[event information]

After almost two years after the first London Staubgold showcase organised by [no.signal] at the Deluxe Gallery (with Oren Ambarchi's SUN), the Berlin-based label is now supporting as live act two of the next forthcoming releases. Ekkehard Ehlers will be joined by Joseph Suchy and John Burton (aka, Leafcutter John) to present his forthcoming release in May. Leafcutter John will be presenting his new album - out on Staubgold in June - in collaboration with Leo Chadburn aka Simon Bookish and Alice Grant on vocals.

artist: Ekkehard Ehlers
title: A Life Without Fear
release date: 8 May 2006

"Anomalous" in the best sense of the word, "A Life Without Fear" is a turn neither left nor right. In some ways it's as unexpected as Jim O'Rourke's embrace of John Fahey's music a decade ago. Ekkehard Ehlers once again harnesses the genius natural resource that is Josef Suchy's go-for-broke attitude towards the guitar, and the "electric blues" are given yet another definition.
"A Life Without Fear" occasionally strays into Maher Shalal or 21st Century Red Krayola ("Blues, Hollers, ...") turf, but wait - Franz Hautzinger's at the door. Let him in and set up a microphone, for Jesus's sake. "Strange Things", the perpetual understatement...

(text: David Grubbs)

Josef Suchy - Guitar and Balafon
Franz Hautzinger - Trumpet
Howard Katz Fireheart - Vocals and Mouthharp
Björn Gottstein - Viola
Ekkehard Ehlers - Processing and Amps

[Ekkehard Ehlers: about]
Ekkehard Ehlers lives in Berlin/Germany. His large discography includes releases with Autopoieses (Mille Plateaux) and März (Karaoke Kalk) as well as his debut cd "Betrieb" (Mille Plateaux, 2001) on which he put samples of Arnold Schönberg and Charles Ives into new perspective. 2002's album "Ekkehard Ehlers Plays" (Staubgold) was a musical hommage to free jazz legend Albert Ayler, blues singer Robert Johnson, filmmaker John Cassavetes, composer Cornelius Cardew and writer Hubert Fichte.

On the follow-up "Politik Braucht Keinen Feind" (Staubgold, 2003) Ehlers presents his first fully composed works. "Mäander" and "Blind" are based on manipulated bass clarinet and cello recordings which Ehlers arranges like an orchestra in his laptop. For "Soundchambers" (Staubgold, 2004) improvisers Ekkehard Ehlers (laptop), Joseph Suchy (guitar) and Franz Hautzinger (trumpet) teamed up for a supertrio of broken pop ambient. Meanwhile his project März successfully realised two albums of new electronic folk pop on Karaoke Kalk (2002, 2004).

artist: LEAFCUTTER JOHN
title: The Forest and The Sea
Release date: 12 June 2006

"One of the bourgeoning stars of post-electronica"
(Tony Herrington, The Wire)

"The Forest and The Sea" is a dynamic hybrid of electronic and acoustic songs, it tells a true story through the use of haunting vocals, traditional instrumentation and field recordings. In this work, one can grasp the extent of Leafcutter John's musical kaleidoscope and his consolidated approach to folk music, processed field recordings and electronics.

more info and track previews

[Leafcutter John: about]
Since his first release on Planet-Mu records in 2000, John has developed a strong musical identity using processed instrumental and environmental recordings. John's third and latest album "The Housebound Spirit" (Planet Mu 2003) won an Honorary Mention at the 2004 Ars Electronica prestigious Awards and was featured on The Wire Magazine's top 50 records of 2003. More recently he has allowed his folk roots to surface whilst continuously imbuing his talent as sound source manipulator.

On stage, Leafcutter John is known for his engaging and unique presence often incorporating audience interaction. Earlier this year, he performed at the Serpentine Gallery in London using Tomoko Takahashi exhibition's objects as sound sources both played by guests artists and triggered by the audience.

John Burton is also a full time member of the contemporary British Jazz Mercury Music Prize nominee Polar Bear, founded by drummer Seb Rochford, who won the BBC Jazz award for Rising Star in 2004.

He is now performing as a trio with Leo Chadburn aka Simon Bookish and Alice Grant on vocals.

artist: JOSEPH SUCHY

Cologne-based experimental guitarplayer. Often accompanies experimental electronic artists as Ekkehard Ehlers, F.X. Randomiz, Hrvatski, a.o. Very "MIDI". Active since the 80's.

JOSEPH SUCHY - ENTSKIDOO (CD by Entenpfuhl) Joseph Suchy has been a main (guitar) player in the Cologne scene for some time now (having played with Kato Hideki, Kevin Drumm, Jean Marc Montera, Jan St. Werner, Ekkehard Ehlers and FX Randomiz, to name but a few from different worlds), but only recentely he has some solo work out. The first soloworks were going in one direction only (free improv on one, noise on the other, conceptualism on the third), but on this new solo CD he tries to make a synthesis between all the previous directions. After hearing the album, I think I can only approve: Joseph Suchy is all over the place. From free improv to noise to clear guitar playing, it's all there in some way. There are bits and pieces in which I think Joseph uses a bit too much sound effects, but in general this album is storm blowing out of speakers. In high speed, with abrupt changes, from sheer silence to sheer noise, ending in a strange collaborative free piece with vocalist Yvonne Cornelius and Tim Elzer (of Don't Dolby), this is a very nice album. For anyone who loves the guitar, be it if you like Fennesz or Loren MazzaCane Connors. Defintely the highlight of his solo career thus far. A well succeeded mixture of styles and ideas. (FdW)

DJs: The Staubgolds

It was right after the Staubgold label's move to Berlin in summer 2003 that long-time solo DJs Markus Detmer (founder of Staubgold) and Tim Tetzner (owner of Dense record store) decided to combine their creative force. At Staubgold's monthly club nights at Berlin's NBI the duo gave soon birth to THE STAUBGOLDS in which they found the right platform to further explore their deep common interest in unusual music of all kinds.

With 3 turntables, 2 laptops and 1 cd player THE STAUBGOLDS presents an eclectic collage of state-of-the-art sounds, mixed with open ears and sensitive hands, ranging from the 20th century's New Music and Avantgarde to the latest post-techno experiments in today's underground.

Markus Detmer and Tim Tetzner have already played at: Sonar festival (Barcelona), What Is Music? festival (Sydney), F.I.B. festival (Benecassim), Fusion festival (Berlin), Golden Pudel club (Hamburg)