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!
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