Happy new year!

So, here we are now. Right at the beginning of 2012!

2011 started with a very special experiment, when "MellowJet Records" and I decided to release the unique "Let It Out!" track as download only. I will not tell too much about it, but we plan to do something more with this "40 years in 40 minutes"-journey in 2012.

We also saw some nice and important contributions on several compilations. Beginning with the track "One Single Flower", which I specially composed for MellowJet's "Electronic Music For Life" compilation, which was (and still is) dedicated to the victims of the Tsunami in Japan.

The "Schallwende- Verein für elektronische Musik" (Germany) asked me for another contribution for their "Schallplatte no.13" compilation. I contributed the track "Das Memorial", which was inspired by Jose Saramago's novel "Memorial Do Convento". This is a special track who has also found his way on the "Mystic Highlands" compilation (MORE Music). Not forget to mention a little guest-appearance, which I had during Robert Schroeder's concert in "Planetarium Bochum" in march. The album "Robert Schroeder - Bochum Live 2011" is the result.

Then..."Antimatter". To realize this project, I needed "some" help to understand only a few of the uncountable physical and technical processes, which are necessary for finding answers for one of the most important questions, which dominates our lives: where did we come from and how did it all begin? I am proud and happy to say, that I became acquainted to one of the best instructors for this complicate "matter". His name is Rolf Landua. He is physicist at "CERN" near by Geneva (Switzerland), the place were the LHC - the Large Hadron Collider is located. After intensive communication via email during the past months, we met us for the first time in october at Frankfurt bookfair (Buchmesse). We discussed a lot of details and Mr. Landua promised to write a foreword for the CD after listening to the first tracks of the CD. Thank you for this kind gesture!

Meeting Rolf Landua (CERN) at Frankfurt Bookfair

Well, we wanted to publish the album midth of november, but at least I was unhappy with the result. So corrections and additions had to be done and right now, we have a fine master and from 14th of january 2012 on, we will also have a new solo-album. Downloads in FLAC and MP3-format will be also available then. But something else is available since november: the fantastic artwork for the album and a promising video-trailer for "Antimatter" on "Youtube". Both was realized again by my best friend Michel Le Stum. Thank you for that masterpiece!

Apropos, this date brings me also to another 2012 opening "highlight". "Antimatter Live in Planetarium Muenster". The concert will now be the premiere for "Antimatter". Ticket sales are running well at this moment and I wait for the moment to welcome all of you there.

Something else? Oh yes, as promised, right now in this moment my official homepage "www.berndkistenmacher.com" will be online. Still a little bit rudimentary, but this thing will grow fast and soon.

I wish you a happy new year 2012. May it become a happy and peaceful time for you!


Heartfelt greetings

Bernd Kistenmacher

New interview in KEYS!

I am happy to announce a brandnew interview that currently has been published in german "KEYS - Magazin für Musik und Computer".

The interview was held in Berlin past summer with Ulf Kaiser. We talked about technical facts as well as my past and my recent music and other activities. Of course we talked also about "Antimatter", which will be out...soon!

Enjoy it!

Planetarium Muenster - Update

As I promised before I will give you a short update about my day in Planetarium Muenster on 31st of october.

working "under the dome" (c)oblonczyk,lwl

laser-sculptures in front of LHC full-dome image

So I had a meeting with Dr. Bjoern Voss (director of the planetarium) and his technical assistant Mr. Michael Nolte. We exchanged many ideas about the project and the concert and discussed especially a kind of "storyboard". We watched a lot of images of CERN's "LHC" (Large hadron Collider) and one is sure at the moment: full-dome projections and lasershows will take a great part of the whole thing.

After a little break, there was also a little interview session with local press, which was organized by Mrs. Fialla, which is responsible for public-relations.

So this all will be an exciting event and there are some more ideas which could become reality after the concert next year. But everything step-by-step.

I hope to welcome you in Muenster soon and if you still need some tickets, please contact the Planetarium directly or follow this  "link".

See you!

In the eyes of... New interview for Cosmiccagibi online!

Olivier Bégué, Michel Le Stum and James L. Frachon did another interview with me for the "Cosmiccagibi" website. They wanted to know my relationship to films and my opinions about music in films. I liked the idea to give a more private insight into my life and my personal taste.

The english version can be found "here". The french translation is also online now "here".

Thank you guys for this "meeting of the third kind"!

Preparations for show at Planetarium Muenster!

On monday 31st of october I will travel to "Planetarium Muenster" to start with tests and preparations for the upcoming "Antimatter Live!" concert, which is scheduled at 14th of january, 2012.

