New interview in Synthesizer-Magazin

For the german fans, please check out Synthesizer-Magazin no. 61. A new interview is available ;-)

Synthesizer-Magazin no.61

New Interview

"Synthesizer-Magazin no. 2" is out now. Some months weeks ago, Andreas Michel visited me in Berlin for an interview, which you can read here.

Enjoy some reflections about "Antimatter"!

Planetarium Muenster - Update no. 2

10 days left until 14th of january 2012! After we have put some final grip on "Antimatter", we will not only have a nice concert in "Planetarium Muenster", we will also have the "world premiere" of my new solo-album.
But there will be more on this unique day:
Visitors and guests can enjoy some presentations in the Planetarium's foyer. "Roland" will install a nice "Synthesizer-Island" to present their latest synthesizers, "Synthesizer-Magazin" will show a brandnew analogue modular-system and last but no least "MellowJet Records" will be also there with a big stand to present their full CD-programme.

For all of you who will need a little break or refreshment: you can visit the "Café Landois" which is inside of the house and all of you, who will travel by car: there is a big parking-area in front of the Planetarium. You can find some travel informations "here"

Since we seem to get no winter(!) this year, the chances are good travelling-conditions. Some "tickets" are still available and you can buy or reserve them directly "here". So make your plans for a nice weekend in Muenster with a great concert-evening now!


See you!

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...

Exclusive concert in Cologne!

As I reported earlier, I will participate on the "Synthesizer-Symposium" in Cologne on november 27th.

The event in Cologne will happen at "EMS - Electronic Music School". The organizers will also do an "Open Day" for all of you, which wants to get know their offers.

But this is not everything: in the evening, all participants wants to have some "party" after that long and "hard" day.
Also I will finish the year with another exclusive concert and also my colleague Mic "Moogulator" Irmer will perform there. The evening will finish with an exclusive DJ-Set from Bjoern Torwellen itself. He is one of the heads of EMS.

So you might expect some extracts from "Celestial Movements" and "Beyond The Deep" and eventual a little bit more...
I am also happy to announce, that my label "MellowJet Records" will also be there with a stand.

So meet and greet is always possible!

I hope to see you there.

Be welcome...

Synthesizer-Symposia

In cooperation with "Roland Deutschland", german "Synthesizer-Magazin" has initiated two unique "Synthesizer-Symposia", which will happen at the end of this year.

The one-day seminar is on different topics with lecturers / specialists for synthesizer. Divided into several blocks seminars.
This means that each participant can attend during the day, all seminars in rotation.At the end of the day are planned:

    * Synthesizer-artist hearing with Q & A session
    * In the evening a live performance with synthesizer-artist Bernd Kistenmacher
 
In addition, there is also a "hands-on exhibition with synthesizers to discover and try out ".

Two dates and locations will be offered:

Saturday, 27th of november in Cologne
10:00 bis 18:00 o'clock
concert from 20:00 o'clock
ems – electronic music school, Alteburger Straße 375, 50968 Köln
http://www.em-school.de

 

Saturday, 4th of december in Berlin
10:00 bis 18:00 o'clock

concert from 20:00 o'clock
SAE Institute GmbH, Soltauer Straße 18, 13509 Berlin
http://berlin.sae.edu/de/home/

Advance booking is required and can be done "here". The number of participants is limited.!

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).

Musikmesse 2010

So it is time again to speak about the upcoming "Musikmesse" in Frankfurt (Germany).

This year german "Synthesizer Magazin" presents a lot of activities around the big world of synthesizers and electronic music production. For example they will do workshops for production of techno music as well as for new, modern synthesizers.

In addition, "Synthesizer Magazin" will present musicians on a little stage that can report on their activities and their working practices in the studio, but also will perform their current music. This is the place where you can find me - if you like - on friday 26th and saturday 27th of march. I will play some tunes from "Celestial Movements" and some new tracks from my next album too.

Also my colleague Stefan Erbe will perform there.

Details can be found here (click for a bigger size):

The "Musikmesse" will be held from march 24th to 27th in? yes Frankfurt.

