2021-12-28
enable the unthinkable beyond a fix surface | entry by sven | |
this feels like a deja-vu, just another pandemic year. but this not the point,
no more complaining on what everyone complains about. i can say that i predicted
it back in february, see 2021-02-13 lame 2k20 bashing while 2k21 is ahead |
entry by sven. the whole world seems to be frozen, we feel like not moving
anymore, just some fidgeting. the general feeling of being trapped in combination
with inability to do anything about it, may lead to burnout, maybe depression.
but is this just a covid issue? |
2021-11-25
tiny entanglements sustaining unity | entry by sven | |
as you might know I am into vinyl again but next to it I am also collecting digital
versions of the music as well as releases which are available digitally only.
from time to time I am sending albums to friends, stuff they want to listen to
and stuff they should listen to. I usually write ‘tiny entanglements sustaining
unity’ into the subject line, which is a hilarious pun: you would usually use
the german phrase ‘kleine geschenke erhalten die freundschaft’ but I replaced
some words into similarly looking words with different meaning turning out as
‘kleine verschränkungen erhalten die eintracht’. this is a lot more funny, even
more powerful, unique but is has somehow the same meaning… well, I think it is
funny, deep and clever at the same time. |
2021-11-01
hello bart… sophisticated killer in the garden | entry by sven | |
halloween is something I am not into, as I consider it as another loss of culture
and replacing it by another one without understanding it. however, I spend helloween
2017 in brighton and had to realize they are all crazy for it. over the last years
I felt like I have to protect the house against stupid pranksters, usually watching
a movie (with joaquin phoenix, pure coincidence) and some liquor. I have even
bought wine gum for the kids and even spend years without anyone ringing making
us eat all the wind gum ourselves. and we did not even like it. however, this
year we have entirely surrendered to it. |
2021-10-29
returning to routine: full zeeland experience | entry by sven | |
I have been questioning the need for going ‘back to normality’ even last year,
now we can see that this is actually about to happen, we have abandoned the findings
concerning working options, traffic and travelling. I am part of this movement
and I am not different. even if I dream of leaving common paths and find new ones
I am stuck in my routines even in the small slots which are my time off. I wanted
to go to denmark, maybe spain, of course I miss luxembourg but a save and functional
way to calm down at the sea is zeeland. |
2021-10-23
an exquisite wayside discovery: museum helmond | entry by sven | |
after an discontinued trip to the sea in february 2020 due a bad cold and a worldwide
pandemic we finally returned to zeeland for some days off. maybe i can share some
thoughts on it later. first i want to share a cultural discovery. when we return
form zeeland we usually look for a museum to visit on our way home. i was heading
for the M_HKA in antwerp but the non-helpful website and the usual belgian traffic
kept us away. the de pond in tilburg is a definite save harbour but did still
offer the great shows we have already enjoyed in summer. so we checked cities
and their museums along our way home. (our way home appeared to be even longer
than usually. even if we are supporters of speed limits on motorways i think that
100 km/h is a little slow. the coast appears so much farer away…) however, museum
helmond had alec soth on display. the decision was made instantly. |
2021-09-30
here's the background to the cover for ‘toy’ | entry by paul kinder | |
if you were wondering about the album cover for [david bowie] ‘toy’, here's the
background to how it came about. ‘renaissance man (self portrait)’ was a previously
unseen and exclusive print created by david bowie that was made available to download
for free on bowieart. this was to encourage people to sign up to the website and
also enter the competition if they so wished. the bowieart competition began on
24th october 2000. for the competition you were invited to re-work a new print
by david bowie that was created especially for the relaunch of bowieart website.
|
2021-09-20
expensive waste of time (back on track) | entry by sven | |
we all feel that the pandemic is over although it is not over actually. however,
the pre-pandemic modus operandi returns anyway. we might have talked about digitalism
and reducing traffic but we go back to track as soon as possible. (my only prediction
about the changes caused by pandemic that turns out to be true: nothing remains)
I find myself in set-ups again supposed to be important and necessary, and I suppose
so am I (because I am in it). these meetings are somewhere out at special places
you have to travel to, eating and sleeping in hotels (all inclusive), sometimes
drinking (not inclusive). this might sound like a holiday but it is actually very
much time you spend with others discussing and presenting different issues. time
to explain and develop and then realize that stuff is fixed completely differently.