It is planned to use the complete inhouse-technology including video-projections, animations and laser.

There will also be a meeting at monday afternoon with local press to present the project. 

After my return, I will leave a short report about this day.

See you!

Antimatter - Official Trailer!

Hello together,

I am happy and proud to announce now the official trailer for my upcoming new album "Antimatter".

This is realized and produced by Michel Le Stum, who proves again his big talent as graphist and video-artist.

You can watch it here or on "Youtube" or whereever you want to post the link to.

Feel free to do this.....!

All the best

Bernd Kistenmacher

Antimatter

I am happy to announce my third solo-album, which I have produced for "MellowJet Records".

"Antimatter" will be out on 16th of november 2011. More infos will follow soon.

Thank you for your attention.

10 questions from Empulsiv

Stefan Erbe, mastermind of german "Empulsiv" forum for electronic music has recently done a "10 questions to..." interview with me.

You can read it "here".

Synthesizer-Magazin. New report!

In past july, I have written another test-report for german "Synthesizer-Magazin" about the brandnew "Roland Jupiter-80 Synthesizer".

The article is now available in edition  no. 28.

Enjoy to read it...

Swimmingpool Festival

By personal reasons I have to cancel my participation at "Swimmingpool" Festival
at 23rd and 24th of september.

New line-up will be announced soon.

Thank you to Thorsten Q Quaeschning for trust and cooperation.

Exclusive interview with Terry Hawke

Terry Hawke , host of the famous and well known bristish radio-show "Hawke Chill-Out Sessions" as well as his programme "Night Hawke",  will broadcast a recently done interview with me for "Harborough FM" on august 27th. at 11.15 pm BST (00.15 am CET).

We will talk about and listen to my recent works "Celestial Movements" and "Beyond The Deep" and I will give a little overview about upcoming releases, concerts and more.

"The Hawke Chill-Out Sessions is still acknowledged to be the only local radio station globally that plays, Space Rock, Electronic Music, Ambience and Electronica".

So please don't miss the show and click "here" to get up-to-date!

Countdown for Official Website

Dear friends,

during the past years you have got all infos about my activities via this blog. This shall remain so. But because of many other activities and things I have to tell you, it is now (soon) time to go the next step: the launch of my official website.

Even now you can feel free to write down the new web adress :

www.berndkistenmacher.com

My art-director Michel LeStum was so kind to prepare a little "Countdown". It will count to zero until december 31st, 2011. From january 1st, 2012 (0.00 o'clock) the new website will be online.

Stay in touch and start to count down!

New Concert!

2011 is far from over, but the preparations for new CD releases and concerts for 2012 are already underway. So I am very pleased to announce my next concert.
For the first time, the "Planetarium Muenster"  will host a show with a brandnew life-performance from me. This takes place on saturday, the 14 th of january 2012 at 19.30 o'clock. Using all visual options of the planetarium (full-dome projection, star projector, laser show) we prepare a special show to visualize the music of my next solo album, which will be released in autumn this year.

To find the Planetarium, please click on this "link" to open Google maps.

So from now, a ticket hotline is now set up for ticket pre-orders.

Ticket-Hotline
LWL-Museum of Natural History
Westphalian State Museum and Planetarium
Sentruper Str 285 | 48161 Münster
Phone 0251.591-6050
Fax 0251.591-6098

Workdays:  8:30 to 12:30
                  14:00 to 15:30

or planetarium@lwl.org

You can find more infos about the event, if you "click here".


Soon, a  ticket-service of city of Muenster will follow.
Please watch this blog or my facebook-page, because more details will follow soon.

See you!

New track : The Memorial

Since 13 years, the german "Schallwende e.V." fan-organization for electronic music releases a special CD-project, which is called "Schallplatte". Sylvia Sommerfeld - head of the organization - invites artists from the scene  to contribute on that project. Each year, the content of "Schallplatte" focusses on another theme. This year (2011) is "Literature" the goal. Each participant was asked to write some music about his most beloved or most impressing book.

I decided to write a musical comment on "Memorial do Convento" from "José Saramago", who had passed away in 2010. The result - "Das Memorial" - is a reflection of one of the saddest scenes in that novel: the transport of a huge bell on a hill by hundreds of suffering souls.

So "Schallplatte no.13" is out now and available for members of the organization only. A true collectors item. I am sure, that "Schallwende e.V." cannot get enough promotors and fans of electronic music. So - if you like - become a member quickly and get "Schallplatte no.13".

