Diamantener Oberhof digital release

People who follow my label know I am not doing digital releases… this not because I am against them or something… it is just that it is not my way of listening to music and because of that it is a waste of time to me to realise digital versions of Enfant Terrible releases…

Sometimes musicians want to do a digital release themselves and that is quite okay with me… so Diamantener Oberhof have put the album we did release on Vrystaete (2015) now online to listen to…

The funny thing is that the musicians put it online as a stream on Youtube… so you can listen the complete album while just sitting back… here is the stream… enjoy!

new sounds from the last few months: Brannten Schnüre and Diverting Duo

divertingduo_cvrTwo releases I enjoyed a lot these last weeks are the debut LP by Diverting Duo and the debut vinyl release by Brannten Schnüre .

“Desire” by Diverting Duo was released in October on Etch Wear… the Norwegian label run by one of the Europ Europ members… Diverting Duo themselves are from Italy and are indeed a duo… music wise their sound is a mix of synthpop and shoegaze… rather melanchcholy and soothing… and for sure the band is inspired by Julee Cruise… not only vocally… a really nice and even sweet record…

branntenschnure_cvrThe other record which really caught my intention is the first vinyl release by German Brannten Schnüre… who is of course one of the two musicians behind Diamantener Oberhof and who is also known as Agnes Beil… the LP “Sommer Im Pfirschichhain” is at a few point reminiscent of the Diamanter Oberhof LP… as it features the same mix of dreamy electronic soundscapes and touches of folklore music… but most of the pieces are much more like dreamscapes… becoming ritual at some points… even to the point it reminds me a bit of the ambient pieces by The Moon Lay Hidden Beneath A Cloud…

Here is one of the pieces by Brannten Schnüre…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gO4_hwDU7tw&w=560&h=315]

And here one song from Diverting Duo…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Trqb2Zk6U4&w=560&h=315]

 

Baldruin

baldruin_miniTwo weeks ago at the Diamantener Oberhof concert I got the latest Baldruin release. Baldruin is the solo project by one of the musicians from Diamantener Oberhof. Until now several releases are out on tape and the first vinyl is also in production…

The latest release is the tape release Miniaturen on A Giant Fern. As the title might suggest this tape is filled with little pieces of music… the longest being just about two and a half minute and the shortest being just under forty five seconds…

These pieces are playful dreamy ambient music composed with electronics and all kinds of acoustic instruments… just like they are used in the Diamantener Oberhof context… only Baldruin does not have the folklore touch…

I could imagine these short little pieces of music would fit perfectly as soundtrack for film and theatre scenes for example… but on their own they are as enjoyable as well… and that is an understatement!

A week in images

Several things went on the past few days… so here is a short update on all of
that…

Last sunday Diamantener Oberhof performed live at Radio Resistencia… it was the first ever concert by this German Dada folklore duo… the session will be narrowcasted on Intergalactic FM on IFM1 on Monday 4th of May from 22.00 CET onwards… here is picture of their performance… DO_live_Kapitaal_april2015

Next to that the albums by Neugeborene Nachtmusik and Tobias Bernstrup were released… I am still in the middle of shipping them around… but they are starting to arrive at shops and private orders already… here is teaser/promo video for the release…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wWRg4P1dVo&w=560&h=315]

Embers did get great feedback on their mini album but had some personnel changes which prevented them to perform live the last couple of months… but they are back! They have two different live line-up’s now… one as a duo with the electronic sound as on the record and one with an additional live drummer and an acoustic oriented sound…. they did a try-out concert with this new line-up at my favourite Belgium record shop Wool-E-shop… see here and listen here how this looks and sounds…

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMRPXyDtLWE&w=560&h=315]

And… even though the new records still have to shipped partly I am already busy with getting the next records to the pressing plant… one of these will be a 12″ by Dutch dark/occult techno project Monocorpse… here is a video of one of the tracks featured on this 12″…

[vimeo 125950221 w=500 h=281]

Radio Resistencia with live Diamantener Oberhof

DO_junophotoDespite the fact that Our Voice for the radio show Andy Dufter always calls our show very special I am confident to say that next time we have a truly special show…

On sunday 19th of April German avant-garde neo-folk duo Diamantener Oberhof will be performing live… for various reasons this will be a special afternoon… first of all this will be the very first live performance by this duo, secondly the artwork which comes with their debut LP (released on Vrystaete) was printed in the very same room they will perform live, and last but not least their music is quite special with it superb mix of subtle electronics and acoustic instrument touches… most prominent accordion melodies…

Here is what some reviews said about the debut LP:

“The work of German artists Brannten Schnüre and Johannes Schebler, who is behind the Baldruin project, Diamantener Oberhof is a reflective, at times introspective work that provides the soundtrack to a world of their own making. … detuned fairground carousel music, mixed with discordant Middle Eastern drones.” (Juno Plus, UK)

“… pure, organic and avant-gardistic and at times soundtrack like. Not music which displays conformity in content nor structure.” (Dark Entries, Belgium)

“Diamantener Oberhof’s self titled release is an assortment of peculiar nowadays folk tracks gathered at the boundary between analog and digital harmony. … This delicate album inclines to get close to unexplored nature through playful wizardry and innocent rituals which are to be followed fearlessly for imagination can’t do no harm.” (The Attic, Romania)

“Self-forgetfulness and sleepy, it indulges into daydreams. … <this LP is> a strictly limited number of tickets into an expressionistic, surreal world of sound, which on the one hand borrows from the Finnish freak-folk, and on the other hand it recalls  the music of bands as the French Vox Populi.” (Skug, Austria)

As always Radio Resistencia is at Kapitaal in Utrecht, entrance is free and we start at 15.00 hour and finish at 18.00 hour…

And here is a piece by Diamantener Oberhof to get in the mood…

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/191477152″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]

Lazy sundays?

goodcop_rr_2015Since January our Radio Resistencia show is recorded in Utrecht at Kapitaal and it also has become a free mini event… it is an afternoon radio session with dj’ed music and almost always a live performance… there are cheap drinks and a relax setting… perfect for a lazy sunday afternoon…

Last sunday Good Cop / Naughty Cop did their performance with bicycle, guitar and electronics… not easy listening but very interesting to listen to and watch… the photo above was taken by Hans D. during the performance…

Next mini event is on sunday 19th of April with Diamantener Oberhof from Germany… their debut was released of course on Vrystaete recently and the artwork was printed at Kapitaal… so this will be sort of delayed release party…

NN_printsAlso during these sessions I often print some artwork for upcoming releases… last sunday I printed (silk screen printing) the artwork for the ultra limited edition of the Neugeborene Nachtmusik LP… which is not for sale… sorry… but I promise that the regular version is equally nice when it comes to artwork and it is also still very limited…

This LP is expected soon… here is (another) full track preview…

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/197416572″]