BLACKBOX
various artists
emphase / broken silence
released May 17th 2005

Feat. FX RANDOMIZ, SCHLAMMPEITZIGER, F.S. BLUMM, VERT, ANNE LAPLANTINE, GASTON, TAUNUS and including previously unreleased tracks by VANISHING BREED, SEMUIN, GUIDO MÖBIUS, MIWON, KINN and others.

Before you approach this sampler, let us give you a few preliminary explanations: First of all, this is not a label compilation, but a publishing compilation (which is pretty similar). The label emphase, which is affiliated to Autopilot (and which some people might remember for its conceptual series of 7" titled "the ONE series") only severs as a vehicle, a vehicle for the first proper compilation of Autopilot Publishing. Probably only a few of our esteemed partners in the media will be aware of the fact, that Autopilot is not only a PR-agency but has also been the home of a music publishing of the same name for these last eight years. And as the previous publishing compilations "music for visuals" vol.1 & 2 were distributed almost exclusively to colleagues in film and television, BLACKBOX is the first regular publishing sampler, complete with distribution and all that stuff.
Rather than being a representative cross section of the Autopilot's publishing program, Blackbox presents demarcations of the boundaries of what's happening under the roof of Autopilot Publishing. Blackbox is running the gamut from groovy eccentric electronica (Schlammpeitziger) to singer-songwriter stuff (Vanishing Breed), from guitar picking (Taunus) to smashing ragtime (Vert), from cut-ups (Semuin) to miniature etudes (Anne Laplantine) and to the postrock-crescendo of Kinn.
But many of the musicians assembled on this CD have much more in common than just their being published by Autopilot. Their lineups are often overlapping. For example, multi-instrumentalist Jan Thoben plays drums in GASTON as well as one of the guitars in TAUNUS - plus he's also the drummer with KINN. His brother Wilm, who like Jan plays many instruments, also plays in Taunus and Gaston. As does Jochen Briesen, who calls himself SEMUIN when playing solo. On Blackbox, he presents us with the wonderful track "Lktubii", an appetizer of what we will be hearing on his forthcoming album. Kinn-guitarist Frank Schültge has recorded many solo albums under the alias of F.S. BLUMM. His occasional collaborators ANNE LAPLANTINE and Alexander Holmes aka VANISHING BREED have been touring this and other countries under the name of "the massive crew". Holmes in turn is the main songwriter of the London music collective "they came from the stars, i saw them". And while "the stars" are not represented on this compilation, we want to take this opportunity to express our great joy about the recent signing of this conceptual band.
So much for the group of artists hailing from or currently residing in Berlin (Gaston, Taunus, Semuin, Anne Laplantine, F.S. Blumm, Kinn, Guido Möbius, vanishing breed). And while we're at it: The cologne division of artists represented on Blackbox can also be regarded as a "collective" (or at least a "scene"). Institutions of electronic music like SCHLAMMPEITZIGER or FX RANDOMIZ (who under the name "Holosud" also perform as a duo) have gathered around the sonig-label and the a-Musik-record store, the two mainstays of this scene. Just around the corner lives and works Adam Butler alias Vert, an exiled Briton now residing in the city. They know each other, they help each other out, they make music together.
The funniest cross connection between Autopilot-artists is the project of sound researcher DIRK SPECHT and Wayne B. Magruder aka TENECKE. Neither Specht nor Magruder knew that the other had signed with the same music publisher, and they literally became aware of the others signing just before this compilation had been completed. And as we've just mentioned him, we might add that Magruder is a founding member of New York-based band Calla and ex-drummer of Bowery Electric.
In compiling this album, Guido Möbius, owner of the Autopilot Publishing, let himself be guided by his curiosity. He was interested whether it would make sense to combine these very different musicians and their diverse music with whom he deals daily into a whole. What he realized was that not only does it make a lot of sense, but that it's also a lot of fun!

