Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Wake Up In The Sun

To all my fans from Greece (and of course to all of you from around the world):

Thank you for looking and asking so intensively for my second Album "Wake Up In The Sun" at the Tangerine Dream Forum . Yes, "Cassandra's Dance" was my answer to the classics from Tangerine Dream and Michael Hoenig and - of course - it was my intention to follow and develope the basic ideas of the "Berliner Schule" style.
Indeed this term does not come from me. It was invented in connection with the "Beat Studio", which was founded and directed by swiss composer Thomas Kessler in Berlin in1969.

Please read more about this in the englisch or german Wiki.

One info for the tech freaks: all sequences you can listen on this album where realised with the famous ARP Sequencer; a machine, which I really loved. The music was recorded on a Tascam 8-track machine.

You can still listen to the music at Last.FM .

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Live & Studio Tapes '92

Wow, time is running!

We have already mid-June and I had almost forgotten to upload the next album at Last.FM.

Live & Studio Tapes '92

In January 1992 I received a visit from two elderly, very friendly Belgian gentlemen: Flor Berckenbosch, a well-known radio presenter, and Jef Dupain, co-organizer of the "Festival van Vlaanderen", the Flander's Music Festival.
This renowned festival concentrated on classical and "new" serious music. My invitation represented a first step of this festival in the direction of electronic music. Berckenbosch and Dupain came to Berlin to discuss details, and my appearance was slated for June. For me it was a big chance, and I was quite happy.

The Festival in Flanders was being organized on a grand scale. I rented a P.A. and drove to Belgium in a large truck, accompanied by my wife, Erik (a friend) and Uwe Rogge, a fantastic guy, able to solve every technical problem. Uwe then worked for REVUE Berlin sound company, but I had known him previously from Sound & Drumland music shop in Berlin.

Belgium was fantastic. Beautiful summer weather greeted us upon our arrival in the small town of Tongeren. I was scheduled to play in a basilica, but was then relocated to an old theater, as the church was closed for reconstruction. The theater was quite old and musty, but that gave it a special charm. I would gladly play there again. The mood was good, and although I had a couple of technical problems, the concert went wonderfully.



I still remember a moment where I now laugh about when I think at that, but at this time I rather started to sweat. The stage floor of the theater was plenty unstable. The old floorboards were quite week and the whole area moved if something dynamic happened. That bothered me not really.
However, during the concert the bass frequencies of my monitor speakers where so intense that they removed a MIDI cable from my drum module, which was mounted in the huge rack that I had built up behind me. Suddenly the drums where off and I had a few “hot” minutes of pure improvisation to cope until I noticed what's going to be. Experiences you will never forget!

Nevertheless I will always be grateful to Jef Dupain and Flor Berkenbosch for the invitation.

Music from both - the "Festival van Vlaanderen" and another festival where I participated this year (the "Wellwnformen Festival") - appeared on my fifth solo CD entitled
Live and Studio Tapes '92.

Again, please enjoy it on
Last.FM.





Wednesday, June 4, 2008

SchneidersBuero

A visit to SchneidersBuero!

Many friends of electronic music are not only interested in the artists of this music genre, but also interested in the instruments required for this music.
The latest trend (in addition to the transmission of famous analogue hardware synthesizers into the software level) is certainly the connection of modern sound generation combined with from analogue synthesizers known user-friendly interface design. In short, compact synthesizer (also modular) with many knobs and switches to direct influence and control of the generated sounds.


In recent years, many small but ambitious companies began with the implementation of new synthesizer concepts. So today there are many new and interesting "machines" available.


If you are interested in this - and also incidentally want to visit a great city – don't hesitate to travel to Berlin and visit SchneidersBuero.



...with Andreas Schneider and Octopus

Andreas Schneider - the CEO of this company - has his showroom at Alexander Str. no. 7 (at Alexanderplatz) in the centre of Berlin (Mitte). He is constantly prepared to show you the latest synthesizers away from any mainstream. All instruments can be extensively tested and gladly Mr. Schneider takes also personally the time to demonstrate full of enthusiasm "his" instrument park.

„stecken, schrauben, spielen“ by Andreas Schneider

A visit there is all worth, but all who have no time or opportunity to do so, should obtain a little book that Mr. Schneider personally has written.
"stecken, schrauben, spielen" is a handbook that contains both, a historical overview of SchneidersBuero itself and gives also an overview over the synthesizers of today and its makers. Highly recommended!