When some collaborations occur, it feels like Fate has been paying close attention, planning something special. Wesseltoft comes from a jazz background and has moved towards electronic music. He started on the ECM label with Jan Garbarek, and later collaborated with club music legends like Laurent Garnier and Francois Kervorkian on stage. Schwarz comes from the Chicago/ Detroit techno culture, and performs at music festivals and in clubs on all continents. He has been moving towards the jazz and improvisation. Henrik: “Bugge and myself are moving towards each other, there are these energies.” Their first album called Duo was just released worldwide on Jazzland Recs/ Universal Music.

Kleine Wundertüte

(Kleine Wundertüte is a collection of all wonderful things that we come across in our every-day life. The project is based on the idea to document, connect and share interesting information from different kinds of media.)

visit “Kleine Wundertüte’s” blog

Sonar is a pioneering festival that is unique in terms of its format and content: a leading international benchmark thanks to a carefully assembled range of culture that combines entertainment with artistry, the avant garde and experimentation, featuring the most consolidated artists and trends in electronic music and their interactions and hybridisations with other genres. In Barcelona, Sonar’s artistic programme is divided between the activities at Sonar by Day (concerts, showcases, professional zone, exhibition area), the keynote of which is the search for new talent, and the major shows at Sonar by Night, which presents the leading names on the international music landscape. Each year, the festival also features a series of parallel events in cultural venues in the city such as the Auditori (the Barcelona main music Auditorium) or Cosmocaixa (Barcelona’s Science Museum), and occasional collaborations with other main city events (such as the Summer festival’s GREC in 2010). Sonar Barcelona 2011 will take place on 16, 17 and 18 June.

Kleine Wundertüte

(Kleine Wundertüte is a collection of all wonderful things that we come across in our every-day life. The project is based on the idea to document, connect and share interesting information from different kinds of media.)

visit “Kleine Wundertüte’s” blog

THOMAS FEHLMANN remains as one of the most endearing and respected artists on KOMPAKT. He has inspired generations of fans and musicians over the course of his 30+ year career. From his early days as part of the legendary band PALAIS SCHAUMBURG, and the pioneering Detroit/Berlin act 3MB (with JUAN ATKINS and MORITZ VON OSWALD), to his longstanding membership with THE ORB, combined with his contributions as a solo artist to esteemed imprints R&S, PLUG RESEARCH and of course KOMPAKT, where we have proudly released two full length solo albums: VISIONS OF BLAH (KOM CD 20/KOM 67) and HONIGPUMPE (KOM CD 59 / KOM 157), his musical works have been prolific, not to mention four singles and a full serving of tracks found on our POP AMBIENT and TOTAL collections. Now, after 3 years, FEHLMANN returns with GUTE LUFT…

GUTE LUFT is the result of months of work scoring the hit German TV film 24H BERLIN – the longest documentary film in history which featured 80 camera teams following the lives of Berliners over a 24 hour period. Obviously a huge challenge for FEHLMANN, beyond the scope of the project and hours of music involved in a 24 hour film, there was dealing with the decision making process that went with working with such a large production team. As he shared scoring duties with another musician (separately), inevitably a lot of his music ended up not making the final cut. GUTE LUFT is about re-tweaking and editing material from the countless hours of recording he had created. In a sense, GUTE LUFT is FEHLMANN’s ideal soundtrack to the 24H BERLIN documentary.

”While scoring the film and subsequently shaping it into a album, I found myself questioning what holds it all together in Berlin. I figured that ‘air’, the good old ‘Berliner Luft’, is something that is guaranteed to touch everyone and everything in the city. Also with that Berlin is very green, the combination with the unavoidable city dirt makes for a distinctive blend which seems to infuse its vibrant scene unknowingly with a constructive drive. Besides that, ‘Gute Luft’ was also the title of a song from my old band Palais Schaumburg, of which I have very fond memories. Also (as he says with a wink) “Gut” is one word I have a profound relation to…”

Fans shall rejoice as THOMAS FEHLMANN doesn’t veer far from his signature path of trailblazing the finer links of classic Detroit house and techno with the submerged beauty of Berlin dub. One will immediately recognize the classic scoring techniques FEHLMANN brings to GUTE LUFT – various themes and sounds resonate in various forms and versions throughout the tracks. As Thomas states, “There are also more subtle connections that should give an overall feel to the score. I also brought in elements from tunes from my previous albums in recognition of the fact that I often feel that there would be so many more ways to explore and experiment with certain ideas than just on a single track”. FEHLMANN clearly succeeds in synergizing the best of the past 20 years of Berlin’s expansive history of electronic and dance music with GUTE LUFT. A recreational album in every way in which he hopes will make you “feel at peace with you and your environment, inspire you to lush, imaginative dinners, make babies, or just walk your own way with open eyes”. Well put Thomas!

Listen to it on Kompakt.fm!

Last Saturday, January 9th, “AUSGEHEN 1-3″ premiered at Schauspiel Köln. The play is a tryptich based on texts by Barbi Markovic, Ödön von Horvát and Georg Büchner, and is all about going out in times of social changes. In 3 acts, each one based in a different generation, “Ausgehen 1-3″ creates a picture of the youth, its movements and depressions.

The next performance will be on Thursday, 14.01.2010, and from there on 21.,22., and 23., February 2010 again.

Marius Bubat of COMA wrote the entire music for this play and does also act on stage. If you’re living in Cologne or plan to visit soon, this is something you shouldn’t miss! Click HERE for more details (sorry, german version only).

Photo credit: Sandra Then / Schauspiel Köln

With artists such as DJ Koze, Thomas/Mayer, Justus Köhnke, Thomas Fehlmann and many more!

CD Release: http://kompakt.fm/releases/total_10

Annually they celebrate a stunning performance of the latest trends in electronic music of all kind, including their release of TOTAL 10, the new Album that will be released with artists in their portfolio.

A video is shown with the music together by OKINAWA 69

KOMPAKT:

Just about four weeks left until Cologne’s very own c/o pop festival starts again. As every year TOTAL 10 promises to be a highlight of the festival, so does the exclusive GAS show. Tickets are available now! Follow this link for details on the order process.

TOTAL 10: 17,85 €
Wolfgang Voigt präsentiert GAS: 14,70 €
c/o pop Festival ticket: 75,-€