★Klangbad
Flut
Jochen Irmler and Jaki Liebzeit met in the town of scheer last july to prepare for an upcoming concert at the slaughterhouse in sigmaringen as well as for a subsequent appearance in the kammerspiele in munich. however, they quickly decided to stop rehearsing and instead record flut - an album that regroups six improvisations between organ and percussion. flut adds another chapter to irmler's collaborations, which aim to explore, whenever possible, the hidden potential that lies dormant in the cl…
Spielwiese 3
"for the latest of their sound expeditions, the two warriors of experimental music from two generations (hans joachim irmler from faust and fm einheit as a founding member of einstÜrzende neubauten), have rejuvenated themselves and added a feminine touch. here, the german multimedia performer ute-maria paul, as well as the american composer and bassoonist katie young, broaden the sound cosmos which could already be explored on "no apologies", irmler's first co-operation with fm einheit. b…
No Apologies
RESTOCKED: Irmler and einheit represent two generations of legendary german musicians. Out of the ruins of 1968 faust emerged in the early 70s and it was with this band that irmler's organ playing was first to be heard. Hardly a decade later fm einheit's performances with einstürzende neubauten were an expression of a heightened self-consciousness and the self-proclaimed "geniale diletanten". Today these masters of evocative noise making are a motivating force for experimental music and are both…
Qua
A new cluster album is always full of surprises. That hasn't changed over the last 35 years. qua is written with the typical, slightly scrawly hand of cluster but, to stay within the metaphor, the musical text now is completely new. 17 rhythmic and harmonic miniatures with mysterious titles pass by the listener like a toy caravan of dark, fast camels, loaded with alien and precious drams - or is it a mere fata morgana? cluster throw flashes of light on a far but not completely foreign world; out…
Faust is last
Could it be that there's something a bit final about this album? Apart from the fact that it has the word "Last" in the title, the sleeve features a similar image to that of the very first Faust album, suggesting that the group have finally come full circle. Confusingly however, there are two Fausts knocking about at the moment, one featuring Zappi Diermaier and Jean-Herve Peron, the other (this one) 'fronted' by Hans-Joachim Irmler. It has been suggested in certain reports that Faust …
featuring Ginsberg, Hentz, Irmler
Bob Rutman has invented what may well be the largest stringed instrument ever made. with a bow made of fishing line, he bows the suspension of a gigantic steel sail and in this way creates drones whose volume is not unlike the noise of a plane taking off. we might be reminded of russolo and 'the art of noise' by the futurists, or of machine music or industrial. and we're right and wrong there. of course, simply the look of rutman's steel cello gives a martial impression. so, it's not surp…
Faust Wakes Nosferatu
It was a marriage made in heaven (or perhaps hell): the Krautrock legends Faust and FW Murnau's classic silent horror movie Nosferatu, made in 1921. Drawing on music from their 1997 album, Faust Wakes Nosferatu, which was itself inspired by the film, Faust accompanied a screening of the movie with an enthralling, apocalyptic river of sound. The audience was more Faustian than silver-screen. Indeed, a number of Nosferatu purists soon abandoned their seats in horror. Even Faust\\'s fans seemed unc…
Edinburgh 1997
Live at the Flux New Music Festival in Edinburgh. "Three weeks of festival, theatre, pantomime, experimental arts and music. In amongst these, Faust: A legend for the connoisseur, with constantly changing sound experiments over the past 25 years. Faust mixes industrial noise with tattered sounds, jazzy harmonies and rock rhythms. Unfettered and minimalist. A concert at a venue resembling a low, hot cave. There is a huge metal sheet in front of the stage beyond the reach of the audience. Guardian…