ANNE LAPLANTINE
discipline
emphase / hausmusik
released: 17.05.2004

ANNE LAPLANTINE, native Frenchwoman and citizen of Berlin by choice, belongs to the rare species of musicians who speak a unique musical language. We even venture to claim that it's a new language in the field of electronic pop music. And pop music is what we're hearing on dicipline - except that it's got nothing in common with the usual track-format and typical electronica. Concerning structure and composition, Anne Laplantine's music owes more to the baroque fugue than to the track. In addition to that, her sound is also very un-electronic, because Laplantine uses all kinds of acoustic instruments as sources for her sounds: flute, guitar, bass, glockenspiel and melodica to name but a few. Despite all of its complexity and multi-dimensionality, dicipline sounds light and dreamy, ephemeral yet inescapable and compelling. Hearing this album is the aural equivalent of letting run sand through your fingers. None of these beautiful moments can be held onto, the music is always on the move. Laplantine refrains from repetitions in the sense of 'theme-variation-theme', but makes her music follow the dictate of transitoriness. The artist gives the individual instruments and their sounds much space and thus develops a dense and colourful tapestry of melody and rhythm. By doing so, she in a playful way refers to a series of 7" on emphase records, the tracks on which have been played (or rather 'generated') on one instrument solely (the ONE series). With limitation as the motor of her music, Laplantine develops a music of incredible harmonic density and with a totally individual sound-aesthetic. Despite its being all but a 'fat' production, dicipline is an incredibly powerful production – you simply can't not listen to it!

Over the years, Anne Laplantine has deliberately confused her audience by recording for different labels under many different guises: As MICHIKO KUSAKI she had a release on the Vienna-based "Angelika Köhlermann"-label, for "Tomlab" she recorded as ANGELIKA KÖHLERMANN and ANNE HAMBURG. The list of releases and tracks she put out under her given name is already awe-inspiring.

Read an article (german)
about "Dicipline" in DIE ZEIT

more details ...

ONEONONE
various artists
emphase / autopilot

a 1-instrument-compilation
feat. Ronald Lippok, Reuber, Anne Laplantine, Kinn, Guido Möbius, Ilse Lau, Claudia Kapp, Marco Trovatello, Taunus, Tim Tetzner, Schmitz & Niebuhr, Weber / Möbius.

This compilation is a continuation of the emphase single series called the ONE series. The concept behind the singles and this CD is that each artist was asked to record a track by using only one sound source. This can of course be all imaginable kinds of instruments, but also animal voices, toys, field recordings or whatever. The artists were totally free in composing, recording and arranging their music, as long as they took their sounds just from this one instrument they decided to play. We have a brilliant hihat-track by Ronald Lippok (to rococo rot / tarwater), a flute-track by Anne Laplantine (aka Angelika Köhlermann or Michiko Kusaki); Claudia Kapp edited and arranged a cat's voice and Reuber did throat-singing. The instruments range from bassguitar to vibraphone, from violin to jegog.

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BLINKER_INC: blinker_inc
cat.no.: es-07
format: CD
released: 20.09.2002

The Berlin based instrumental trio blinker_inc studies breakbeat science. With drums, bass, moog-synthesizer and guitar, this band creates an absolutely groovy and unique sound. blinker_inc can be heavy or fragile ­ an invitation to dance or to go on a mind trip. What makes up the typical blinker-sound is the amazing drums, dubby basslines and the warm sound of the moog. A psychoactive mixture between new breakbeats, kraut and trancerock. Hypnotic pieces are interrupted by unexpected breaks, holding the tension every second. Dense and trancelike passages glide into each other. blinker_inc are always moving and always surprising. A minimalistic bandsound with a maximum effect.

Dirk Specht, beteiligt an den emphase-releases Vol.1 ("40 Sekunden Ohne Gewicht") und Vol.2 ("miniklon"), bewegt sich auf Solopfaden. "Raumreserve - Druckkammer Teil 1-8" ist die Musik zu einem Tanztheaterstück von Vera Sander, das 2001 u.a. im Tanzhaus NRW Düsseldorf zur Aufführung kam. Auch ohne visuelle, getanzte Umsetzung entfaltet Specht's Musik mühelos ihre Sogwirkung. Tiefe Klangflächen und geräuschhafte, konkrete Sounds sind die akustische Auseinandersetzung mit Raum im Allgemeinen und der Druckkammer
im Speziellen. In einer ruhigen, aber zwingenden Spiralbewegung schrauben sich
pulsierende plonks, Geräusche und drones immer weiter nach oben. Weghören ist unmöglich!

HANS REICHEL vs. FRANZ HAUTZINGER
cat.no.: es-11 / ONE series #6
format: 7inch (split-single)
instruments: daxophon, trumpet

HANS REICHEL
"Tisch Null"
Daxophon
Wuppertal-based guitarist, violinist, instrument maker and typographer HANS REICHEL lives up to his myriad talents like few others. Starting out as a beat musician, he soon gained renown as Germany's "guru of experimental guitar". Today, he is often put into the wide category of "free jazz and improv". With the invention of the "daxophon", the most versatile musician and composer created hitherto unheard sounds. The instrument consists of an accumulation of fragile pieces of wood, which are bowed like a violin. Due to their potential for modulation and the timbre of the sounds emanating from it, it bears a great similarity to the human voice. With "Tisch Null", Reichel - who has composed entire operas for the daxophon and has become world famous for its invention - has recorded an exclusive daxo-piece for emphase records. With its complex polyphony, its bouncing rhythm and its wonderfully off-key humor, "Tisch Null" is, well, typically Hans Reichel. Apart from that, one simply cannot compare it to anything else.

