I met the super cool Berit Gilma during a recent interview with Danny Elfman— she's his creative director whose recent work for him includes several music videos, a double LP, a deluxe box set and a remix record where she acted as a curator and producer— featuring musicians like Blixa Bargeld [Einstürzende Neubauten], Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails, Iggy Pop, Ghostemane, HEALTH and Boy Harsher). Her art direction for Elfman was nominated for a Grammy in 2023. She's got a BA degree in Visual Communication from the University of the Arts in Berlin and an MFA from UCLA. And guess what?! She also has a band, Der Kleine Tod that she founded this past year with Austrian musician Christian Fuchs.
Without further ado...
Synth History: What are Der Kleine Tod's biggest inspirations?
Berit: Both me and Christian [Fuchs] are definitely more drawn to a darker—edgier side of auditory and visual aesthetics. He comes from the deep 1980s goth scene, and his saint is Nick Cave. Both of us praise Portishead. I then mix it up with some glam rock—I love Roxy Music—and avant-garde electronic sounds from Einstürzende Neubauten to Amnesia Scanner to Eartheater.
Synth History: What are some of your studio go-tos?
Berit: I enjoy the contrast between the colder synthetic sounds with warmer instruments. I've played the Indonesian gamelan and the Indian sitar. We work together with our Austrian producer, Bernd Heinrauch, mainly using Logic. I'm always an advocate for unusual instruments and harmonies; it gives a song-soundscape a certain quality. For our single "Styx", we chose the Mellotron, for example. In our former single, I sang a human theremin, which is a weird skill I have!
Synth History: What does the name Der Kleine Tod mean and can you tell me about moving from Germany to the US? How is the music scene different in LA?
Berit: It's German for la petite mort ["the little death"]– a french metaphor for an orgasm. I was socialized in the Austrian underground and then spent seven years in Berlin as part of the media arts and music scene. Berlin is just very cool. It feels authentic and artistic in general. There's space for true pioneering and original culture to happen. For instance, I adore PAN Records' work because it constantly seems original and distinctive. I love the LA scene for its diversity and professionalism—I feel excited here.
Unfortunately, it appears that fame and capitalism frequently swallow artistic merit. While in Berlin, everyone is poor anyway. Both have their charms and magnetism. Berlin definitely has the better clubs though!
Check out Der Kliene Tod's latest video for Styx, here.
Synth History Exclusive.
Interview conducted by Danz.
Photos provided by