So I am happy to meet you there..

Synthesizer-Magazin Interview

In the current issue No. 18 of the "Synthesizer-Magazin" is printed a two page interview, which was made last year after my concert in Paris and the release of my CD "Celestial Movements". The interview is conducted in German. Who can read it or would like to buy the magazine, is welcome to go on the homepage of the "Synthesizer-Magazin" for more information.

Snippets

This short news are very "Rolandesque" indeed but they might be interesting to you:

First, "Roland Germany" (a division of the Roland Group) will support my concert in Paris. So beside other Equipment from Roland, which I use since many years, the "V-Synth GT"and the actual "Juno-Stage" Synthesizers will take part on my "show". Also Roland announces my concert on their german website. Please find more infos under "actual dates".

Second, the german "Synthesizer-Magazin" has just released issue no. 16 with my experience report about the huge "Fantom G8" Workstation, which I have written in may and june this year.

At third, "Planet Origo", the website for latest news from movie- and music-business (specialised on SF- Movies and electronic- and contemporary music) from Estonia, also mentions my concert in Paris. Many thanks to Glenn Folkvord.

Also my friend Christian Piednoir from "Cosmiccagibi" has updated his "blog d'Alpha-Lyra" with some nice pictures and announcements.

And last but not least, if you like to listen to a first little part of my upcomming CD "Celestial Movements", please go to the website of "MellowJet"-Records. A first audiosample is online now.

I hope you'll like it.

Musikmesse 2009

It was time again to visit the annual "Musikmesse" (music fair) in Frankfurt; Germany. All the years before I went there only for testing new equipment or for "breathing" the athmosphere of this important fair.
Yesterday I had a more concrete reason. I had an appointment with Gabriel Seher and Marcel Achim of GenoQs, the company who has created the famous "Octopus Sequencer". I mentioned this machine earlier in this blog. And the Octopus was indeed the reason for our meeting. Based on my experiences with my Octopus during the past months in my studio, I made earlier this year some proposals about optimization of the usability of this machine on stage. As users surely know, the Octopus is housed in a very stylish wooden case which is very sensitive against damages. In my opinion this makes it impossible to use the sequencer on stage. Gabriel and Marcel seemed to have the same opinion because they prepared the prototype of a "roadversion" of the Octopus. This prototype was now ready for presentation at the musicfair. We discussed some details and we will meet us again in early summer of this year to get more grip on open questions but it is definetly fact that the Octopus roadversion - the official name is "Octopus - The Shell" - will be ready for sale on the beginning of
july 2009. First pictures of the prototype can be seen now on the "GenoQs" website. It is great to see how my ideas become reality and I am sure that this cooperation will be intensified.

...with Marcel Achim and Gabriel Seher

...the Octopus - The Shell prototype

After this important meeting of course I visited the guys of the "Synthesizer-Magazin" and I had some nice talk with Mic "Moogulator" Irmer. We also talked about some new contributions from me for the magazin. An experience report about the Roland Fantom G8 could be one.

...with Mic "Moogulator Irmer

...with Klaus-Hoffmann Hook in front of the Memotron

After this nice day I found my personal highlight of the day. The "Club Of The Knobs". "COTK" is a little but fine company from Portugal founded by the german Gerd Peun aka Kazike. COTK is specialised in analogue modular synthesizers. It is a little bit difficult to me to use the term "Moog clone" but after listening and testing the system which was presented on the fair, I would describe it as the "perfect Moog clone". The sound is unbelievable true and original and I will definetly have one and I will use it on stage. This is clear after this day.
UPDATE: please check this little Video on Youtube. You can discover some nice people in it.

...with the Club Of The Knobs Team Rajele Jain, Gerd Peun and Georg Mahr

Now I am back in Berlin full of nice impressions.
It is spring again folks...!

