DESHIMA MUSIC

Producer-Driven Signature Label

Established in 1994 | Reimagined in 2024

Based in Braunschweig, Germany.
30+ years across music production & media.

Curated, produced and creatively directed by Chris Schulze

About Deshima Music

What Deshima Music Is - and What It Is Not

Deshima Music is an independent, producer-driven signature label. It is not a recording studio, not a bookable production service, and not an open submission platform. Projects are not commissioned on request. They are selected, initiated and curated under a clearly defined creative framework.

From 1994 to Today

Deshima Music was founded in 1994 as an independent label rooted in guitar-driven and alternative music cultures. In its early years, Deshima operated in a classic indie-label format, focusing on releases, artist development and scene-based work. In the early 2000s, the label entered an expansion phase under the direction of Chris Schulze (legal name: Christian Schulze; artist name: Schulle), combining label work with production, media-related projects and international collaborations.

Today, Deshima Music has evolved into a producer-driven signature label: projects are curated deliberately, shaped by a single creative signature and developed within a focused artistic framework.

How We Work Today

Chris Schulze defines the creative framework and final artistic direction behind Deshima Music.

Curated Projects - Not Studio Bookings

Deshima Music does not offer studio bookings or production services on demand. Artists do not approach the label to “record a song”. Instead, projects are initiated and curated internally. Collaboration begins with a shared artistic vision - not with a booking request.

Deshima Sessions

Decentralized Production Network (EU & USA)

Production is realized through Deshima Sessions: an international, decentralized network of musicians, vocalists, producers and engineers. Contributors are selected per project and work within a clearly defined creative and structural framework. In short: Global collaboration - centralized creative direction - coherent results.

Releases & Licensing

Depending on the project, productions are:

• released through in-house labels

• published via partner labels

• or delivered as licensing-ready works for third parties

Where appropriate, modern documentation methods - including blockchain-based structures - can support transparent rights, metadata and participation models.

→ Request Licensing Info
→ Listen to Releases

What This Means for Artists

Deshima Music is for artists who are:

• selected through curatorial vision, not applications

• interested in focused production and long-term coherence

• open to working within a clearly defined creative framework

This is not a service relationship. It is a curated collaboration.

Media & Background

Chris Schulze completed a journalistic traineeship (Volontariat) with the Landesmedienanstalt Niedersachsen, followed by active work as a radio host and music editor. This included the development and moderation of an own radio show broadcast via terrestrial FM (UKW) - at a time when radio was still a purely analog, frequency-based medium, long before streaming, podcasts or internet distribution.

This hands-on broadcast experience established a deep understanding of:

• editorial responsibility

• audience-focused content

• timing, dramaturgy and musical curation

• live communication under real broadcast conditions

Further media-related background includes:

• Certified Commercial Specialist for Audiovisual Media (IHK, Germany)

• Author of the “Band Workshop” series for SOUNDCHECK Magazine (international publication)

• On-camera & hosting for major German TV networks including Sat.1, RTL, RTL2 and VOX (international broadcasts)

• Radio & broadcast interviews with internationally recognized artists (selected):

  Motörhead · DIO · In Flames · Blind Guardian · Kreator

Awards & Recognition (selected)

As a musician and band member, Chris Schulze has received regional, national and international recognition for musical and cultural work. This includes awards and honors in the context of music competitions, cultural programs and international exchange projects, as well as official recognitions in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Philosophy & Working Style

Work is driven by cultural curiosity, technical precision and strategic clarity.

Classical artistic values are combined with modern production workflows to build sustainable creative systems. Technology supports the process — creative responsibility, authorship and final decisions remain human, clearly defined and accountable.

About Chris Schulze

Alongside production and label work, long-term involvement in broadcast media has shaped both creative direction and operational understanding.