FRANZ HAUTZINGER
"Duckdate"
Quarter Tone Trumpet
FRANZ HAUTZINGER is one of the most enigmatic musicians Austria has ever produced. The studied trumpeter (who has also graduated in composition) gained a solid reputation not only as a soloist but also through his may collaborations with colleagues such as Elliott Sharp, John Cale, Christian Fennesz, Otomo Yoshihide, Phil Niblock, Derek Bailey and John Tilbury (to name but a few). Although he spent his formative years as instrumentalist within the field of contemporary jazz, in recent years Hautzinger has developed an idiosyncratic and distinct instrumental voice which has been inspired in part by his inclination towards what is commonly called "contemporary music".
The piece for trumpet with the onomatopoetic (and refreshingly unacademic) title "Duckdate" has been produced by Franz Hautzinger exclusively for emphase records. Here, Hautzinger works with sounds, textures and intervals in a highly consistent way. This piece (which makes use of multitrack recording) fathoms the space with quaking and croaking sounds made by fluttering valves and sensual embrochure sounds. "Duckdate" fascinates through its very physical sound works and a spatiality, which can almost be grasped with one's hands.

VERT vs. ACOUSTIC-INTERFACE
cat.no.: es-06 / the ONE series #5
format: 7inch (split-single)
instruments: Piano, Calliope / Grinder Organ

Composer and programming virtuoso VERT is quickly increasing in popularity. His remake of Keith Jarret's legendary 'Köln Concert' is a classic in its own right. Since the release of the new Vert album 'nine types of ambiguity' on Mouse On Mars' label sonig this englishman is en vogue. Vert recorded a piece with prepared piano exclusively for the the ONE series. It is played completely live, without any programming or overdubbing. Vert called it octatone rag for two reasons: it uses a scale called the octatonic scale and it reminded him of ragtime, particularly in the first part. The octatonic scale was invented (discovered? popularised?) by Olivier Messiaen, it's one of what he called the 'modes of limited transposition'. The middle section of the 'octatone rag' uses prepared notes, which means that Vert had stuck objects between the strings to change the timbre. This technique was invented (discovered? popularised?) by John Cage when he realised that he couldn't fit an entire percussion ensemble onto a stage. Vert used screws, bits of eraser and keyrings. Oh, and the creaking noise is one of the pedals.

ACOUSTIC INTERFACE aka Andreas Lubich is known as one quarter of ALBOTH. Andreas had the fortunate opportunity to record a manipulated Calliope (or Grinder Organ) during a visit in New York. The player was apparently unhappy when he found that somebody was recording his music, so he tried everything to destroy the songs his instrument normally plays. So what you hear is not the result of Andreas' mastering - it is absolutely live! It might have been because of the nasty weather that the player was in such a bad mood. His merry-go-round was deserted; only few children and of course Andreas witnessed this spectacular performance. Did you know that a Calliope (or Grinder Organ) can play two songs at the same time? Or hold one tone for about 30 seconds?

STEPHAN MEYER vs. GUIDO MÖBIUS
cat.no.: es-05 / the ONE series #4
format: 7inch (split-single)
instruments: PS-55 Portasound, Jew's Harp

The first rocking the ONE series release!

STEPHAN MEYER - a man and his Yamaha PS-55 Portasound-Keyboard. Funny lo-fi grooves recorded on 4-track. File under cheapo plastic organ trash. No programming, all played live. Stephan obviously likes the drum-presets, his distortion pedal and the arpeggio-function of his instrument. And he definitely rocks this Portasound!

GUIDO MÖBIUS, the guy who runs the emphase label, discovered this track by accident on a CDR that Stephan recorded for a friend in Berlin. 'Jew's Harp' is Guido's reaction to (or answer on) 'PS-55'. Like Stephan's piece it is quite driving, but it sounds less harsh. Guido played with the percussive qualities of the Jew's Harp, developing polyrhythmical structures. He did'nt use much filters or other mixing-tools; the frequency sweeps that can be heard mostly are the 'natural' results of time stretching and pitching. An amazing variety of sounds!

