Radiospecial and new review!

Sylvain Lupari has written a very kind review about my latest album "PARADISE" in his "Synth & Sequences" blog.

Please read it "here"

In preparation to my next concert on january 31st at the "LWL-Planetarium" in the city of Muenster, Ecki Stieg, host of the famous radio show "Grenzwellen", has produced a one hour portrait about me and my work. We will talk about everything from roots, past  to "PARADISE".

You can listen to it tonight at 9.00 p.m. Please check it out "here" or "here".
The show will be listenable on air (87,6 MHz) and as webstream.

Enjoy

New reviews for "Let It Out!+" and "Patterns Of Light"

"Sylvain Lupari" provides two very nice reviews about "Let It Out!+" and "Patterns Of Light" on his "Synth & Sequnces" website.

Please read it here:

BERND KISTENMACHER: Let it Out! + Compressed Fluid (2012)

“I said it once and I'm saying it twice, Lit it Out! is a truly masterpiece of contemporary EM. Hat to you Bernd!”
1 Let it Out! 41:08
2 Compressed Fluid (Bonus track) 19:58
MellowJet Records | cd-bk1202 (CD 61:06) *****
(Berlin School, Symphonic EM)
Caresses of violins! Enormous caresses of violins which escape from the cavern of cosmos and run on the seas of abysses in order to waltz with melancholy. These strata are wrapping us with an infinite tenderness and transport us up to the cliffs of violent orchestral arrangements which debauch the gargantuan appetite of the multiple strings which inflame in violent staccatos. And bang! So bursts this compressed sound dynamite that is Let it Out!. How many of you still haven't heard this monster of intensity that was presented within the framework of the 2010 Ricochet Gathering festival? This music, available only in downloadable format since its release in December2010 is now distributed in factory pressed CD by the German label MellowJet Records. In complement we are entitled to a portion, the encore, of the concert given by Bernd Kistenmacher at the Planetarium of Muenster on January 14th, 2011.
“Let it Out! + Compressed Fluid” presents two music pieces that are very alike. If one, "Let It Out!", sketches a furious musical overview of this magnificent musician and composer career, "Compressed Fluid" is a surprising dissection of Kistenmacher last album (Antimatter) on a slow and mesmerizing staccato overhung by delicious solos that the German synthesist cuts with a surgical musicality out of his MiniMoog. If it's less violent than "Let It Out!", it remains as much intense. And the solos...Hum pure delight! You can read about the Let it Out!downloadable album here: http://synthsequences.blogspot.ca/2011/05/bernd-kistenmacher-let-it-out-2010.html
I had already written that Let it Out! was 2011 album of the year. And I maintain this position. Rarely did I hear an album so intense where the scents of vintage EM espoused marvellously the symphonic ambitions of a musician. And when it comes from Bernd Kistenmacher, the capture of the delight is amplified. Offered in pressed CD Let it Out! is finally franked from a downloadable version which simply didn't give it justice. The powerful performance of Kistenmacher at the Ricochet Gathering is unique. It's a piece of anthology in the chessboard of contemporary EM which doesn't deserve the forgetting in the vast areas of the Internet. And “Let it Out! + Compressed Fluid” is even bigger with two powerful tracks of a rare intensity signed Bernd Kistenmacher. A must have!
Sylvain Lupari (January 2nd, 2013)

BERND KISTENMACHER: Best of-Patterns of Light (2012)

“There are compilations that are only simple compilations and others that are an interesting journey at the antipodes of a career which knew an important artistic bend, Best of-Patterns of Light is of those”
1 The Beginning 4:14
2 In Face of Saturn 8:49
3 The End of the Record 12:59
4 A Hand Softly Touching You 11:47
5 The Memorial 6:58
6 On The Shoulders of Atlas 6:05
7 Lost City 14:01
8 Autumn Leaves 6:24
Innovative Communication | 872377-2 (CD 71:15) ****
(Classical Berlin School, Symphonic EM)