Thank you

Let It Out! - New review

"Synth & Sequences" - website from Sylvain Lupari, has published a brandnew review about "Let It Out!". You can read it here:

"Let it Out! Let yourself go and let off steam out! This is what one might conclude at the listening of this awesome music piece that Bernd Kistenmacher wrote for the famous EM festival; Ricochet Gathering 2010 promoted by Ricochet Dream Records’ own Vic Rek. For the German synthesist it was an opportunity to take stock of and build the bridge between his Berlin School influences and his current EM tangent which is more symphonic. And it's true that Bernd Kistenmacher has totally give vent to his feelings... if not went entirely running riot! He did Let it Out!

The whole thing starts with a movable synth line coming out of cosmos and stars to glide lovingly among waves that come and go in a soft and delicious musical maelstrom. Waves of synth that are intertwining and amassing over a multitude of synthesized waves, of which some stand out and throw short melodic fragments whereas huge symphonic drum rolls suddenly appear. They are the signal to launch a swarm of symphonic stratums where synth layers sharpen their metaphoric bows to draw curt and quick stationary orchestral élans. And there go violin mellotrons which are dandling with fury on rolls of symphonic percussions whereas lines of synth all so symphonic fly over this soft ferocity coming of the hits of quixotic bows on a structure becoming more and more dense and heavy. We are at the 7^th minute point and the atmosphere is explosive with this furious orchestration which continues to tumble down under warm mellotron strings and Greco-Roman choirs which add a depth already filled at high volume. Toward the 9^th minute the rhythm is crashing on the orchestral cliff, freeing piano notes which hesitate to make themselves heard and which are quick snapped by a hatched sequential movement. It’s a jerky movement which crashes into as scissors of a psychotic barber whereas that the piano finally develops its harmony under a sparkling dam of sequences and waving synth lines. The rhythm drumming, Kistenmacher dresses Let it Out! of all his musical assets. This time it’s acoustic guitars notes’ turn to join in to make a sweet melody with the piano’s, under a sky streaked by shrill lines of synth. And the whole thing is reforming abruptly in a heavy and dense orchestration where a Berlin School is flooding of marvellous dense and intense orchestral stratums whereas the symphonic approach is moulding to superb exhilarating sequences. A sequence is isolating towards the eighteen minute. It divides up the rhythm to pound alone a movement which zigzags beneath sinuous reverberations. Let it Out! undertakes then a pure Berlin School turn with a powerful hypnotic sequence which hammers a ghostly tempo flied over by streaks and discreet solos of synth while, demonic, keyboard keys ramble and knock with fury to scattered in a totally wild rhythm.

Let it Out! continues his furious rhythmic élan on a sequence which by moments is splitting to finally move at high speed such a nervous and frenzied TGV on a very nice bass line which waves in length undulations. The more this long music piece of Kistenmacher evolves and the more he impresses by his wealth in the choice of virtual instruments and by the addition of all his musical layers that weighs down Let it Out! of a fascinating musicality a bit mad and crazy but constantly poetic. That’s all a lesson of EM that Bernd Kistenmacher is serving to us with this epic track which pursues its unbridled crusade while piano notes return haunting Let it Out! with striking percussions hits. Memotron stratums return and are even more symphonic. They wrap this wild rhythm of a tight melodious influence where lines, layers and stratums of synth are uniting to unify their breaths in a wonderful celestial clarion which sings and charms under frenzied hits of percussions, breathless sequences and this line of bass which supports this rhythm of a surprising cohesion with its thick cooing undulations. And quietly this infernal rhythmic train enters its station. It slows down its pace, letting drag the dust of its clarions, piano notes and sequences to only make hearing an acoustic guitar that sings beneath the jolts of still alive rhythms and breaths of a synth to hybrid layers, between the symphonic and Berlin School there where choirs breath in under mellotron stratums and hits of philharmonic big drums.

There are no doubts in my head, Let it Out! will be a piece of anthology in contemporary EM. We attend at a real tour de force where Kistenmacher is a real musical whirlwind. Throughout this heavy sequential and symphonic maelstrom, Bernd Kistenmacher maintains a fascinating melodious approach which is the soul of this long hypnotic musical piece where every stage brings its melodious freshness and the poetry so unique to the musical universe of the German synthesist. It is a pure masterpiece which is available in downloadable format on MellowJet site. I think it’s useless to specify that it is a must have. As far as I’m concerned it’s the best EM album in 2011 so far.

Sylvain Lupari

gutsofdarkness.com & synth&sequences.com "

More reviews can be also read on "Guts Of Darkness" website.

