¿electronic j a z z?

Classifications miss the mark twice: this evening ZKM presents two musical projects which can only roughly be described using the terms »electronics« and »jazz« (they are now being slung together to designate a new genre in its own right). With its first two releases (not including Thomas Weber’s solo album), and by touring as far afield as the United States, the Karlsruhe-based combo around Weber has already made a name for itself on the international stage; the concert date coincides with the release of the new CD »Cicadidea«, on which Kammerflimmer Kollektief continue their exploration of sounds: Music that reflects growing up with folk and jazz as much as the careful observation of the dissolution of Rock and electronic music since the beginning of the 90s, all suffused with the fine rustling and loops of the digital era.

The original KK sound can best be explained by focusing on the way Kollektief works: a permanent process of de and re-construction. This begins with Weber tinkering around on the computer in his studio at home, where he attempts the ludicrous task of sampling free jazz and other awkward material – and where he achieves the miracle of producing consistent flowing pieces from these snippets. These mostly mini-compositions are then re-interpreted by Kollektief using drums, double bass, saxophone, violin, guitar and live electronics and then, in at times lengthy improvisations – perhaps what jazz is really all about! – lead back to the initial point of departure and even further beyond. Live, there’s really then no telling the difference between whether what has been programmed is being improvised, or what is being improvised was programmed. What is left, despite all the experimentation, are beautiful, at times even catchy pearls of songs, little symphonies right from the heart ... at the end of the day isn’t it just Pop after all?

The support band for the evening is Radian, a trio from Vienna. Martin Brandlmayr (drums, computer), Stefan Németh (synthesizer, computer) and John Norman (bass) contrast the euphoria for laptops in their hometown with a different method of production and sound model. Their niche is that area of tension between digital, electronic and acoustic instruments, blending digital musique concrète with its roars and test sounds with the warm analogue sounds of traditional rock instruments, producing anarchic and yet perfectly audible pearls of sound: »noise + sound + texture!«

The two prominent Viennese labels, mego and rhiz, were both responsible for releasing their first longplayer; the new CD on Chicago’s Thrill Jockey label was produced by no less than Tortoise mastermind John McEntire.