HARALD "SACK" ZIEGLER - SEPTEMBER HORN
SONDERFELD - 200 ACCORDÉONS
cat.no.: es-04 / the ONE series #3
format: 7" (split-single)

Sonderfeld is an idiosyncratic German band lead by Tom Waits incarnation Norbert Sonderfeld. The group has established their unique style with several releases on Veracity and Moloko Plus. Always open for musical experiments, Sonderfeld recorded a track for Vol.3 of the ONE series. 200
Accordéons is obviously influenced by the first two the ONE series releases' minimalism, but the band charges this minimalism with the deepness of the accordions' sound. We are lucky that three of the four members of Sonderfeld play this instrument, so they were able to record this track live.

Harald "Sack" Ziegler has always worked against his increasing popularity. It's impossible to describe the personality of this renaissance man in a few sentences. His name has become a trademark which, oddly, he shows no desire to market. In his wonderfully inspired autumn lullaby September Horn, Ziegler demonstrates his prowess on French horn, an instrument few people know that he studied. In
this track, melodies, chords and sounds slowly are faded into each other. Compared with 200 Accordéons this piece sounds light and airy, although a slow bass-figure keeps on marching through it. But both tracks muster a unique intensity.

YREF - LA SALIDA
WILBERG - PROFESSOR STABROTH MACHT EIN NICKERCHEN (IM ZUG NACH BAMBERG)
cat.no.: es-03 / the ONE series #2
format: 7" (split-single)

In la salida (the journey) the Berlin-based guitarist and performance-artist Rainer Frey (aka "YREF") created a very concentrated, trance-like guitar piece. YREF freed the word 'trance' from the weight of
all cliches and reduced it to it's pure meaning: the irresistible groove. The piece derives its energy from subtle changes in it's flowing movement. No overdubs were needed; this track was played live with a
delay-effect. Rainer Frey has worked as a (solo-)artist for more then twenty years. In several theatre-projects and in bands like Monoblock, his unique musical style has been an essential ingredient.

Professor Stabroth macht ein Nickerchen (im Zug nach Bamberg) is a slowly flowing glockenspiel piece, devoid of any rhythmical meter. It sounds like it's title, which translates to "Professor Stabroth takes a nap on the train to Bamberg". Bernd Wilberg plays with the sound qualities of the glockenspiel: a long sustain and percussive character. The result could be described as nervous meditation. Professor Stabroth is a perfect response to the other piece: opposite in some ways, but concerned with some of the same topics. Bernd Wilberg is known as one part of the cologne electroacoustic duo Schmitz und Niebuhr.

MINIKLON - 1,5 FARFISA
F.s.:BLUMM - 6 MBIRAS
cat.no.: es-02 / the ONE series #1
format: 7" (split-single)

After the release of 40 Sekunden ohne Gewicht, emphase is proud to present this first miniklon-release. 1,5 Farfisa was composed and recorded by miniklon-member Dirk Specht. In fact he used only one Farfisa, but several distortion- and compression-effects. That's why Specht decided to name his piece 1,5 Farfisa. He created a hypnotic track with a deep, heartbeatlike groove. It contrasts with 6 Mbiras in many ways, but like this it's overtones provide a subtle deepness.

Musician and sound-artist Frank Schültge aka F.s.:Blumm works and releases with countless musical projects on labels like Morr, Gefriem, Tom, Staubgold, Plattenmeister and others. Definitely Blumm reached an underground cult-status in Germany already. Blumm composed 6 Mbiras as an answer to 1,5 Farfisa: "Now my job - introducing the instrument according to its inherent nature and, at the same time, empathizing with "1.5 Farfisa" - was not hard, because the automatic expression which arises when I play the Mbira has mostly a repetitive and minimal-music-like gesture." Another reference is -not only by name-: "Six Marimbas", a piece by Steve Reich.

40 SEKUNDEN OHNE GEWICHT - "O.T."
ZWEI TAGE SAUERSTOFF - "MÄDCHEN AUS NAPALM"
cat.no.: es-01
format: 7" (split-single)

On this split 7", the Cologne trio Zwei Tage Sauerstoff sits opposite the Berlin quartet 40 Sekunden Ohne Gewicht. On one side, hear driving industrial electronics by Zwei Tage Sauerstoff and on the other hear the laid-back improvized dub of 40 Sekunden Ohne Gewicht. Zwei Tage Sauerstoff cast their rough and noisy steel percussions over dub undertones, basing their sounds on metalic sound samples; imagine one thin sheet of metal whapped hard by a brick, and the samples from it formed into grooves and dub beats. By contrast, 40 Sek's track OT is an extract from a live-recording made at Berlin's famed house of experimental sounds, Podewil. OT builds up slowly, culminating in dense vocal sampling and thickly layered electro noises. 40 Sekunden member Dirk Specht also penned the 1,5 Farfisa piece for the the ONE series.