Hauschka - Foreign Landscapes (130701)

I remember the very fist time I heard Hauschka. Strange bells, cardboard clicks, and metallic slaps accompanied each note. At first, I was not aware that this was a prepared piano - an altered instrument with placed objects between the strings and hammers. Upon learning of Volker Bertelmann's exploration of possibilities through instrument modifications, I became entranced in the newly created sound of [what piano is actually classified as] a tuned percussion instrument. But it was not until I've seen Volker play live on a prepared piano, that I fell completely in love with his beautiful sound. Foreign Landscapes is Volker's third full length album for FatCat's 130701 imprint (he has also released two albums on Karaoke Kalk). His 2008 Ferndorf has made it on my Best of 2008 lists, and received critical acclaim among the followers and critics alike. On Ferndorf, exploring his childhood memories, Hauschka experimented with the addition of two cellists, a violinist and even a trombone player. On Foreign Landscapes, Volker reflects on his recent travels during an extensive world tour. And this time he's got an entire orchestra! In fact, some pieces don't even feature prepared piano, and instead showcase Volker's skill at arranging an expansive and ambitious orchestral score. "Nine of the album’s twelve tracks feature a 12-piece string and wind ensemble from San Francisco’s Magik*Magik Orchestra, alongside Volker Bertelmann’s own prepared piano. Dynamic, brimming with character and colour, ‘Foreign Landscapes’ retains its author’s distinctive musical voice and leads the listener through a beautifully balanced collection, moving from delicate solo piano lyricism to a propulsive, robust minimalism." On the album, Düsseldorf (Germany) based Volker Bertelmann continues to delight our ears with his compositions. At times somber, at times playful, Bertelmann's chord progression explores major and minor tonalities that calm restlessness and lift up the spirits. The twelve pieces sound very intimate, appealing to the listener's perception, as if the orchestra was setup in your own living room, for a private performance. The lack of organic (or synthetic for that matter) reverb, creates a very personal atmosphere, with skillfully balanced stereo field, centering the listener. It's worth mentioning that the album was recorded at San Francisco's Tiny Telephone (used by 4AD, Nonesuch, Temporary Residence Limited, Matador, and other labels among the many) and mastered by Bo Kondren of Calyx, in Berlin. 130701 has only put out two records this year - Foreign Landscapes and Max Richter's Infra. And although the quantity of the label's output was low, I assure you that the quality of these modern classical records is top notch. Oh, and in case you didn't know and always wondered, 130701 is indeed named after the date on which FatCat has brought it to life - July 13th, 2001. Be sure to check out a set of these excellent videos, published as NPR interview with Hauschka, featuring Volker playing a piano with document clamps, a seashell necklace, marbles, and tennis balls... Be sure to also check out Hauschka's 2009 EP, Snowflakes And Carwrecks, as well as his debut on FatCat, Room To Expand.

hauschka-net.de | myspace.com/hauschka
fat-cat.co.uk | myspace.com/fatcat130701

Max Richter - Infra (130701 / FatCat)

Falling in love with Max Richter's music is easy. Lovers of electronica, modern classical, and simple piano music alike, follow Richter's releases, and gobble them up with their ears. The music of endless dreams and cinematic wakefulness, sprinkled with electric pulses of shortwave radio transmissions and somber tones, rises above the ground like a waterfall of fog, falling into the abyss of subconsciousness and repressed memories. Beautiful and simple melodies soar through the air with orchestral precision, neo-classical progression and heartbreaking execution. Infra is actually a soundtrack. Commissioned by the Royal Ballet, Infra is a score for the same titled ballet as choreographed by Wayne McGregor, which originally premiered at The Royal Opera House in London in November 2008. Being more than a studio album, the work on Infra is comprised of recurring themes and a central concept. The latter is inspired by T.S. Elliot's "The Wasteland", building on a travelogue of desolate lands, populated by the sounds of piano, electronics and a string quartet. Here's a quote from Richter: "I started thinking about making a piece on the theme of journeys. Like a road movie. Or a traveler’s notebook. Or like the second unit in a film - when the scene has been played, and the image cuts away to the landscape going by. This started me thinking about Schubert's devastating and haunting "Winterreise" (Winter Journey), so I used some melodic material from Schubert as a found object in parts of my new piece." I must be honest - I wouldn't recommend this album to the heart broken. The sweeping melodies will pull your soul apart and squeeze the last remaining tears from your withered heart. Saturated in sadness to the point of total and complete desperation, some of the tracks become contenders for Music for my Funeral - a collection of tracks I have been preparing for... well... that one final farewell. This is not the first score for Max Richter. In 2009, he composed soundtracks for La Prima Linea (Cam Original) and Henry May Long (Mute). His 2008 score for Valse Avec Bachir (Delabel) also included a few tracks from The Blue Notebooks (130701). All of the above, along with Memoryhouse and Songs From Before are highly recommended. Be sure to also check out Headphone Commute's review of Richter's 24 Postcards In Full Colour (130701) and our previous Two and a Half Questions with Max Richter.

