{{Short description|German musician and music producer}} {{Infobox person |name = Johann Scheerer |image = Johann Scheerer.jpg |birth_name = Johann Wilhelm Karl Jakob Scheerer |occupation = musician, music producer and author |birth_date = {{Birth date|1982|11|6|df=y}} |birth_place = Henstedt-Ulzburg |death_date = |death_place = }}
'''Johann Wilhelm Karl Jakob Scheerer''' (6 November 1982 in Henstedt-Ulzburg) is a German musician and music producer based in Hamburg.<ref>[http://www.publicpressure.org/interviews-johann-scheerer/ Interview with Johann Scheerer] Public Pressure Magazine September 15, 2016</ref> He is known for his production of bands like Bosnian Rainbows,<ref>[https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/bosnian-rainbows-on-tour-latest-band-from-omar-rodriguez-lopez-20130627 Latest Band From Omar Rodriguez-Lopez] in Rolling Stone Magazine June 27, 2013.</ref><ref>[http://sargenthouse.tumblr.com/post/52404161044/paste-magazine-bosnian-rainbows-featured-in-the About the Bosnian Rainbows article in Paste Magazine] Sargent House, June 7, 2013.</ref> Peter Doherty, Omar Rodríguez-López, Faust or Gallon Drunk.
== Biography == Johann Scheerer was born on 6 November 1982 to Jan Philipp Reemtsma and Ann-Kathrin Scheerer in Henstedt-Ulzburg, and grew up in Hamburg.
At 16, he won a talent contest with his school band "Am kahlen Aste". The prize was a meeting with the then successful music producers, Berman Brothers (producers) (Caught in the Act, Hanson). This was followed by a recording contract with Epic/Sony and the release of three singles and an album under the band name Score!. The band was not as successful as the record company had hoped, and the contract came to an end. The band subsequently split up some two years later.
As a free agent, Johann Scheerer took recording the band into his own hands. This led to the creation of the "Rekordbox" recording studio in two construction containers stacked on top of each other, located on land occupied by the Garten Art Network in Hamburg’s Eifflerstrasse.
In 2004, he moved with Henning Schmidt (Plemo) into the recording studio ''Phonraum'' in the building formerly occupied by the Tageszeitung in Chemnitzstrasse in Hamburg. Following numerous smaller and demo productions, he and Schmidt parted ways. In 2006, he began collaborating with Thies Mynther, opening the completely analogue ''Clouds Hill Recordings'' studio<ref>[https://www.thefamouscompany.com/article/blog-interview-clouds-hill/ Interview with Johann Scheerer about the Clouds Hill Studio] The Famous Company, October 06, 2017</ref> in Hamburg. National and international productions soon followed and in 2008, Chris von Rautenkranz decided to join Clouds Hill Recordings with the mastering for Soundgarden.
Later in 2008, Scheerer created the ''Taka-Takaz'' project. Twelve of his songs were recorded with musicians Omar Rodriguez Lopez (At The Drive-In,<ref>[https://www.hardwiredmagazine.com/at-the-drive-in-will-release-ep-diamante-in-november/?lang=en About the Release of the At The Drive-In EP “Diamanté”] mixed by Johann Scheerer, in Hardwired Magazine October 18, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.roughtrade.com/gb/music/diamante-ep Rough Trade Releasepage of the EP “Diamanté”] Rough Trade November 25, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://overdrive-mag.com/2018/01/27/drive-diamante-ep-available-digitally/ At The Drive In “Diamanté” EP] Overdrive Magazine January 27, 2018.</ref> The Mars Volta), Marco Haas (T.Raumschmiere), Jessica Drosten (Das Bierbeben), Thies Mynther (Phantom/Ghost, Stella), Bubi Blacksmith (Zed Yago), Mense Reents (Die Vögel, Egoexpress, Die Goldenen Zitronen), Stella, Sebastian Nagel (Mocambo/The Ape) and Albrecht Schrader. The songs were released as two 10” EPs, Leslie White and Leslie Black.
Together with his fellow band member, Sebastian Nagel, Scheerer founded the 7” label Clouds Hill Ltd. in 2009, initially releasing 7” singles, recorded in Clouds Hill Recordings Studio and limited to production runs of 500. After the release of the ''Fukui'' album for Hamburg band Stella, and ''Beauty'', from Freiburg band Kraków Loves Adana, the label established itself producing 10” EPs and 12” long players.
In 2010, Scheerer took ''Clouds Hill Ltd.'' to the internationally based Roughtrade Distribution. In the autumn of 2010, the band Stella reached 7th place in the German Club Charts (Deutschen Clubcharts – DCC) with the 12” remix “Office & Store”. The label received particular attention with its release of a 7” singles box, wrapped in sailcloth (2009), with a limited edition of 100, which sold out in less than 10 days and contained all the singles previously released by Clouds Hill Ltd. This was followed in 2011 by a 200 piece run of the “Analog Love in Digital Times” box, which included three 12” maxis and five 7” singles as well as a polaroid film and an original polaroid photo (in collaboration with Impossible).
The 2012 release of ''…live at Clouds Hill''-Vinylbox sold out before its release, and featured seven artists who had played a concert at Clouds Hill Recordings. These included Faust & Omar Rodríguez López, Gallon Drunk, Bosnian Rainbows, The Ape and Léonore Boulanger.
His 2012 productions included the debut album of Berlin artists ALLIE and the first album for Omar Rodríguez López’s new band Bosnian Rainbows, which was released in May 2013 by Clouds Hill. In this year Scheerer also was executive producer of the “Los chidos” Movie,<ref>[https://variety.com/2012/scene/markets-festivals/los-chidos-1117947263/ Executive producer of the “Los chidos” Movie] Variety Magazine, March 18, 2012.</ref> a Rodríguez López Production in association with Sargent House.
