Merry christmas and a happy new year 2011!

My dear friends,
christmas time is there and it is time for gifts!

2010 was again a year with successful events and new releases.
 Inspiration cannot be planned or prepared and when I had started to read Frank Schaetzing's science-fiction novel "The swarm" one year ago, I didn't know how deep it would touch and inspire me. So the music of "Beyond The Deep" happened in fact from itself.

First "tests" during the "Music Fair in Frankfurt" in march showed, that there was a real chance that you would like this music. The response of you confirmed this.

This brings me to the very positive cooperation with "Roland Germany", which had been intensified over the past 12 months. From "Frankfurt Music Fair" to "Ricochet Gathering" in Berlin and finally to Cologne and Berlin with a series of synthesizer-workshops (with my personal premiere as "lecturer" on synthesizer topics). This cooperation will continue and at the moment we work on new activitites in 2011.

Back to "Beyond The Deep". Short before the release of the CD, I was invited by "Schallwende e.V." to inaugurate the renovated "Planetarium Bochum" in past june. This was my first concert in Germany since many years. The Planetarium was sold out and what can I say: there are considerations and plans to do more in 2011 - of course.
The invitation to participate on the famous "Ricochet Gathering" festival (for the first time in Berlin) reached me in august. For a certain time, I was involved into the organisation. This was another chance again to meet interesting and nice people. Future cooperations could be a result of this. But I was also asked to perform and did this with a longer, new track which was conceived as a musical bridge between my recent symphonic style and past "berlin school" textures. This track - "Let It Out!" - will be my christmas-gift to all of you. Together with "MellowJet Records", we decided to release this music for the first time only as download - available only via the website of "MellowJet Records". Date of release is "01.01.2011"

So we start with a brandnew release into the next year. More will follow.

Finally I will not leave this year without saying thank you to all people, who have helped me to go forward again. Thank you to Bernd Scholl and his family (MellowJet Records), Sylvia and Klaus-Ulrich Sommerfeld (Schallwende e.V.) Mrs Huettemeister (Planetarium Bochum), Andreas Michel (Synthesizer Magazin), Ute (Rathaus Schoeneberg), Cord Brandis and Michael Menze (Roland Germany), Olivier, Christian, Yann, James and all other guys of Cosmiccagibi and last but not least the best friend of the world: Michel Le Stum.

You, you and you! I wish all of you a merry christmas, a peaceful time and a happy new year!

All the best

Bernd Kistenmacher

Video from the show in Bochum

Koos van Wijngaarden, administrator of the Dutch "EMPortal", was so kind to film a few minutes of my show at "Planetarium Bochum" and to share this on "Vimeo".

Bernd Kistenmacher Live in Bochum (Germany), June 12th, 2010 from emportal.info on Vimeo.

So enjoy some minutes of "Ouverture"

Beyond The Deep

The 12th of june, 2010 was a remarkable day.

I had not only a very nice concert at the sold Planetarium in Bochum. This day was also the day of the first release of my new solo album "Beyond The Deep". Had I still dealt  in "Celestial Movements" with astronomical themes, the maintheme is now the deep sea and the oceans.Inspired by a famous science fiction novel, I was concerned with the deep sea after my concerts in  Paris last year. My thoughts on this are fixed in the following preface:



On closer examination of the deep sea and the oceans, one is especially clear: we actually know very little about what is going on under the surface. Sure, we know about global mechanisms are working (do we really?). We know a (small) part of the species and slowly we begin to understand that the deep-sea habitats, so alien they may seem to us, are important for our own lifes.
However, this unlit and unfamiliar world is largely unexplored. In fact we know more about the stars that surround us, than about the world from which we all seem to come.

Sure, this prevents us humans not to exploit existing resources merciless. This concerns not only the overfishing of the oceans or the never-ending thirst for oil. We begin to exploit the seabed of our oceans without mercy. Even the worst environmental disasters, not hinder us to identify new and profitable sources - obviously ignoring any sustainability. A sea floor, for example the manganese nodules has been combed "are" is, after only scrap value. Only a second glance shows that there also, in many thousands of meters of the water exists, life. At least before this “harvest” actions.

Where the continental plates are pushed apart by magma flows, therefore, to the ocean ridges, there are so-called "black smokers". Hydrothermal Vents, the hot 400 degrees on a spit primordial soup. Since a few years, we know, that even here is life. Whole habitats of worms, snails, and archaea.

"Beyond The Deep" is a musical fiction. A plea for the conservation of this unique and fragile world. Sometimes threatening. Sometimes enormous. And sometimes relaxing.
Who knows what kind of parties will be held at the "black smokers"?

To find out, we should not destroy and exploit. We should do research and look there to understand. The seas and their inhabitants would thank us for...



"Beyond The Deep" is now available at "MellowJet Records" webshop and at all well-sorted mailorder services.

Planetarium Bochum - First pictures and reactions

The show is over and we are back in Berlin now.
The weekend was fantastic and I thank everybody, who let this concert become reality.

First of all I thank Sylvia & Klaus-Ulrich Sommerfeld from "Schallwende e.V", Bernd & Michaela Scholl from "MellowJet Records", Stefan Erbe for his trust and his PA(!), Prof. Dr. Huettemeister & the team from Planetarium Bochum, Michel Le Stum and the guys from "Cosmiccagibi" and of course my wife Sabine and my son Manuel, who worked like a professional roadie (respect!).
So please enjoy some first pictures from Christian Piednoir and Sabine as well as the concert review by Stefan Schelle from "Musikzirkus Magazin".

