking this break to gain some distance and reflect on what this project is. That’s a good idea after this heavy period and have a full reset.

Were these intense months too stressful to already think about new music?

To be completely honest, yes. I’m cool with it because I wanted to play live. It also doesn’t feel like I’m wasting time when I’m not creating music because it was a very conscious decision to play shows. Here and there, I was already thinking that I’m motivated to get back into the studio to make new songs and take time to dive into my music. I’m someone who needs some time to isolate myself in my process, so I’m looking forward to that.

Follow Orbit on Instagram and Spotify.
Pictures by Dan Trautwein.

Interview: An Introspective Dive Into Ego, Art, and Raw Sound With Pop Icon Agnes After nearly two decades in music, Swedish artist Agnes is entering her rawest, most personal era yet. Her new album…
PREMIERE: GET INTO BIBI SECK’S BOX! Bibi Seck, Belgium’s celebrated DJ queen, known for her vibrant mix of house, disco, techno and all things funky, now…
10 Things Chibi Ichigo Says “BUH” Too Chibi Ichigo is nothing less than a lyrical genius. The Brussels-based artist has been grabbing our attention repeatedly over the…
INTERVIEW: PinkPantheress about Fashion and Self-Expression PinkPantheress has never been one to play by the rules, whether in music or in fashion. Just as her sound…
X

Subscribe here for free pizza*

(*Pizza might actually be our newsletter)

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.