Superb 1st erstwhile 'pop' release as only an erstwhile artist could define the term: abstract lower case and perceptive songs with dual clarinets creating harmonic interactions (Kai Fagaschinski & Michael Thieke, aka The International Nothing), guitar & voice from Margareth Kammerer and electronics & vocals from Christoph Kurzmann.
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Margareth Kammerer-vocals, guitars
Christof Kurzmann-vocals, G3, lloop
Kai Fagaschinski-clarinet
Michael Thieke-clarinet
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Label: erstwhile
Catalog ID: ErstPop P001LP
Squidco Product Code: 9455
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2008
Country: USA
Packaging: Vinyl LP in a Gatefold Sleeve
Recorded at Amann Studios, Vienna, August 2006 by Christoph Amann.
"Originally, Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band's second album was intended to be a double-album set called "It Comes to You in a Plain Brown Wrapper." Although 1968's Strictly Personal has the same artwork that was mooted for the double album, it's a single disc. As part of the same post-Trout Mask Replica closet-cleaning that led to Buddah (the parent company of Blue Thumb Records, which released Strictly Personal) reissuing Safe As Milk as Dropout Boogie in the U.K. in 1970, the label released Mirror Man, the second disc that was intended for the Plain Brown Wrapper release. Recorded in November 1967 (an odd misprint on the sleeve claims it was recorded in 1965, when the band barely existed), the four lengthy tracks on Mirror Man are even more simplistic and primal than those on Strictly Personal. All four are worthwhile, but the key tracks are "Tarotplane Blues," a free-form jam in which Beefheart jumbles together the lyrics of at least half a dozen blues standards into a stream-of-consciousness ramble (adding musette and harmonica for good measure) as the Magic Band vamps on a slide guitar-based, two-chord groove for over 19 minutes, and the similarly expansive "Mirror Man," one of the key tracks of Beefheart's entire career. Probably the catchiest tune Beefheart ever wrote, "Mirror Man" has an almost funky, hip-swaying groove, and there's a playful lightness to the way Beefheart chants the simplistic lyrics that prefigures the flights of fancy on Trout Mask Replica and Lick My Decals off, Baby. The remaining two tracks, "25th Century Quaker" and "Kandy Korn," are less essential but interesting enough. The revitalized and properly spelled Buddha Records reissued an expanded version of this album in 1999 as The Mirror Man Sessions, adding five alternate takes of songs that later appeared on Strictly Personal."-Stewart Mason, All Music
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Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Margareth Kammerer "Margareth Kammerer began her musical activity in Bologna (Italy) where she studied at the D.A.M.S (Disciplines of Art, Music and Theater). She co-founded several bands working with improvisation and collective composing. After moving to Berlin, she became involved in the experimental "Echtzeit" music scene, and has since developed her craft along many different lines, both with music and performance. Her solo work can be found on "To be an animal of real flesh" (Charizhma, 2004), and "Why is the sea so blue" (Mikroton, 2013). Other continuing projects include: The Magic I.D. (with Christoph Kurzmann, Kai Fagachinski, and Michael Thieke), The RubyRubyRuby (with Steve Heather and Derek Shirley), Mugglestone Revue (with Big Daddy Mugglestone), Secret Spirit House (with Ellen Fullman and Teresa Wong), etc. She has also worked with Chris Abrahams, Fred Frith, Luciano Chesa, Seby Ciurcina, Otomo Yoshihide, Paolo Angeli, Axel Dörner, Jason Forrest, Stefano Pilia, Andrea Belfi, Daniela Cattivelli, Claudio Rocchetti, the new contemporary music ensembles "Die Maulwerker" und "Ensemble Zwischentöne", and many more. M.K. has performed at Angelica Festival in Bologna (2008), Music Unlimited in Wels (2006) Auditorio Parco della musica (2010 Rom), Serralves em Festa (2010 Porto) Experimental Media (2010 New York), Maybeck Studio (2005 San Francisco), Festival de lá Musique Creative (1995 Nancy), Jazz á Mulhouse (2007 Mulhouse), Musica 90 (2005 Torino), Escena Contemporanea (2005 Madrid), Teatro Fondamenta Nuove (2007 Venice), Vooruit (2009 Gent), Echtzeitmusiktage (2010 Berlin), Netmage (2010 Bologna), Alternativa Festival (2011 Prag), Ring Ring (1994 Belgrad), Festival Transart (2010 Bozen), Maerzmusik (2011 Berlin), Konfrontationen (2011 Nickelsdorf), etc. In theater, she has worked as actress/singer with Laurent Frechuret, (1999/2000, St. Etienne, Paris), Wolf Twiehaus (2001/2002, Schaubühne, Berlin), Berthold Schneider (2003, Staatsbank, Berlin), Jay Scheib (2002, Volksbühne, Berlin; 2005, Lamama Theatre, New York; 2006, Living Room, Bologna; 2009, Institute of Creative and Performing Arts at Colgate University), Adeline Rosenstein (2004-2008, Ausland, Berlin; 2009, Premieres Actes, France), Tone Avenstroup (2001, Reich und Berühmt Festival, Berlin; 2002, Lady Chutney, Vienna; 2002, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo; 2001,Black Box, Oslo; 2012, Ackerstadtpalast, Berlin), Worm Winters (2002, Kunstnernes Hus, Oslo), Antonija Livingstone (2009, Performance Festival, Bologna) and Bo Wiget (2010, Fabriktheater Zürich; 2010, Sophiensäle, Berlin)." ^ Hide Bio for Margareth Kammerer • Show Bio for Christof Kurzmann "Christof Kurzmann (vocals, lloopp, clarinet, alto sax), is an