The Octopus Experience

Hello folks,

As I promised some month ago, I offer you now the translation of my report about the Octopus sequencer from German company “GenoQs”. The article will be published in issue no.11 of the “Synthesizer-Magazin”. As you maybe know, I write some little articles or reviews for this magazine from time to time. Writing about my first experiences with this fantastic sequencer was an “affair of the heart”. So I hope you will enjoy the following article and you are not too angry about my terrible English…


Introduction
Where should one begin when facing such a powerful and promising tool for sound creation? Leaving impressed by its exceptional design? Or from his aesthetic look? From the feeling, to own a Hardware-Sequencer which has far more "artificial" intelligence inherent as his "analogue" appearance suggests? Can something, that is so much expensive as the Octopus, really have weaknesses? Is it the perfect music machine? I just know that, after many years of abstinence, again I wanted to have a real Hardware-Sequencer. It should not be a machine that copies well-known Analogue-Sequencer concepts (of which there is really enough) but bring me to new ideas. A machine that awakes the child in me. A “toy”, that helps to explore new ways to go. I have long sought. When I had seen the GenoQs Octopus for the first time I knew that this one should it be.

Spring 2008 Frankfurt Music Fair
The “Synthesizer-Magazin” presents perhaps the most beautiful (in terms of interesting) stand of the whole fair. A synthesizer exhibition “par excellence”. I see many old “acquaintances" (Synthesizers) and ... the Octopus. Gabriel Seher - one head of “GenoQs” personally introduces me to the instrument. He shows me a few possibilities. Programmes “on the fly” and is unlikely versed (of course, he has it developed together with his companion Marcel Achim). His introduction impresses me very and I promise to stay in touch with him ...
Three months later I go to “SchneidersBuero” at Alexanderplatz in Berlin and acquire an Octopus. Finally!

Getting Started
Hardly unpacked, I concur with the Octopus to do the necessary wiring and connect MIDI In and Out with my JD-800. 10 „tracks“, each with a separate MIDI channel routable need enough resources to control. I decide for a multitimbral synthesizer. Then I understand "nothing" and must recognize that without studying the manual nothing happens. Sure, the start, stop and control buttons still speak for themselves, but for a deeper understanding of the instrument, I must first duly read much more, try out and invest more time. A display, as you know it from other devices, does the Octopus not have. But only a little time later I will have understood that the whole surface of this sequencer can be understood as a “display”. Incidentally I will nobody bore with endless tech-facts. The website of “GenoQs” (www.genoqs.com) provides enough information and images as well as you can watch enough videos about it on Youtube to get "hungry" for it.

The concept
"grid" - „pages“ - „tracks“ - "steps". These are the words that accompany me from now on.
The concept is quickly understood: 16 Steps form (initially) up a „track“. 10 „tracks“ build a „pages“ (the on the surface visible 10x16 matrix). Each "step" is a "container" for so-called attributes. More about this theme later. Following the logic, the “grid” is the "container" for 9 x 16 = 144 “pages”. The change between these "containers" respectively levels is easy possible, because you find in the right half of the user- interface enough explicit buttons for navigation. As already mentioned, the parameters which describes "steps" (and although each step separately), „tracks“ and „pages“ are named as attributes (entities). These are e.g. pitch, velocity, starting position, note length and more. All these parameters can be controlled in real time. Here I started to loose the overview again, but the “ESC”-button saved me many times. With this, you can jump back on the next upper level.
In “track”-mode, you can also determine how many "steps" a „track“ may be long (including skipping steps). Whom, who are 16 “steps” not enough, can also link more “tracks” together or directly choose to one of the following configurations: 5 “tracks” with 2 rows, 2 “tracks” with 4 rows plus 1 “track” with 2 rows or one “track” with 8 rows plus 1 “track” with 2 rows. Each “track” can be manipulated individually in walking distance, direction, starting points, etc. Muting, MIDI-data and MIDI cc are also adjustable for each track. Confused? I know that! The possibilities are incredibly diverse and if you have built together usable „pages“, the "control madness" still goes further on. I don’t want to go too much into details and put more attention to the musical aspects. There is at this point no universal recipe of doing the “right” thing. “Try it out” is the right motto. So, let's go.

