Tristen Bakker

: I am Tristen Bakker, a musician, documentarian, and editor. Berlin has been my home base since 2010; I am originally from Toronto, Canada. Since the nineties I have worked on many solo and collaborative projects. I am particularly interested in work that relates to music, film, art, and the alternative, the curious and the weird. I make noise / soft noise / prog / not prog / ambient / punk music in Berlin. I also document bands and write reviews of films, books, and shows. I have a decade-long ongoing photo project. I do screenings in Berlin, mostly of trash films and musicals. And I edit the written word for gainful employment. I am a founding member of the Soft Noise Collective, formed in 2017 as a bunch of nerdy noise freaks and dancers came together for the love of touring. I am also a founding member of the collective Ida Ink, a collective of female editors and translators.

Work

Film: 2019 Interdisciplinary

I’ve been a filmmaker and editor since coming out of university in the mid 90s. I have worked in TV, editing lifestyle shows and documentary. I have worked in film, making documentary and fiction film. Here you’ll find some films I’ve made or edited over the years. For a complete filmography, contact me.

Music: Currently active projects

I’ve been writing songs for most of my life and been in bands since the late 90s. I sing, play electric bass and guitar, work with self-recorded samples and sounds, and make improv noise and experimental music. Here are my current projects.

VROUW! · all-female collaborative improvisation ensemble
Tavare · slowcore snootherings
Switt · emergent layered tones
Aidan Baker · experimental ambient soundscapes
Otolitos · improv, soft-noise band
Cousin Jane · songs of heartbreak and salvation
Soft Noise · Supervisores Benévolos

Music [archival]: Some bands from the past

Paro · prog-kraut rock for coolsters
Señor Kasio · comedy-punk rock, ooh yeah
ADHD · all-female, heavy-rock
The Mummers · four-piece indie-rock band, when being indie meant something

Documentation: Documenting bands and musicians in Berlin

I spent a good deal of time when I moved to Berlin documenting bands and performances. I also did some interviews and reviews of shows. A lot of this is compiled on my YouTube channel.

Photography: Photography

I have had an ongoing project since 2010 called Street Life, documenting furniture found on the street. This has been exhibited a few times over the years in various forms

Snapshot portraits of furniture on the streets of Berlin and Toronto. Used. Broken. Regal. Discarded. Co-opted. Re-found.

The pieces were never touched and the people never interfered with. Any pictures with people in them were not posed.

Writing: Reviews, etc.

I’ve written reviews of shows, books, and films. Here are links to selected film reviews.