in the end everything takes even more time than anticipated while the result appears
to be quite limited. I am sometimes wondering how much time and money is invested
to generate… what? you might consider me as lazy (what I am not, probably sometimes)
but I consider myself as effective and productive. it is naïve to assume that
ten people can solve a problem better than one, it depends on the one, not on
the ten. |
2021-09-09
augmented reality: projection against all possibilities | entry by sven | |
yesterday I spent a long day in düsseldorf to learn about administrative work.
it appears as everyday phenomenon that economy and politics come up with new digital
solutions which are then studied like the natural phenomenon of discovering a
new species. this is just one phenomenon of digitalism (which is pushed by people
who have no idea what digitalism is). the other phenomenon is a lack of evaluation.
devices and programmes are needed, but they are usually produced and introduced
far too late, giving much work and no benefits. however, it is not difficult to
predict the future anymore: after a decade (sometimes 15 years) the default path
into the future is changed. this is an endless game, more ore less, you can remain
relaxed and treat the devices with the knowledge that they will bee replaced by
the next generation without re-defining intention. |
2021-08-18
white nights 2021: into the trees (with aftertaste) | entry by sven | |
it have been 15 years already, back in 2006
I was brought to the raffelbergpark for the white nights for the first time and
I was immediately addictive (and reported in a
very hyped up blog post). the combination of the illumination of the park
at night, the theatrical plays outside and the avant-garde music are the perfect
combination. I returned with every one I could get there over the years. the white
nights have always been different and differing – and for free. I remember the
theatre (and myself) facing bad weather and
the ignorance of my own efforts to contribute. |
2021-08-17
hello studio, welcome new album | entry by michael | |
a new album is in the works, I want to write a little about what has happened
in the time since the release of entertain - and what is going on in the studio.
|
2021-08-04
reasonable alternatives to kirchberg, partially | entry by sven | |
this
is a strange summer. we are all still reluctant concerning everything because
of this on-going pandemic (well, most of us). I did not do much this year, I did
not come out, even a lot of other stuff like recording or meeting people is happening
but reduced. I was really looking forward to go back to luxembourg again, but
after the massive rainfall, it´s flood and terrible endless aftermath traveling
did not appear as a reasonable or ethic option. being in luxembourg, on the kirchberg
plateau is usually the time of the year to step into different routines, even
for a short time. usually these days are full of art, inspiration and relaxation,
museums, culinary and the beach club. well, not this time. we thought about things
to do in the ruhr area. well, art things to do. there is no substitute to the
mudam or casino, but there are finings nevertheless. |
2021-07-31
superstar catfight in the private collection | entry by sven | |
it
is like a running gag with no punchline. during the last summers cat lady frieda
spend some days or weeks on our couch while her family went on holiday. and we
are usually annoyed and surprised but always in love. frieda made sure to leave
her fur on everything on our property that was reachable for her. but having a
cat around you usually calms everything down, well, unusually only until it is
dinner time. however, I just wanted to deliver some felicitous snapshots of our
annual guest to give you an opportunity for some ohhhs and ahhhs. the own cat
is always the cutest. here we go. |
2021-07-09
age of systemic relevance and planned absence | entry by sven | |
this
is a strange summer and summer break. instead of having days off I am trapped
between dates of vaccination, dentist and other stuff you have to so. a texture
of never ending stories. some time in between, where you hang around or do stuff
while staring at the clock. this summer is like the last one, the pandemic still
slows it down, still we do not know where to, time for euphoria or time for apocalypse?
|
2021-06-18
transpicuous strategies of aging wannabe rockstars | entry by sven | |
originally
I wanted to come up much earlier with this headline, I guess even back in april.
this spring does not work too good for me dealing with issues of pain concerning
my jaw and teeth for different reasons plus a lot of personal sorrow and fear.