myspace.com/maxrichtermusic | maxrichter.com
myspace.com/fatcatrecords | fat-cat.co.uk

Hauschka - Ferndorf (130701)

When I'm in the mood for classical piano and chamber music, I usually turn to a bottomless repertoire of Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Chopin, Stravinsky and Beethoven. For a more edgier, experimental, and contemporary feel, I queue up modern classical composers like Arvo Pärt, Phillip Glass, Nico Muhly and Max Richter. I'm definitely adding Hauschka to the latter list. I first discovered Volker Bertelmann upon the release of his sophomore album The Prepared Piano (Karaoke Kalk, 2005). It was an exploration into brutal modifications with adjusted hammers and padded strings that was more on avant-garde side (see John Cage's credited invention of the prepared piano), and made me listen closer for the adjustments in my favorite instrument. The fourth full length album from this Düsseldorf based pianist and composer explores every chamber instrument in its full capacity. On Ferndorf (translating into 'remote village' from German), Hauschka brings in two cellists, violinist and even a trombone player to construct modern classical pieces that are pleasant on the ear and the soul. Five out of twelve tracks appear to be "purely improvised", yet elicit strong musicianship from the participating players. Alluding to his birthplace in rural Germany, the trip along the memory lane, is an upbeat skip and hop. Here, Bertelmann revisits his childhood influences contributing to his decade long affair with the piano. Where most major-chord filled pieces usually fill me with a post-neo-classical dread of scale walking, Hauschka keeps restraint and tends to concentrate on execution and message of each individual piece. Of course, no such trip ever occurs without a touch of melancholy. Here, too, Hauschka excels in creating majestic and musical compositions, all whilst adding a touch of modern experimentation and exploration of live instruments, to let his composition rise just a notch above the rest. Deep respect to Bertelmann for extracting all percussive attributes from a beloved instrument while keeping it waltzing with joy. Grab this latest release from FatCat's sister label, 130701. Similar artist cloud includes Goldmund, Deaf Center, Sylvain Chauveau, Library Tapes, Peter Broderick, Marsen Jules, and of course Max Richter and Ryuuichi Sakamoto.

Update: Hauschka is currently on tour! Be sure to visit his myspace page for Upcoming Shows schedule.



myspace.com/hauschka | hauschka-net.de
myspace.com/fatcatrecords | fat-cat.co.uk

Max Richter - 24 Postcards In Full Colour (130701 / FatCat)

Writing about such music is difficult. Especially when its beauty is escorted by concept. I could tell you about Touch Ringtones, and Max Richter's approach at creating twenty four miniature classical sketches designed to capture the moment and snap you in and out of your daily tasks. I could tell you about Richter's gallery installations where the pieces would be transmitted to the audiences mobile phones via SMS. I could tell you about the twenty four photographic images beautifully laid out on a CD insert (some revealing a reflection or a shadow of Max Richter himself), and on a mini website with a preview of the tracks. I could, perhaps, quote the German-born, modern classical composer, who explains the idea behind his fourth album in his own words: "thinking about how we listen to music now, with the range of options available, I wondered why it is that the ringtone medium has so far been treated as unfit for creative music..." But I won't do any of that. Instead, I simply invite you to listen and decide for yourself... Richter may have an impact on your perception of the intrusive personal wake up call of a gadget humanity should probably live without. I often picture Mozart slapping his forehead at the thought that his genius is echoed through a tiny speaker on a busy subway. Perhaps one day, on my morning commute, I will be disturbed by the alarming calm of Max Richter's peaceful piano playing through someone's Nextel. Perhaps... I doubt it... Until then, I highly recommend an excellent pair of headphones to enjoy this absolutely marvelous collection of sketches whose shortcoming is only their brief existence. Each track ranges between one minute and two, offering you only a short glimpse into a moment conveyed through geographically centered track names, personal photographic snapshots, and of course music itself. The instrumentation for the album is limited by Richter himself to a string quintet, acoustic guitar, and of course, a piano. The seasoning for this recipe includes dusty vinyl, fuzzy shortwave radio, and clicky scratchy samples, all processed by transistors and 16 track 2" tape. The pieces are designed to be a cluster of fragmented impressionistic vignettes, "stitched together to form a series of jump-cuts and foldbacks in time." Richter elaborates further: "because the piece is a collection of tones, where I have no control of the order, I made a structure that holds together by use of shared material – like a cloud of pieces, or a handful of confetti, or a constellation of fragments – to be navigated as you like..." 24 Postcards In Full Colour is released on Brighton Based FatCat Records imprint, 130701, dedicated to more instrumental albums. I highly recommend you also pickup (or revisit) Richter's previous hailed modern classical masterpieces, Memoryhouse, The Blue Notebooks, and Songs From before.



myspace.com/maxrichtermusic | maxrichter.com
myspace.com/fatcatrecords | fat-cat.co.uk