Gentle Shimmering Fire

zeitkratzer have conceived an evening in two parts on this year’s theme. The concert begins with an interpretation of Aus den Sieben Tagen, a work which Karlheinz Stockhausen composed in May 1968. It was created out of a perceived personal crisis shortly after his return from a long stay in California where he enjoyed close contacts with the local hippie culture. The piece consists entirely of texts. Notes, rhythm and other parameters are not fixed in any way. Instead there are instructions such as »play the vibration of the universe« or »play your own oscillation«. It is also a piece of serialist music, in which Stockhausen attempts to unify matter and spirit with the aid of structured, pulsing intervals.

In the second part of the evening zeitkratzer meet Keiji Haino, who along with Merzbow is one of the leading representatives of Japanese avant-garde music. With his enigmatic appearances and exciting performances the singer and guitarist born in 1952 occupies a special place in the international musical world. »His age and gender «, Die Zeit has written, »are undefinable, the dark sunglasses like an implant grown into his face. A fragile appearance with dandyish features that definitely has something demonic about him.«

Haino sometimes appears as part of a classical trio, devoting his form-splitting energy to noise music. Then he will do away with all his instruments except a guitar or a hurdy-gurdy and adapt traditional American forms such as twelve-bar blues until all their recognizable features have disappeared and all that remains is an abstract, amorphous structure to be reused at will. This unleashes an orgy of noise full of physical and emotional intensity.

zeitkratzer feat. Keiji Haino – Aria

From the album »Electronics«

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