Take off your skin and dance around in your bones.

I so deeply wanted to comment on yesterdays' breathtaking show in de Helling, but realized that no-one, including me, myself and I, could introduce these maidens better than they do. So there you go, Katzenjammer:

'Ladies and Gentlemen!

Presenting: the queens of sultry sound, sisters of mercy, saints of scarred souls, society’s hangover and Calamity Jane’s bachelorette party. The eminent, prominent and decadent ladies of our time: Katzenjammer!

Drink, dear rebels and drink again. Katzenjammers’s musical underground cultus is conjured up through instruments like the accordion, mandolin, guitar, piano, balaika bass, xylophone, trumpet, kazoo, melodica, drums and banjo just to name a few- all played with fire in the belly, fever in the fingers, heart and throat. And then there are voices. The voices, my dear friends, are the brush strokes on the night sky where you dance your wildest dance in your fanciest clothes. Katzenjammer drives clichés so hard into your guts that they shrivel, twist, and lay a foundation for new generations with a taste for the old. Our blissful mistresses are self-taught on most of the for mentioned instruments. The animal tamed by its trainer will eventually know every nook and cranny of its cage, and eventually become calm. Katzenjammer recently arrived at their cage and are rattling about in a fruitful, creative ruckus. The animal tamer takes two steps back.'

What more can say?
Bedazzlement guaranteed!
Oh yes, I would strongly recommend you to go.
....
Yes, NOW!

.....

Why are you still here?!

Oh, you'd like to listen to them first? Oh now, you want to see them as well? You bloody fool.

Done?

Now go!

Spring.... finally!

It's the 1st of March, the lazy sun finally won its battle with the stubborn clouds and Rue Royale's record is softly dancing along on my turntable. The honey sweet acoustic tones of Ruth Dekker and her beloved husband Brookln might even bring me to this higher state of consciousness, in believing that ís almost spring. It's a marvelous soundtrack of this transitional period, encouraging us to hum along, to open our keyed windows, to kick off your winterly socks and welcome warmer days.

As I saw them at Live in the Living in Utrecht last week, I know they're still on tour. So try to catch one of their gigs.

There is definitely love in me!

Spread the word: Four Tet released a new album just a few weeks ago. There is love in you is a brilliant compilation of ambient sounds and dreamy voices combined with the abstract, funky beats we, all know by now, Producer Kieran Hebden creates like no other. It makes you wanna dance with waving arms whilst stamping your bare feet on a solid underground. Sing will literally turn you into a background choir, if you initially only wanted to dance. With This unfolds you find yourself in right up there in the Air, but your floathing will be guided by the drums, who'll stay on your side during the entire track.

Four Tet who's been releasing material since 1998 definitely did it again with this latest album.


And I almost forgot Love Cry.... There's simply too much love on this new piece.

Just listen it and you'll be as hooked as I am.

The Sound of a Bird

...
open up your ears and heart
you put a big bird in a small cage and it'll sing you a song
that we all love to sing along
to the sound of the bird that mourns
...

A dreamy trip to where the wild things are.

His resounding voice was carried to the highest end of the church, just to the spot we were standing. As if he intended to gently caress our submissive ears. Shivers ran through my spine as Patrick Watson brought his Hommage to Beijing. He somehow seems to be able to turn the feeling of Edgar Allen Poe stories into musical adventures: the atmosphere, a chilly darkness accompanied by featherlight hope, filled his audience with a breathtaking innersilence. As far as my eyes could carry me I saw enchanted lovers, gazing at each other as if touched by Cupids' arrow. Lovers for ever or just for this night. Lovers of volatility . Lovers of drama turned into romance... and back. But mostly, lovers of imagination. All sharing the same dream: the desire of living in a country far, far away, where big birds can live freely, where wild things can live side to side with men like us and passionate flames light up the morning sky.

Back with something New 'n Improved!

It took me a while to regain my strengths after a hot summer filled with festivals in b***-f*** Nowhere, trips to exciting places, never ending parties and tear jerking concerts and I must admit that my everlasting Catholic guilt made me realize that I should haven written more, but time flies when you're having fun.

But I'm here now and I brought back an amazing discovery from my visit to Barcelona, so just Hang in there!

Hang player at Park Güell

During one of my slow strolls in the fantastic hills of Park Güell, my ears were suddenly seduced by a magic sound. Through the wild trees I heard a combination of hypnotic drums, subtle strings, gentle caresses and soft strokes, which made my heart skip a beat and my legs walk faster towards the enchanting composition. On my way to the origin the sound kept getting louder without loosing its suave character. Abruptly a personage, a man, appeared amidst this extraordinary wealth. It was he who created this tang. All by himself, with nothing more than an ordinary Hang.

And it is the Hang, I would like to introduce you to. This steel idiophone, that has been created in 2000 by PANArt in Switzerland, seems to have exploded all over the Catalonian capital. The inventors Felix Rohner and Sabina Schärer made a steel pan resembling creation that combines its sound with the gong, the gamelan, the musical saw, the ghatam and many other international percussion instruments. Even though it's pricey (around 1200 for a new Hang and over 5000 euro for a second hand one), the process to buy one is extremely complicated (you need to write a letter to Sabina and Felix and íf they agree with your request, you can book an appointment to visit them at their workshop) and its limited production (the company temporary stopped the production in March this year, next deliveries will start in 2010), the Hang keeps up getting more popular.
Nowadays it (and its funny halfbrother HAPI) can be found around Park Güell, la Catedral, plaça del Sol in Gracia, you name it. Barça could give you an almost 100% guarantee of encountering the subtle sounds of the DING and the GU side of the percussion instrument.

Hang concert behind La Catedral in Barri Gotic

The instrument often referred to as a Hang Drum (the translation of the Bernese word Hang), which might explain the popularity amongst the huge amount of hand drummers in the city of Gaudí. Although it is more probable that one person came, spreading out the love for this melodious reference to acoustic freedom, passing it on to many others.

Whatever it might be, it's definitely something to check out as its sound is just plain beautiful.......
So watch one of youtube videos and decide for yourself.

Just a sunny sunday afternoon in Berlin....

Berlin is full of surprises. Just sit down, relax and let yourself get entertained. In Mauerpark you'll have a variety of acts taking place right in front of your picknick blanket.
This weeks recommendation is Trap: live in Mauerpark (see youtube video 1 and 2).