In 2014, he met Peter Doherty, who asked him to produce his solo album, and who later summarised their working together simply with “the guy saved my life”. The Scheerer label Clouds Hill released a limited 12” single which included an exclusive song from Peter Doherty and James Johnston<ref>[http://blurtonline.com/review/james-johnston-starless-room Johann Scheerer Producer of “The Starless Room”] Blurt November 18, 2016</ref> for Record Store Day 2016.
In 2017, Scheerer released the Peter Doherty<ref>[http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/pete-doherty-announces-new-solo-album-hamburg-demonstrations-first-single/ Pete Doherty Announces New Solo Album] Music Feeds September 28, 2016</ref> solo album he had produced,<ref>[https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/pete-doherty-hamburg-demonstrations Johann Scheerer Produced Hamburg Demonstrations ALbum of Peter Doherty] in ''NME Magazine London'' 2016.</ref> “Hamburg Demonstrations”<ref>[https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/24898/pete-doherty-hamburg-demonstrations-album-of-the-week About Album “Hamburg Demonstrations”] ''MOJO magazin'' December 08, 2016</ref><ref>[https://www.soundonsound.com/news/sos-present-recording-peter-dohertys-hamburg-demonstrations Behind the scenes interview “Hamburg Demonstrations”] Sound on Sound December 06, 2016</ref> through his label ''Clouds Hill'', earning him a nomination for the Hamburg Music Prize “HANS” as best musician.
== Philosophy == In his productions, that range from pop to indie and on to avant-garde sound experiments, Scheerer strives for a sound that sets itself apart from the usual mainstream. He explains, “I always ask myself, what kind of mood, colour, depth do I want to create here? What kind of space do I want to see when I listen to this?”. His goal is to evoke emotions, without simply serving aesthetic expectations.
== Discography (selection) ==
{| class="toptextcells" width="100%" | '''1000 Robota''' * Hamburg brennt (EP), 2008 * Du nicht, er nicht, sie nicht (LP), 2008
'''Rocko Schamoni & L'Orchestre Mirage''' * Die Vergessenen, 2015
'''Peter Doherty / James Johnston''' * Record Store Day 12", 2016
'''Peter Doherty''' * Hamburg Demonstrations, 2016
'''Taka-Takaz''' * Leslie White EP, 2008 * Leslie Black EP, 2008
'''Karamel''' * Komm Besser Ins Haus, 2005 * Tritt Kerben In den Asphalt, 2006 * Schafft Eisland, 2007 * Maschinen, 2009 * ~ (Tilde), 2013 '''James Johnston''' * The Starless Room (2016) | '''Kraków Loves Adana''' * Beauty, 2010 * Interview, 2012
'''Gallon Drunk''' * The Road Gets Darker From Here, 2012 * The Soul Of The Hour, 2014
'''Faust''' * Something Dirty, 2011
'''Phantom/Ghost (Engineering/Mix)''' * Thrown Out Of Drama School, 2009 * The Process, 2009 * Live At Clouds Hill, 2009
'''At the Drive-In''' * Diamanté EP 2018
'''Stella''' * Fukui, 2010 * Office & Store, 2011
'''Anajo''' * Drei, 2011 | '''Tonia Reeh''' * Boykiller, 2011 * Fight of the stupid, 2013
'''Sion Hill''' * Elephant, 2017
'''The Ape''' * The Ape, 2008 * Nothing But An Underapement, 2010 * Fashion (EP), 2011
'''Dutch Uncles''' * Dutch Uncles, 2008
'''Frank Spilker (Co Produktion/Engineering)''' * Mit All Den Leuten, 2010
'''Michaela Meise (Engineering/Mix)''' * Preis Dem Todesüberwinder, 2011
'''Bosnian Rainbows''' * Bosnian Rainbows, 2013 '''Matija''' * Are We An Electric Generation Falling Apart? (2017) |}
== Publications == * ''Wir sind dann wohl die Angehörigen. Die Geschichte einer Entführung.''<ref>[http://www.zeit.de/2018/11/entfuehrung-jan-philipp-reemtsma-johann-scheerer-buch ''Wir sind dann wohl die Angehörigen. Die Geschichte einer Entführung.''] {{in lang|de}} Die Zeit Magazin March 07, 2018</ref> Piper, München 2018, {{ISBN|978-3-492-05909-1}}. * ''Unheimlich Nah.'' Piper, München 2021, {{ISBN|978-3-492-05915-2}}
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == * [http://johannscheerer.com/ Johann Scheerer (official website)] * [http://www.cloudshillrecordings.com/ Clouds Hill Recordings] * {{discogs artist|1218697|Johann Scheerer}} * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQ-tTEXwpFQ In the studio with Johann Scheerer (Clouds Hill Recordings)] * [http://vimeo.com/3053827 Desaster Live, 2008] * [http://vimeo.com/20635376 Clouds Hill Vinylbox #2 – Analog Love In Digital Times] * [http://www.bedroomdisco.de/2017/08/sion-hill-interview/ Interview with Nathan Johnston] * [https://www.piper.de/buecher/wir-sind-dann-wohl-die-angehoerigen-isbn-978-3-492-05909-1 About the book ''Wir sind dann wohl die Angehörigen. Die Geschichte einer Entführung.''] {{in lang|de}} Piper Verlag GmbH
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scheerer, Johann}} Category:German male non-fiction writers Category:German male singer-songwriters Category:German singer-songwriters Category:German record producers Category:German autobiographers Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:21st-century German male singers Category:People from Henstedt-Ulzburg Category:21st-century German male writers