et voilà...
Working on some new stuff...
Hello everyone! I am working on the rest of all illustrations at the moment. I promised myself to have all 60 EP drawings online for you to check out by the end of this month. So stop by from time to time and make sure to not miss your favorite illustration! Peace!
Soundcultures
What happens if you venture a journey to record traditional music of strange countries, and then mix these recordings with electronical elements programmed at the computer?
»Soundcultures« is what comes out when you do so!
I traveled to three countries – Tunisia, Portugal and Poland – to find musicians who introduced me to their traditional music. I learned very interesting things about it, met incredibly nice, talented and open minded people and found new friends.
After all I took home a bunch of crazy, beautiful and very strange recordings to work on my own interpretation of what I heard, what I felt and experienced in the particular countries.
Danja atari on De:Bug!
NEW EP-DRAWINGS ONLINE!
GET THE EP ON ITUNES!
In order to support future Soundculture projects, buy all three songs on itunes now! However you will always be able to download the songs on this website for free if you cannot afford it!
POLAND – the documentation!
tunisia – the documentation!
Portugal – the documentation!
Teaser
Now it's official!
December 8th is the official release date for “Babalouni”, “A Lovesong” and “Love and Sheep” which you will then be able to buy on itunes and amazon to support future Soundculture-projects!
Where the cock crows...
Portugal was the first out of the three countries that I chose to travel to. My first days in Lisbon were frustrating. Finding real Fado wasn’t as easy as described in brochures – at least not, if you plan on finding the true Fado and not the one that is sung and played in restaurants for tourists..
But then – leaving me stranded – I ran into the Estudantina Universitaria de Lisboa on the street – who were about to play a gig at the theatre Coliseu dos Recreios across the street. They invited me and I went to see their show on that same day. Tiago, one of the guys, also invited me to join the Estudantina’s rehearsal a few days later, which I went to and which I will never forget. These boys are awesome!
Through a friend I got to know Paulo Soares – a very well known Portuguese guitar player and an incredibly nice and helpful man – who made contact with the Director of the Fado Museum in Alfama – Sara Perreira – and who again arranged a meeting with Prof. Antonio Parreira, the museum’s Portuguese Guitar teacher. His assistant and student Ricardo and the Professor himself played some beautiful songs for me on their portguese guitars. With one of those I worked for “A Lovesong”!
I experienced Lisbon and its people as being very romantic and sentimental. Inspired by Fado and the idea that I had of Saudade, I ended up writing a lovesong – a song that is no more and nothing less than a song about love and therefore simply called “A Lovesong”.
www.estudantinadelisboa.com
www.museudofado.egeac.pt
www.myspace.com/estudantinadelisboa
www.paulosoares.com
Tunisia!
Traveling to Tunisia as one out of the three destinations, has never been up for debate. I was decided to go there from the beginning!
Besides that fact that I really love arabic music and chant, Tunisia also represents my long lost roots. My father was born in le Kram, left the country as a Teenager and never returned. Some years ago I traveled there to finally get to know my family on my own…
In order to find musicians in Tunisia I contacted the Goethe Institut in Tunis. My emails were forwarded to a Cello and singing teacher at the Conservatory in Tunis – Mme Saddem – who I need to thank for being so helpful and nice. After emailing back and forth we finally arranged a meeting in the Conservatory where she introduced me to some of her students. I recorded Farouk and Kacem playing Cello (absolutely wonderful!) and through them I met Seifeddine who played the flute for me. Thank you guys!
In Sidi Bou Said I followed a young girl into the music school. It turned out that she takes Oud lessons there. Her name was Salma and again, I need to thank her for all her time and those beautiful sounds that she let me record!
»Qui pense à moi« – Who is thinking of me? »Respire le vent« – Breathe the wind!
»C‘est de la folie« –This is madness! »Qui pense à moi« – Who is thinking of me?
»Ferme tes yeux!« – Close your eyes!
Tunisia’s streets are demanding to manage an enormous sound scenery where your thoughts go wild and sometimes end up in chaos! I was experiencing a mixture of exhaustion and enjoyment. The song »Babalouni« is almost entirely made out of field recordings and the recordings of the instruments, my cousin Karima and her sister in law – Azza – singing.
»Babalouni« is a journey through the streets of le Kram, somewhat experimental. Close your eyes and go travel yourself!
www.scooporganisation.com
www.ismt.rnu.tn
www.goethe.de
About Love and Sheep...
I chose to travel to Poland because it represented a strong contrast to Tunisia and Portugal. After doing some research about Polands traditional music, I finally learned about Gorale Music in the south of Poland and decided to visit Zakopane in the Podhale Region.
In the run-up of traveling there, I called Zakopane’s tourist Office in order to find out about where to go to find someone that is really into the music from that region. After some language barriers and after trying to get my ideas across to the very numerous nice people that I was talking to on the phone with my hand and feet, I was finally transferred to Kryzstof Trebunie.
The Trebunie family is a big, famous family and Poland’s oldest folk group that has been living in the Podhale region for generations.
The Trebunie-Tutki band started to be popular in 1991 after collaborating with the Twinkle Brothers from Jamaica playing »roots reggae«. The 2nd Album that they recorded together – »Come Back Twinkle to Trebunia Family« – became number six in the World Music Charts Europe! They were nominated for the Fryderyk Music Award (Polish equivalent to the Grammy) in 1995 and 1996. Up until today they recorded 23 albums.
Meeting Krysztof Trebunie was very inspiring. Besides learning about numerous instruments that were developed in the Podhale region, I found someone who is anxious about keeping the Highlander traditions alive while collaborating with people from all over the world at the same time.
He was the one inviting me to a very important Gorale competition near Zakopane where I got a first impression of the Highlander music. Absolutely stunning! I met one of the bands and talked to the girls, explained them my project and recorded them singing! The choruses sung by severeal voices in groups of up to 6 people, either groups of men or of women, are very strong and powerful, incredibly melodious and touching. Thousands of passed on lyrics can be sung in over 150 melodies and are extemporized every time. (When asking what these songs generally are about, I was told that they are about »love and sheep «).
The recordings that I brought from Poland were the most difficult ones to work
with. Together with S. Maier I approached to the the samples in four other versions before the final song was recorded.
Working on »Love and Sheep « was an enormous challenge. After all it ended up being one of my favorite songs though!
