hackedepicciotto at silent green / Saturday, 26.6.2026

hackedepicciotto return with LICHTUNG, an electronically rich and structurally adventurous record that honors the German language. Available on limited-edition candy color vinyl and CD via Mute.

This is Alexander Hacke’s first album since leaving Einstürzende Neubauten. It takes its title – and draws its inspiration – from the home he and Danielle de Picciotto recently established on the outskirts of Berlin, marking a milestone after 14 years of nomadic living. Named after the German word for ‘clearing’, LICHTUNG has become their personal haven and a place for reflection amid a period of global upheaval.

<a href="https://hackedepicciotto.bandcamp.com/album/lichtung">LICHTUNG by hackedepicciotto</a>

On the album, the pair step beyond the familiar pull of repetitive drones, exploring more complex sound structures and uncharted electronic terrains. Recorded in their new home, the process was as demanding as it was creatively rewarding. They embraced experimentation with new textures, while Danielle returned to the piano, an instrument she had long missed, finding new ways to express herself. Mindfully written in German as a nod to the language of their surroundings, the lyrics are a loving gesture that firmly anchors this Berlin-born record.

On “Lichtung”, hackedepicciotto once again – yet in a completely different way – also celebrate their diametrically opposed personalities and creative approaches. Their creative process is nothing less than a continuous dialogue in which the music emerges from their direct interaction and the unexpected synthesis of their distinct contributions. Differences give way to new commonalities.

In terms of its reference to a specific location, “Lichtung” thus joins the series of albums that hackedepicciotto have recorded in the past: “Menetekel” was recorded in 2017 in a medieval church in Krems on the Danube, “The Current” in 2020 on the northwest coast of England, in Blackpool. “Keepsakes” was recorded in 2023 at Europe’s first recording studio in Naples, the Auditorium Novecento, where Enrico Caruso once recorded arias and songs. Only “Silver Threshold” from 2021 breaks from this pattern, it can be associated less with a specific location but a historical phase – namely, the pandemic.