There are compilations that are only simple compilations! And then there are others which form an interesting journey at the antipodes of a career which knew an important artistic bend. And “Best of-Patterns of Light” is part of those. This superb compilation of Bernd Kistenmacher's works makes the auditor travelling between the both worlds that the synthesist and German composer has caressed for the greatest pleasure of our ears. From this universe to analog tones of the vintage years, strongly soaked by his Schulzian influences, to a more contemporary one, forged in great symphonic arrangements, “Best of-Patterns of Light” is a skeud which travels as much in the time as in the cosmos of Kistenmacher. A skillful mixture of two styles which in the end makes only a wonderful musical vein where the dream follows the patterns for a light that only Bernd Kistenmacher has the control over the switch.
"The Beginning" and "In Face of Saturn" form the superb intro of Celestial Movements. Here they start a compilation to hybrid flavor with somber synth layers which grow around the lamentations of a melancholic trumpet. The movement is symphonic and Vangelesque. It pours into "In Face of Saturn" and of its electronic percussions which row towards a tempo of which the curt movements are strummed under the aegis of a synth with splendid solos. This more contemporary vision of Bernd Kistenmacher shines with his symphonic arrangements while that "The End of the Record" and "A Hand Softly Touching You" bring us back to quite a different era. Pulled out of the Contrasts Vol I album, released in 1998, "The End of the Record" offers a rhythm slightly skipping with sober electronic percussions and sequences which alternate as knocks of bevels on a long minimalist movement of which the fine variations slip between some suave solos to analog flavors. We are in the temple of works typically inspired by Klaus Schulze. It's very good and very magnetizing. More intimist and ambient work, "A Hand Softly Touching You" from the 91 Outlines album reminds us of the first incursions of Kistenmacher in the universe of orchestral arrangements. The movement is black, mesmerizing and intensely meditative.
First unedited track of this compilation, "The Memorial" is inspired by a José Saramago's novel and wears very well the weight of its mood of procession with a Bolshevist flavor. Continuing on his symphonic impulse, Kistenmacher works this title with a dramatic approach where discreet angelic choirs wrap the symmetric pulsations of a slow evolution which became more oniric than clanic. Then follows the wonderful "On the Shoulders of ATLAS". The jewel of Antimatter parades in our ears with all the elegancy of a superb bolero of which the crescendo stigmatizes our emotions, so much it's beautiful, so much it's magical. It's undoubtedly one of the most beautiful tracks from Bernd Kistenmacher who blows our mind with another musical jewel coming out of the Beyond the Deep album; "Lost City". This very beautiful title is constantly torn apart between its melodious sweetness and some dense orchestrations built on dramatic approaches which are drawn in the breaths of a discreet synth. A synth which becomes more present and among which the spasmodic chords and the symphonic strata invade little by little this universe where the rhythm gets wins with knocks of bows and a little bit anarchic drum rolls before sinking into the tranquility of a finale which matches its introduction. An interesting reference point is Geoff Downes' very avant-gardism work; The Light Program. "Autumn Leaves" is the second unedited track of this compilation. It's a beautiful symphonic ballad for romantics with a nice melodious synth which sings under the delicate warning shots of a concerto for bows of which the jerked movements wrap carefully the caresses made by a dreamy synth. It's beautiful and its crescendo presents a very poignant finale.
Travelling skillfully between the periods and styles that Bernd Kistenmacher draws for our ears since 1984, “Best of-Patterns of Light” is a great compilation which makes a just overview of his career and establishes his links towards a more melodious and more symphonic EM. It's a compilation which concentrates on the more contemporary works of Kistenmacher and which should charm those who always hesitate to let be seduce by an EM as melodious as dreamy. The music is melodious, the rhythms are fine and the melodies mesmerizing. It's the universe of Bernd Kistenmacher at its best...or almost! The fans of Vangelis should adore and those of Kistenmacher are also going to feast with both unedited tracks, while being surprise by two tracks that we had forgotten on the course of time. A compilation which is worth its weight of gold!
Sylvain Lupari (January 4th, 2013)



 Of course this CDs are available at "Mellowjet Records" webshop!

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".

New reviews

"Hi folks,

holidays are over and it is time to return to business now.

First, I would like to give you information about some new reviews from Sylvain Lupari and
Matt Howarth.

Matt was so kind to review "Celestial Movements" as well as some older releases for his "Sonic Curiosity" website. Please find his comments "here".

Also Sylvain Lupari wrote something about "Beyond The Deep". The french version is again online at "Guts Of Darkness" website. Please find it "here".

The english version is not yet online. So if you like it to read before: please!

"Beyond the Deep is a worldwide call on behalf of Bernd Kistenmacher so that the man stops ignoring this vast world under our feet and respecting it, because if the nature should take revenge, it would come probably from there. Dramatic? Disturbing? Hmm … Yes, quite as the musical structures of Beyond the Deep, 17^th opus of German synthesizer who goes of superb orchestral surges to renew our forgotten passion for Vangelis works.

