Episode 7: The Pianist - Playing With Your Back to the Room

In this episode of Majlis, Ahmed sits down with Nicolas Streichenberg — the Swiss pianist and psycho-automatic improvisationist behind Yes It's Ananias. He traces his path from a grandmother's Vivaldi CD in Baden, through ten years as organist in Swiss indie rock band Who's Panda, to recording fully improvised albums in a Mexican desert studio and a Finnish winter cabin. They also talk about playing with your back to the audience, John Coltrane and wrong notes, and a license plate reading YIA 5555 that led him to Finland for his fifth record.LinksWebsite: https://www.yesitsananias.comBandcamp: https://yesitsananias.bandcamp.comNew album (YIA V — out Sep 11): https://yesitsananias.bandcamp.com/album/yes-its-ananias-v-opus-viisi-as-a-fifth-force-forming-forgotten-alliances-between-past-predictions-and-present-powers-of-zenithSpotify: https://music.imusician.pro/a/lMN1jBVH/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/YesItsAnaniasTour DatesFri 11 Sep 2026 — Dorfkapelle Anglikon, Wohlen 🇨🇭 — Record Release Show, 20:00Sat 12 Sep 2026 — Galotti Musikwerkstatt, Zurich 🇨🇭 — 20:00Sun 13 Sep 2026 — Les Noisarelles Festival, Guebwiller 🇫🇷 — 14:00Thu 24 Sep 2026 — Odeon, Brugg 🇨🇭 — Film screening "The Quintessence"Sat 31 Oct 2026 — Pianodrome, Edinburgh 🇬🇧 — 20:00Wed 4 Nov 2026 — Kulturhaus Cheesmeyer, Sissach 🇨🇭 — 20:30Thu 5 Nov 2026 — Hotel Jakob, Rapperswil 🇨🇭 — 20:00Sat 7 Nov 2026 — Kultur Kindergarten, Ennetbaden 🇨🇭 — 21:00Sun 15 Nov 2026 — Hakasalmen Huvila, Helsinki 🇫🇮 — 14:00Sun 15 Nov 2026 — Uusi Sauna, Helsinki 🇫🇮 — 19:00Sat 21 Nov 2026 — Larry's Corner, Stockholm 🇸🇪 — 20:00Thu 10 Dec 2026 — Kultur Im Tipi, Baden 🇨🇭 — 20:00Full tour info: https://www.yesitsananias.com/shows00:00 The Quintessence [Music Intro]00:49 "No One Is Waiting for Me"03:46 Vivaldi, a Grandmother, and a Grandfather Who Took Up Cello at 5006:00 150 Shows With Who's Panda — and Why It Was Always the Kinks09:39 Psycho-Automatic — Allen Ginsberg and the Beat Writers12:07 The Last Show Before Corona14:14 Playing With Your Back to the Audience18:24 "If You Know What's Going On, You've Already Lost Your Way"20:43 The Most Honest Music That Exists24:35 November Breakup, a Phone Call to Mexico, Two Days in the Desert29:06 Last Note, Ten Minutes, an Interview — Flabbergasted at the Piano35:32 A License Plate Said YIA 555539:20 Five Hours of Daylight — Recording in February Finland43:10 The Quintessence and a Melody That Scared Him as a Kid46:28 Viisi Uritusta — Five Attempts, All Left In49:57 "If You Could Only Read What's in a Tear"52:19 Doom Scrolling and the Duty to Make Music Matter Again55:57 "I Wanna Touch Music, Not Scroll It"