Clemens Bacher, aka Cid Rim, grew up in Vienna, where, thanks to his father, he was in close contact with music from an early age. He learned to play drums and piano, played in bands, and later studied to become a jazz drummer at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. Together with his friends in Vienna, he started his own record label called Affine Records, which they have been running to this day. Clemens released his first album in 2012 under the stage name Cid Rim. The LP was characterised by an exciting and unique sound created from elements of jazz, hip-hop and electronic music. From that point on, he started performing live on a regular basis in various countries across the world. Radio stations played his music, and he remixed and was featured in the songs of such artists as Petit Noir, The 1975 and Django Django. He moved to London in 2017 to release his debut LP Material, which won BBC Radio 6’s Album of the Day award.
You released your EP this March, what are you working on at the moment?
I am currently working on my next record, which will be my third album.
In an earlier interview, you said that you worked on „Songs of Vienna” at a lot of locations. What’s the case with your last project, and what’s the weirdest place you’ve worked at?
I did indeed work on the album at numerous locations, but mostly in studios. I guess the weirdest place was the children’s book section of Bethnal Green Library in London.
Your Songs of Vienna EP is a follow-up project to your Songs for Vienna LP. What’s the connection between them?
„Songs of Vienna” was born from a very Viennese point of view. In contrast, „Songs for Vienna”, is written from an outside perspective, living in London. It’s about missing home and adapting to a new place.
You live in East London now, but your home town is Vienna. Did you move because of the stronger musical perspective? What does living in London give you?
I have always felt a very strong emotional connection to the UK music scene, even as a teenager. Throughout my career my ties to the scene have gotten stronger and stronger. I got signed to the UK label LuckyMe 10 years ago. London is about five times bigger than Vienna and has infinite things to explore. It’s a great inspiration to my art, and its music industry provided me with great opportunities.
Your website says that you are currently sharing a studio with the musician Sega Bodega. How do you support each other?
We play each other music every once in a while, giving each other a different perspective to what we are currently working on.