The first tracks
Having the basic principles understood (at least I thought initially), I started with a few simple „tracks“ to try out everything. So, the „pages“-button is pressed and an empty „pages“ is selected. Here we must understand the next convention. Empty „tracks“ (and also empty "steps") resp. the LED of it, do not light first. Steps composite glow green, and programmed, playing „pages“ in the grid glow green too. Selected “pages”, although programmed, but not active to play, are shining in orange colour. You can see this in “grid”-mode. The first exercises, I must really understand as such. Basically one „pages“ with 10 „tracks“ is enough to test extensively the possibilities for sound manipulation. Whether “Electro” or “Berlin school”. Everything can be realized with this machine. I notice that I must say “good bye” to another known convention. It concerns the storage concept. The Octopus has no presets for individual “tracks”, “pages”, “songs” or whatever. It has only one single space! (for 144 „pages“). No more. This always safes the overall state of the device. So if you want to work with variations of a „pages“, you should copy and paste it to a free space to continue to work later with it. At the beginning I was a little bit confused about this, because I also missed the possibility of individual naming and identification. So it is better to save too much, as too little. (1) (At the end of the report you can read an opinion about this written by Gabriel Seher ...) Those, who will work with the Octopus on stage, will it have probably easier. “Track” manipulation does not necessarily require frequent switching between different „pages“ (only my personal view.) But anyone who plays other keyboards at the same time too, should better use the Octopus in slave mode. „pages“ exchange could be easily done with an external sequencer. But I must admit that the basic idea of the Octopus would lead into absurd. Live-sequencing with the Octopus requires the full attention. That should be taken into account. Speaking “Live”! Regarding the user-interface I have here a point of criticism. This concerns the extremely thin labelled controls. If the wrong light shines on stage, the scriptures turn into “invisible”. It is practically unreadable. Errors can only prevented by "knowledge" (or with a little USB port lamp at the appropriate jack).

3 weeks later
Meanwhile, I have more routine in dealing with the Octopus and get discovered, that the Octopus can be almost better used for the manipulation of synthesizer sounds, than solely for pure Arpeggios or simple sequences. I basically do use him now for more atonal, rhythmic structures as for "songs". But nevertheless, also „pages“ exchanges can be programmed. A great feature is the programming of chords for each single “step”! Yes, correct. Let this melt on your tongue. Chords can be programmed with other (hardware) sequencers only with several parallel running, but differently tuned tracks, which control the same multitimbral sound. The Octopus makes this in each “step” and with each “track”. For programming this, there are two possibilities. The first method works with explicit "chord" buttons. In "step" mode you can select one of seven (!) "chord" buttons. Each button adds the wished chord on your basic note. In maximum can this be a 7 note chord for each “step”. During one of these “chord”-buttons is pressed you can tune each note of your chord with the pitch control. Leaving the “chord”-switch off the chord is programmed for this step. Alternatively, you can also record chords via MIDI-in. Frankly, that sounds very orgiastic. Strumming chords works of course too. But I am soft “off topic” and actually wanted to tell something about the programmable „pages“ exchange. First you must go to the "grid" mode (the highest level of the Octopus). If you want to play several „pages“ one after the next, first you must “reorganize” your “pages” in this way, that they are all located together in one “track”. In other words spoken: you must organize them into "cluster". You can easily resort your “pages” with copy and paste function. The so prepared “grid”-track must now be selected with the "Sel" (Select) button. So a cluster can contain a maximum of 16 “pages”. As I mentioned earlier, you can also link the tracks of a „page“ and play them one after another. At least this means that you can play 2560 "steps" consecutively and at this point I did not consider that any „pages“ can even played 16 times…

Even a little bit “Berlin school”
Wouldn’t it be really nice if some „tracks“ of a „pages“ could be transposed with a MIDI-keyboard while others, for example drum tracks should not follow. The good news: basically it works, but not quite perfect. The idea to do this emerged only during the last weeks. Here I must say how fantastic, spontaneous and rapid the cooperation with Gabriel Seher and Marcel Achim (Genoqs) was. They followed very spontaneously to my proposals and supported me with their help and ideas. So, „track“ transposition works as follows. The "record" button must be pressed so that it flashes orange. Now the MIDI is input activated. By pressing the "select" button, you can now choose the “Tracks” you would like to transpose. Multiple selections are possible. And ready! To work in such way you must update your Octopus with the OS version 1.60. This version is available now via the GenoQs website.