"Let It Out" is available as download only at the "webshop" of "MellowJet Records".

Electronic Music For Life - Out Now!

Details and webshop can be found at "MellowJet Webshop".

Thank you for your attention and donation!

Electronic Music For Life - Official Trailer

Electronic Music FOR LIFE

"Everyone has seen the disastrous incidents in Japan in the News since several weeks. The devastating earthquake on March 11th, 2011 was followed by a destructive Tsumani.
Thousands and thousands of people had to escape or were swept along by the floods. The number of victims is rising day by day. To all this suffering a nuclear catastrophy of unknown extend is threatening the country and so the japanese people. At the same time thousands of refugees, children, families, old people are fighting for their livelihood."

"I was able to persuade more than 20 well known musicians and artists to contribute a song for this project. The unexpected happened: The response was so overwhelming, that "Interdisc" decided to sponsor a double-CD-production. Simultaneously, "Rebeat" will sponsor the digital distribution incl. Promotionservice. Many well known onlineportals already assured their support: Every Euro, every cent counts."

"100% of the revenue will be given to the " Red Cross " for direct support in Japan. Further information will follow. It should be stressed, that 100% of the revenue will be donated, no charges or costs for production or downloads will be deducted!
The deadline for the participating artists is April 10th, 2011. The production will start shortly afterwards. The mastering will be performed by „Eroc“."

"The Compilation is finished and mastered. We got finally 27 songs from 27 different artists. That's awesome. Snippets are " online ". Most of the tracks were produced and composed exclusively for this project. So "EM FOR LIFE" became a great mixture of nearly all known Electronic Music genres. This release is a must have in any collection.

Both two CD´s are brimfull and the total playtimes is about 150 minutes. The project is very international. Besides artists from Germany there are acts from France, United Kingdom, Norway Israel, Netherlands, Greek and Poland on it.

With thankful regards,

Bernd "moonbooter" Scholl "

I can not much more add to Bernd Scholl's thoughts on this project, beside the wish, that many, many people may help the japanese victims. Also we would be thankful, if somebody would help us in a similar situation.

The actual playlist and audio-snippets can be found "here".

Please enjoy and help!

Bernd Kistenmacher

BOCHUM LIVE 2011

Shipping start  20th of April 2011

 During the last "Schallwelle - Deutscher Preis für elektronische Musik" celebration, I was asked to participate at the encore of Robert Schroeder's concert, who was invited as the main-act. The result of our collaboration was recorded and is now available on the CD "Robert Schroeder - Bochum Live 2011". The CD is available from april 20th. on and can be ordered at "News Music". Detailed infos can also be downloaded "here".

Shipping start  20th of April 2011

New Interview!

Some days ago, dutch journalist Bert Strolenberg did an interview with me for his "Sonic Immersion" website for electronic music.
We talked about the conceptional background of my recent releases, some general point of views about the recent em-scene and much more.

This interview is now online and be read "here".

Enjoy reading it!

New Solo-Albums!

It is time again to talk about my actual work and some plans for 2011.

I am back now at my "IvoryTower" to record and arrange new tracks for two new albums.
One thing is certain: the next album will be released before this summer; aproximately in april or may.
The second album will be finished at the end of 2011.

Both projects need a lot of preparations.
At this moment I will not go too much into details about the upcoming releases, but two things are sure at the moment.
First: the next album will be a thematic continuation of the albums "Celestial Movements" and "Beyond The Deep", but maybe not exactly as you would expect it now.
Second: friend and art-director "Michel Le Stum" will prepare a new trailer for this production; of course with new music.

More details will follow soon.

Keep in touch!

Nomination for Schallwelle - Award

After the shortly finished voting, "Schallwelle - Deutscher Preis für elektronische Musik" announces today the nominees in the categories "Best Musician/ Band (national/ international)", "Best CD (national/ international)" and "Newcomer".

Detailed listing can be found if you click on this "link".

As known, the winners and the results will be presented at the schallwelle-award event at march 12th, 2011 in "Planetarium Bochum".

Only few tickets are still available.

See you!

Eldoradio

Tonight you can hear ecxlusively some minutes of "Let It Out!" in the show "Codo's Traumreisen" at "Eldoradio" web radio.
Host Christoph Cech aka "Codo" will play some  minutes of this 41 minutes long track.

Please follow this "link" for more details and webstream.

Let It Out! download online now!

This is just a short but important message today:

"Let It Out!", my latest release, is now available as download at "MellowJet Records".

Please follow this link to "MellowJet Records", listen to the sample, go to the webshop and... make the right decision ;-)

More news soon!