Moreover it is what jumps to ears on Ouverture’s opening; big aquatic waves which roll beneath the skiff of a hydraulic galleon and gulls cackles that are dying in the singings of abyssal depths. A strange sea and world contrast where synth strikes remind dramatic approaches of the Spanish conquering galleys that eyed New World coasts. Deeply moving, the synth is magnificent and spits symphonic breaths which bend on percussions, such these old sailboats leaning on the strength of slaves rowers pushed by drums striking. The resemblance is stunning, but superbly musicale with a so sensitive dexterity that we imagine ourselves on these shuttles of the despair, escaping to scurvy and arrows of those future converts. The world and the sea! Two indestructible links that Kistenmacher displays and fills out with all the complexity of its electronic equipments, shaping thus a work as unique as the message carrier. A splendid refrain escapes from this stream strength, giving a second breath to Ouverture which becomes suddenly as harmonious as he could be dramatic. A synth which frees its melodious bits among rolling percussions such a conquering procession through seas. Seas to fine twinkling arpeggios which float around a splendid Mellotron aura, showing all the sensitivity of a Kistenmacher which weaves its orchestral arrangements with so much knowledge and panache as Vangelis or John Williams.

Shouts of terns above a rough sea, Tsunami’s intro rumbles with power and worry pouring under the dark side of waves and voices of sirens trapped in strange plasma to suspended chords. A soft Mellotron appears from it, flirting with a piano to chords as much hesitant as nostalgic and soaking in a halieutic romance. There where the melody gets lost in the infinity, in the gust of notes which float around a suave Mellotron, while embracing a chaotic structure which takes its surge with a heavy piano galloping on a choppy sea. A crazy race where the rhythm can’t be explain, but lives with doggedness by notes of a wild piano which dance feverishly in the mists of a heavy Mellotron, as the shaping of an immense wave of Tsunami which will crash with roar. The music of Kistenmacher lives and tells magnificently well on this oceanic ode where the progress of the sound structures binds itself with the imagination of its author. After the storm, it is the calm with melodious Clayoquot Sound where acoustic guitar and fluty Mellotron sing the serenity on a structure very near the roots of the progressive folk music. In progression, Kistenmacher adds to it beautiful strata of a very symphonic synth which wraps arpeggios to twinkling radiance and this wonderful melancholic Mellotron.

Lost City is another superb title where the duality of rhythms and harmonies is in constant ebullience on very beautiful orchestral arrangements. The intro flows as a river of Vietnamese cantons with a Mellotron to Pan Flute which espouses arpeggios weaved in the silk. A soft harmonious trickle which flows in a hybrid cosmos where planet Earth is catching up to the stars. At around the 3^rd minute chords wriggle beneath strikes of jerky Mellotron string bows and drum rolls, reflecting Geoff Downes' complex orchestral universes. Lost City will constantly be torn pulled between the melodious sweetness and dramatic approaches dense orchestrations, under a discreet synth among of which spasmodic chords and symphonic strata invade little by little this universe where the rhythm gets win with bows strikes and anarchic percussions before sinking into the quietude of a which meets up its introduction. A great track that worth Beyond the Deep purchase. A little as his title indicates it In the Black Smokers Bar offers a jazzy structure. A structure of night club with a beautiful and languishing line of bass and a synth to aphrodisiac breaths that is out of tune from Beyond the Deep’s ambiance and which recalls Jarre cosmic rumbas on his first works. Who will Save the World? takes again the Mellotron orchestrations with tender violins which tear a soft intimate atmosphere where a beautiful flute floats in a hazy mystic. Magnetic, singing exercises to weakened tremolos go with this symphonic walk that adds to its nobility with harpsichord notes which furrow a cosmic synth. Another great music piece, with a not less beautiful refrain, that hooks the ear with its beautiful orchestrations.

Beyond the Deep is a wonderful musical jewel. Far from create conventional EM, Bernd Kistenmacher rather chose a very symphonic approach with its last opus, relegating the sequential movements, the cosmic approaches and ethereal ambiances in background, putting all its emotions in a great classical-electronic work worthy of the best Vangelis attempts. And there I would establish a link with 1492 and Alexander that I still am far from the final product. No! Kistenmacher goes further in the exploration of its equipment by redrawing their potentials with creativity that equals the one of great composers. I know that I will shock many eyes, and ears, but Kistenmacher indeed exceeded its mentor (Klaus Schulze) by signing his last works of a musical audacity that even Vangelis refused to penetrate. A very beautiful work! Very beautiful music which has nothing to do with EM such as Berlin School so much accustomed us." Sylvain Lupari

More infos are following soon....

New Interview

Some weeks ago I had a long talk with Sylvain Lupari, who writes for "Planet Origo" and "Guts Of Darkness" webzines.

Both interviews are now online. You can find the english version at "Planet Origo" "here"

and the french version at "Guts Of Darkness" "here".

 Enjoy