Still not at the end
At this point I must finish my report. The only reason for is the limited number of pages in the “Synthesizer-Magazin”. I could report still much more. And to be honest, I scratched only on the surface of the Octopus (please do not take it literally). But these impressions should be already enough to guess which possibilities this machine has. As I said earlier, the Octopus is the right tool for adult children.
. Got lust? Then is just missing the necessary money...

September 2008 Gabriel Seher of "GenoQs"on the planned 1.60 OS:

"In OS 1.60 individual pages can be secured and recalled. This is a granular approach; in addition to the overall storage process. The identification of the individual pages has to be seen in the absolute position of the page in the grid. Furthermore, one could also compare pages with synth patches. And in every (major) synth there is only one space or slot for each patch, and the amount of all slots makes a "total state". Other possibilities of archiving by sysex are available even as you know it from synths (I would like to avoid that people get the wrong impression - I have been asked several times via e-mail why you can not save the Octopus but it was a function from day 1). "


Bernd Kistenmacher

Electronic-Circus

That was once again a great weekend! Since longer time announced, the first "Electronic Circus" was now held on last Saturday (20th of september) in Bielefeld. To anticipate it: the event was a big success.
I have met "old" friends, fans and fellow artists after many years again and I also met some of them for the first time (the very sympathic Wolfram Spyra for example).

Frank Gerber - the manager of the event - and his team did a great job. Nice people and “helping hands” at all places. The musician Stefan Erbe was the moderator of the event and led (circumventing the breaks cleverly) sovereignly through the afternoon and evening.

All important companies of the e.m. scene (MellowJet Records, Manikin Records, Groove, Cue Records, Spheric music, David Wright, etc.) were represented there as well as the "Schallwende e.V", the "Synthesizer Magazin", "Music-Zirkus-Magazin"," Eldoradio" or the local television of Bielefeld.

All concerts were done with great enthusiasm and I am sure that next year an “Electronic Circus Part 2" will take place again.

Again in Bielefeld and again at the "Movie", a really nice venue.

...with Wolfram Spyra (Der Spyra) and Mike Niemann (one of the "helping hands")

...with Bernd Scholl (MellowJet-Records)

Hans-Hermann Heß and Frank Gerber- the organizers of the "Electronic-Circus"

YouTube

Hello friends,

since yesterday, you can also watch to some of my older videos on my new YouTube page.

Actually you can find there 2 videos made in 1991 und 1994, which were part of the "M.I. Rainbow Collection " CD/CD-ROM set. The first one shows some minutes of a concert, which I had given with Harald Grosskopf (drums) in the cologne "Stadtgarten" venue. The second video was made 3 years later in german town "Bocholt".
Both were made by Franz-Wilhelm Huendchen, a good friend of mine. Thank you for your help!

Also the "Octopus-Experience" article for german "Synthesizer-Magazin"is in progress and ready soon. I will meet the guys from the mag on saturday in Bielefeld during the "Electronic-Circus" festival.

See you there...

Activities

I am currently experimenting with my new "Octopus" sequencer around and try to understand that device even better and better. Although I'm not a fan of instruction manuals, but I must say that you should read it if you will this machine not only understand but also dominate in a creative sense.
"Try and error” leads to often into the wrong direction and supplies frustrating results. But if the principles once understood, the Octopus makes really fun (beside its fantastic optic).

With Andreas Michel, editor of the German “Synthesizer-Magazin”, I arranged to write a field report about the Octopus. The article will be explicitly no test report, because this would be too boring. The report is expected to be released in issue no.11 and I will put then a summary of the article in English language into this blog.

...too few hands for so much "Octopus"

Also I'm preparing a new studio-album which will hopefully be released at the end of this year. Details will follow soon. It is guaranteed, that Octopus will get his own role in this production...

Keep on rockin'