there is not much else to think about, no art or exhibition, not even professional
stuff that keeps me going. triggerd by an old fan´s request (yeah, still this
same old story) I was composing and editing (sometimes remixing) tracks for the
re-releases. next to it I am playing around with songs in band set ups again,
in the spare time I am quite quick in recording tracks for rock and post hip hop
projects. nothing´s save. also I was checking old pictures to be used as cover
designs or for promotional issues. |
2021-05-16
as anticipated future becomes a blurred memory | entry by sven | |
sorry
for this headline, I’m in a bad mood recently. I am facing physical and psychological
issues recently so every movement is frozen. this is not about depression but
about numerous issues, which do not change in any better case while time is passing
by. however, I´m pretty down. |
2021-03-29
reverbs of the past era while susie visits the doc | entry by sven | |
time
flies hilariously and it has been more than 22 years since susie, my warmoth partocaster
prototype has joined me on numerous musical adventures. susie is actually nicknamed
after sledge hammer´s gun with the same name. if this appears to sexist for you
keep in mind that the shows (‘hammer’) only competent character is the female
cop named doreau. I hope this is not too ambiguous for you. it has become a running
gag that I check guitar sites as regularly (and excessive) as other guys check
porn sites. however, even if I consider buying a tele or strat from time to time
I have accepted that my sound is inseparable bound to susie and it was supposed
to be. so instead spending much money on a new guitar which would lay around in
the house instead of being taken to studio sessions I decided to get susie´s bugs
fixed. when you take her to the technician you feel like going to the dentist
yourself. (I will tell you who fixed her (or ruined her) when I get her back.)
|
2021-03-07
cats, robots, sculptures: all past and no future | entry by sven | |
in
this strange spring we are now facing new rules trying to get out of lockdown
following a certain public demanding even without a plan how to do it properly
while watching rising infection numbers. I spend a lot more time on the net and
social media while being bored of it while collecting pictures in fan groups that
symbolize my simple needs (or anticipated scenarios) perfectly. shawn sampi bullard
presented a bar memory to the futurama fan group capturing a moment of discovering
an old episode on tv while having a beer at the bar. (I still watch the show but
I can literally dub it backwards so even familiar rituals get boring. the other
pic by chris nauts captures a kitten naturally sitting on a vinyl copy of boards
of canada´s ‘music has the right to children’. I could imagine chasing him or
her off the record but would end up admiring the scene with a long ‘awww’. |
2021-02-13
lame 2k20 bashing while 2k21 is ahead | entry by sven | |
I
remember new years eve, it did not look like party like it´s 1999 (although I
watched two prince concerts on tv) but it felt like it. 2020 was the name of a
scenario, which had been unthinkable until it happened. it felt chic to complain
about restriction while enjoying some extra time and a loss of control on subordinates.
the big horror appeared to have happened only in other countries while we were
happy to be obviously more clever than anybody else. new year, new luck and it
was supposed to be even better. around x-mas we were happy for some upcoming vacancies
to be available soon, about the same time the threat of mutations became evident.
now, at the beginning of the new year, still in winter politicians hear the loud
call for freedom and offer concessions without any master plan. |
2021-02-01
self-made game shows and recurring visual echoes | entry by sven | |
so
there is nothing to do outside your house, no open pub and not party (except for
illegal corona parties, but I have never been invited and I would not have gone
to any of these…) making music and art as well as watching netflix and tv is nice
for some time but you end up redundant and passive. during our outside and distanced
set ‘band meetings’ featuring only michael schreiber and myself the idea came
up to do a music quiz playing extremely stretched versions of well known pop songs.
however, michael – technically skilled and creatively unchallenged – made actions
speak louder than words by setting a time for the first episode of ‘paul´s quiz’.
|
2021-01-14
music nerds & music idiots | entry by sven | |
music
has always been important for me. when I realized growing up and loosing interest
in toys playing guitar was still an option to play around. and it is still. making
art is fun and keeps my mind going, making a digital production is always a routine
on a known path but also moving into unknown areas. it is amazing what you discover,
something to be found in yourself to become an entity a group can benefit from…
|
2021-01-07
lockdown, boredom, sample packs | entry by sven | |
the
time around christmas and new years eve as well as the first days of the new year
are usually quite calm, they are usually used for orientation and inspiration.
where do you want to go this year? many of us have learned that making plans does
not mean to control the future, all tough not everything was not bad which differed
from the expectation. when there is no big party in town with me invited I like
to escape to luxembourg, new year´s eve on kirchberg has become a modern
classic and a perfect way for me to see the numbers flip. spending the first day
of the year in a museum instead of admiring the hangover has also been a satisfying
routine. |