EPRelease date:
02.09.2016

Johannes Motschmann, David Panzl, ensemble risonanze erranti, Peter Tilling

Echoes and Drones

Berlin composer Johannes Motschmann brings together two major traditions of German music history in his electro-acoustic trio album: Classical music and electronic music. The live electro sound is raw, melancholic, and dark, where analog synthesizers, an old Wurlitzer piano, and the famous CP-70 piano rhythmically intertwine with a massive percussion set and violin sounds, only to dissolve into layers. This music reflects Johannes Motschmann's journey, who studied composition, piano, and electronic music and has already composed works for large orchestras. As a teenager, he played in various bands, equally loving New Wave and electronic music. With his album "Electric Fields," he has captured a snapshot of a place. He rethinks the two major traditions of German music history, capturing atmospheric images of a nocturnal journey through Berlin, creating his own sound between electronic dance music, avant-garde, and orchestral realms, presented in a classic trio formation. The album bears clear references to Tangerine Dream and other pioneers of the Berlin School, who in the 1970s experimented with synthesizers and left a profound mark on music culture, influencing everything from New Wave to Brian Eno to techno. Motschmann absorbs all these influences, blending ambient, industrial, and drone sounds with sonic landscapes that evoke associations with classical music. In doing so, he naturally connects with the virtuoso tradition of composers such as Bach, Satie, and Stockhausen, whose craftsmanship he has mastered. The rhythms of "Electric Fields" were carefully crafted as written scores and recorded live in the studio by the trio. All instruments were recorded in the same room, giving the handmade electro sound a rich and natural texture. Motschmann is accompanied by multi-percussionist David Panzl and sound engineer Boris Bolles, who contributes not only additional synthesizer parts but also violin melodies.