Lollapalooza Q&A: DJ Ben Böhmer communes with nature as inspiration for next album

For German DJ and producer Ben Böhmer, who performed Sunday night at Lollapalooza's Bacardi Stage, the influence of nature lies at the heart of the forthcoming album “Bloom.”

Böhmer recently collaborated with Swedish dream-pop artist Lykee Li on the new single “Hiding." Utilizing Li’s vocal to construct an instrumental track, Böhmer worked outside his comfort zone, always crucial for a forward-thinking artist who’s taken to measures such as performing a livestream from a hot-air balloon amidst pandemic in 2020 in an effort to continually push his work forward.

Böhmer spoke with the Sun-Times on Sunday about his first Lollapalooza, constructing his latest single and how the world around him informs his forthcoming studio album.

Q: How has your first Lollapalooza gone so far?

BB: We had the most wonderful day. We arrived last night. We had a relaxed time to set up and walk around and see the festival. It looks beautiful.

Q: I've heard you say that your latest single, "Hiding," pushed you out of your comfort zone a bit. What was it like working with Lykee Li on the new song?

BB: First of all, it was a big honor to work with her. She’s an amazing singer and has one of the most unique voices on this planet. And she’s an amazing person. To get the opportunity to work with her was really special. She actually sent me a vocal line which I used to develop the instrumental, which is an unusual way for me to write music. It’s challenging in some ways but a fun way as well.

Q: And I know "Bloom" is coming in September. What’s sort of inspiring the creative process as we look forward to the new music?

BB: I found myself getting lots of peace and happiness in nature recently. I was raised in the city. I lived my whole life in the city. It was never, in the past, a lot of nature for me. But I realized that I’m a hiking person now. And, for this album, for example, I’ve spent a lot of time in the mountains in Italy to write music very isolated — and to go on walks and breathe nature. Nature was really inspiring, a calming inspiration for this album.

Q: I think back to 2020 when you did the livestream from the hot-air balloon. One of my favorite elements of how you approach what you do is the way you constantly find these unique new ways to push the music forward. How important is it to do that?

BB: It’s always a challenging thing to do something new. And I’m really happy that I have a good team around me with wonderful ideas.