Stageplan Bochum

As you maybe now it from Paris last year, here is the stageplan for Planetarium Bochum.

Only 6 days to go. See you soon...

Beyond The Deep - MellowJet Update

Referring my new album "Beyond The Deep", "MellowJet Records" has updated their informations.
Please click on this "link" to read about the background of this CD and to catch some more audio-snippets.

 More music in "Planetarium Bochum" soon...

Beyond The Deep

After my successful entry at "MellowJet Records" with "Celestial Movements", I am pleased and happy to announce now the upcoming release of my next solo-album "Beyond The Deep".
This production does not handle with stars or space. It is a fictional musical exploration of the deep sea and our oceans. The frontcover (which is done by my friend and known artist Michel LeStum, France) shows a highly modified "black smoker", a possible source of life on earth.

After last weeks world-radiopremiere of "Ouverture" (RadioEins), the opener of this CD, I can tell you that the final mastering has been done now and that the date of release will be saturday, the 12th of june 2010. Of course the CD can be acquired at the Planetarium in Bochum. Parts of my show will contain this actual music.
For more details, please click on this "link" and go to "MellowJet Records".

Another step has been done now. Back to studio now. I have to prepare a concert...

See you!

A Celestial Night - The Official Trailer

As promised, here is the official trailer for my concert in Bochum and more...
Again produced by Michel LeStum, France. Thank you!

Elektro Beats and "Beyond The Deep"!

Germany's most famous radioshow for electronic music "Elektro Beats" will present on may 19th some tracks of my actual album "Celestial Movements" plus interview.
As a world-premiere, host "Olaf Zimmermann" will also play the opening track "Ouverture" from my next album "Beyond The Deep". This track was never played before!
So if you don't want to wait until "A Celestial Night" in Bochum and the release of the CD, please don't miss this show, which will be broadcasted on may 19th, 12 o'clock p.m. local time.

More informations about the show broadcasted by "RBB - Radio Eins" can be found "here". For past shows, please check the "interviews" page.

For a livestream check this "link" or "frequencies".

More informations about "Beyond The Deep" (which will be again released at "MellowJet Records"), will follow soon...

 

 ...with Olaf Zimmermann

Planetarium Bochum - New website online!

The things are moving forward fast.

The re-opening of "Planetarium Bochum" is on may 5th, 2010 and their new "website" is now online.

Tickets for my "A Celestial Night" concert can now obtained at "ticket-online".

See you...

Planetarium Bochum Reopening

Slowly, the newly renovated "Planetarium in Bochum" awakes to new life. The reopening is imminent. As a first "sign of life", the current program for the coming months can be downloaded "here". Of course with regard to my concert on 12th of June.

Synthesizer-Magazin and Musikmesse Frankfurt

As I already had posted some weeks ago, "Synthesizer-Magazin" will be presented with an own stand at the "Musikmesse Frankfurt", which starts next week. This year they will organize some workshops and some short performances with several e.m. artists. If you like, you can meet me there at Hall "5.0 Stand C48" (nearby Roland) on friday 26th and saturday 27th of march (afternoon).
The whole thing is called "Synthesizer-Welt". Find more infos on this "page" of Musikmesse

At the moment I am working on new tracks for my next solo-album. The release is planned for june 2010, right before my concert in Bochum. So my performance at "Musikmesse" will contain some tracks from "Celestial Movements" and something new...

Btw. "Synthesizer-Magazin" has just released issue no. 19. Beside a very interesting article about the beloved "Roland 100M Modular-Synthesizer", you can find part 2 of my experience-report about the "VP 770 Vocoder" from Roland (part 1 was published in no. 18).

Looking back ...and forward!

My dear friends,

this was 2009. Well, it wasn't an easy but almost an exciting year.

So I was allowed to participate in a lot of "premieres". For example my first laudatory during the launch of "Schallwelle - Preis für elektronische Musik in Deutschland" or my return on stage after 9 years of abstinence in Paris by invitation of my friends of "Cosmiccagibi". I also became a "Featured Artist" by Roland - Germany. A fact which makes me very proud.
And yes, I became a member of the "MellowJet Records family", which released my album "Celestial Movements" in past november. All these things make me happy, proud, optimistic and hungry for new activities in 2010.

So I am really happy to announce my next concert on 12th of june at the "Zeiss Planetarium Bochum". This will be the first concert after the complete renovation of the planetarium that will be equipped with new sound, lighting and new seats. It takes place on the initiative and invitation of Sylvia Sommerfeld from "Schallwende e.V." and Bernd Scholl from "MellowJet Records". Official ticket sales will start in april, but pre-orders and reservations can be done before by eMail at schallwende@web.de .

Of course a second concert is in preparation as well as a lot of activities by Roland, where I will be involved in too. Informations about all this can be read here soon.

I was also asked by "MellowJet" to produce a new album for autumn 2010 too. Because I was told that my fans will not "wait" another 8 years for it, I must hurry up and return to my synths now.

But before I do this, I will say thank you to all my friends in France, Germany or anywhere else and to my family too, who ever believed in me. Your energy gives me the power to go forward - with no doubts.

I see you - here or there but in any case soon and I wish you a really happy and healthful new year!

Kisses

Bernd