Die Stadt Music New Releases

The latest from Die Stadt:

OUT June 2007

ASMUS TIETCHENS & RICHARD CHARTIER »Fabrication« CD (DS99)

The first collaboration by these two renowned sound artists. FABRICATION saw its beginning during the production of RE-POST-REFABRICATED, a project in which artists were selected by Richard Chartier to rework/create new works from his 1998 CD POSTFABRICATED for its reissue in 2003. As it was intended as an open project, Asmus Tietchens continued to explore the source materials and suggested further formal collaboration. This evolved into the collaborative work FABRICTAION. The CD comes in a full colour 4-panel digisleeve with artwork and designed by Chartier. The first 500 copies incl. a bonus CD feat. the complete material created by Tietchens from POSTFABRICATED entitled »POST-FABRICATION«.

OUT June 2007

ASMUS TIETCHENS »Notturno« CD (DS102)

10th part in the ongoing re-release series of all early Tietchens albums between 1980—1991. »Notturno« was originally released by spanish label Discos Esplendor Geometrico in 1987 and also by Barooni on CD in 1992. Remastered version in a first edition of 600 copies in jewel case with full colour artwork and poster booklet also feat. the original front and back cover.

Asmus Tietchens NOTTURNO (Discos Esplendor Geometrico EG 011) 1987
(Barooni BAR 007) 1992

By the time »Studie fur Klavier« (FORMEN LETZTER HAUSMUSIK, DS84) was released it actually wasn’t my first attempt to use the piano as a sound source. Various pre-studies came before this, but all which either were not characterized as such in their title or simply didn’t make it onto record. I was intrigued by the great range of sounds it offers in general, but also by the multiple possibilities to produce sounds inside of the piano. Off course I was fully aware that these techniques had already been used by other composers like Henry Cowell and John Cage in the past. Not only I could make use of a grand piano in 1986, I also had the technical equipment at hand which didn’t leave nothing to be desired. I wasn’t quite precise calling these pieces »Studien fur Klavier (Piano)« by the way, as I was actually using a Flugel (Grand Piano). I began preparing the strings in an almost old fashioned way, also producing sounds with unusual aids (Electric Gastr Beater, Wire Brush, Coins and others). Then in another step, with the help of the studio, I carefully started working on the recorded sounds. While doing this I wasn’t even afraid of the using some good old avantgarde tricks by the way. But I won’t tell. The fact that NOTTURNO was released by an industrial label, shows how much the interest in unusual electro-acoustic music had grown at the time. In fact NOTTURNO is nothing less than an industrial album. To my own delight and to the delight of the listeners as well, I used techniques which were introduced in the field of new music since several years already. As a result NOTTURNO can be seen as a cross between musical styles. On one hand it sounds academic, but in fact it isn’t. But the question whether this was U (popular) or E (serious) was obsolete anyway, as electro-acoustic experiments didn’t exclusively belonged to the circle of serious composers anymore. Off course I wasn’t the first or only non-academic composer who produced music, which couldn’t be categorized easily then, and maybe even still not until today. As a result the exchange of these new aesthetic strategies with other musicians and listeners in the mid 80’s, further encouraged the musicians to produce such music, and as a result labels such as Discos Esplendor Geometrico could be sure to sell a small edition of 500 copies in a fairly short time. The ears had opened up for this genre-crossing music and the heads were ready to accept. We had succeeded breaking new ground.

OUT June 2007

FOVEA HEX »Allure« CD EP (DS89/JR003)

Third and final part of the »Neither Speak Nor Remain Silent« series by Fovea Hex feat. Clodagh Simonds, Colin Potter, Laura Sheeran, Cora Venus Lunny, Robert Fripp, Percy Jones, Donal Lunny, John Contreras, Michael Begg, Steven Wilson (Bass Communion/Porcupine Tree).
The first 500 copies will also include another bonus CD »An Answer« feat. About 60 (!) minutes of material reworked and remixed by Andrew McKenzie of The Hafler Trio. This version will only be available from both Die Stadt and Janet Records directly !