Wooden sticks, pieces of felt, tape strips, table-tennis balls – with great inventiveness and various everyday objects, the pianist and composer Volker Bertelmann alias Hauschka creates an unexpected world of sounds with the piano. He is regarded as one of the most remarkable modern proponents of the prepared piano. The percussive or rustling sounds, which make one assume the usage of percussions and electronic devices, give the atmospherically dense, rhythm-based compositions of the Düsseldorf-based artist a lyrical quality. Hauschka’s music moves between sound art and experimental, modern classical and chamber music, electronica and pop – with his last solo records “Salon des Amateurs” and “Aband oned City” even broadening his spectrum to minimal techno and house. Some of his fourteen albums (Universal/Deutsche Grammophon, City Slang, FatCat a.o.) were also created in collaboration with other musicians. Digital in Berlin presents Hauschka together with Kosminen and Zeigler. Improvisation Sessions – German Premiere, 12 & 13 September at Radialsystem in Berlin.
Facts
1: I think to believe in permanent growth is a big mistake, besides the inner growth.
2: We have to make radical moves to stopp the climate change
3: It would be great to treat refugees in a way that we feel for them and give them a part of our wealth.
Questions
What is the biggest inspiration for your music?
The biggest inspiration is to loose time while I am creating something. I had the same already as a kid when I helped my father to built a house with our hand s. We worked more then two months together and I lost complete sense of time but I was always fulfilled in the evening.
How and when did you get into making music?
I started to write my own music in the age of 10 and I think I haven’t stopped till then.
What are your 5 favourite albums of all time?
Wunder
David Bowie Low
Arnold Schoenberg Verklärte Nacht
Glenn Gould The Bach Variations
White Stripes Elephant
What do you associate with Berlin?
A very vibrant multinational city. A city where it is hard to get served in a cafe/restaurant in german and it is hard to go to bed before 1 o’clock. Too many friends moved to Berlin…..so it is hard to meet them all.
What’s your favourite place in your town?
Insel Hombroich / Kunsthalle
If there was no music in the world, what would you do instead?
I would try to bring music to the world.
What was the last record you bought?
Rachel Grimes ‘The Clearing’
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Thom York
What was your best gig (as performer or spectator)?
As a performer: Vlieland Into the great wide Open Festival
As a spectator: Charlemagne Palastine at the Salon des Amateurs
How important is technology to your creative process?
It is helpful right now to have technology as things are much faster , but i have to face it to every sound there is always an analogue solution which a lot of times sounds so much better.
Do you have siblings and how do they feel about your career?
Yes, I have 5 siblings: two brothers and three sisters.
I think they like what I am doing but they have there own lives and I have to face it, my life is not so important that I would imagine that they pay more attention then to the others, which is great.
Our Favourites:
Yufuin part 1
Hauschka feat. Samuli Kosminen
vimeo.com/63702415
Soundcheck in Land sberg
Links: hauschka-net.de | Soundcloud | Facebook