Austrian musician, performer, composer currently living in Buenos Aires. Beginning in 1994 he started his work in the field of experimental electronic music. Since that time Christof has collaborated with some of the most significant artists working in contemporary music and improvisation- including Toto Alvarez, Martin Brandlmayr, John Butcher, Eden Carrasco, Sebi Ciurcina, Werner Dafeldecker, Kai Fagaschinski, Fernanda Farrah, Bernhard Fleischmann, Michaela Grill, Margareth Kammerer, Leonel Kaplan, Bernhard Lang, Andrea Neumann, Fernando Perales, Eva Reiter, Marina Rosenfeld, Ursula Rucked, Burkhard Stangl, Michael Thieke, and Clayton Thomas- in groups such as El Infierno Musical, The Magic I.D., and Schee. During the course of his career, Christof has performed throughout Europe, Japan, North and South Amercia. He has also been a music curator since the mid 1980's, and in 1999 founded the record label, Charhizma, which has released more than 30 cds." ^ Hide Bio for Christof Kurzmann • Show Bio for Kai Fagaschinski "The Berlin-based clarinetist and composer/performer focuses on a subtle musicality of sound and noise phenomena. As an autodidact he has developed dubious manners on his instrument. His music is rooted in abstractness, including increasingly an insidious expressivity and a pre-melodic quality. He works on the borderline of composition and improvisation, with a preference for long-term collaborations. His projects are The International Nothing - clarinet duo with Michael Thieke (cd: Mainstream, ftarri 2006 / less action, less excitement, less everything, ftarri 2010 / the dark side of success, ftarri 2014), los glissandinos with klaus filip (cd: Stand clear, creative sources 2005), the magic i.D. - Song Project with margareth kammerer, christof kurzmann & michael thieke (cd/vinyl: Till my breath gives out, erstwhile 2008 / i'm so awake - sleepless i feel, staubgold 2011), duo with Burkhard Stangl (cd: Musik - ein portrait in sehnsucht, erstwhile 2009), the dogmatics with Chris Abrahams (lp: The sacrifice for the music became our lifestyle, monotype 2012), here comes the sun with gunter schneider & barbara romen (cd: Here comes the sun, mikroton 2012), Kommando Raumschiff Zitrone with Christof kurzmann (cd: First time ever i saw your face, quincunx 2006), duo with Bernhard Gal (cd: Going round in serpentines, charhizma 2005), rebecca with michael renkel (cd: Rebecca [two variations], charhizma 2003), No Furniture with Boris Baltschun and Axel Dörner (cd: No furniture, creative sources 2003), and (exceptionally) solo. Kai has been the commander of Raumschiff Zitrone from 2000 to 2006, joined by christof kurzmann in 2002. Recently both commanders have been retired and closed the legendary raumschiff zitrone which has presented concerts of countless international artists. In 2001 he co-initiated together with gregor hotz and conrad noack berlin's experimental music platform www.Echtzeitmusik.De. Kai was artist-in-residense at quartier21 (part of museumsquartierwien, vienna) in 2004. As a result of fruitful collaborations and good friendships vienna feels like a second home for him." ^ Hide Bio for Kai Fagaschinski • Show Bio for Michael Thieke "The Berlin-based clarinetist/composer/performer Michael Thieke is equally at home across a broad range of musical environments, such as experimental song forms, collectively composing projects, improvising collectives, and music on the fringes of jazz. He is exploring the minutiae of sound, timbre and noise, with a particular interest in microtonality and related sound phenomena, and with a preference for long-term collaborations and collective work. Some of his current Projects are: The International Nothing (with Kai Fagaschinski cl, CD on ftarri), The Magic I.D. (with Christof Kurzmann, Kai Fagaschinski, Margareth Kammerer, CD/LP on ErstPop and staubgold), The Pitch (with Boris Baltschun organ, Koen Nutters b, Morten Olsen dr, LP on gaffer), Der lange Schatten (with Håvard Wiik p, Antonio Borghini b), Voutchkova/Thieke (with Biliana Voutchkova vl), Splitter Orchester, Toulemonde/Thieke (with Olivier Toulemonde acoustic objects), Hotelgäste (with Derek Shirley b, Dave Bennett g, CD on schraum, LP on self), Michael Thieke Unununium (with Luca Venitucci acc/p, Martin Siewert g, Christian Weber b, Derek Shirley b, Steve Heather dr, Eric Schaefer dr, CD on charhizma), motif (with Atle Nymo sax, Håkon Mjåset Johansen dr, Eivind Lønning tp, Ole Morten Vågan b, Håvard Wiik p), Porta Chiusa (with paed Conca cl, Hans Koch cl), Spirit Songs (with Mike Cooper voc/g, Elio Martusciello el, Fabrizio Spera dr, Luca Venitucci acc/el.), Roman Tics (with Burkhard Beins, Luca Venitucci, CD on Cathnor), Cowards Bend The Knee (Live Music in different setups with the film Cowards Bend The Knee by Guy Maddin), Gebhard Ullmann's The Clarinet Trio (with Gebhard Ullmann bass clarinet, Jürgen Kupke clarinet) and Uli Gumpert Workshop Band." ^ Hide Bio for Michael Thieke
12/11/2024
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12/11/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
12/11/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
12/11/2024
Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.
Track Listing:
Side One:
1. Tarotplane 19:00
2. Kandy Korn 8:00
Side Two:
1. 25th Century Quaker 9:50
2. Mirror Man 15:38
Vinyl Recordings
erstwhile
Electro-Acoustic
Song Based Music
lowercase, reductionist, micro-improv, sound improv, onkyo sound
Quartet Recordings
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