Day Three, Four and Five

Day Three: Wendel - Das kleine field recordings café.

It turned out to be our day off, sitting together and exchanging experiences, listening to our adventures, and find out that we have been some places and played some shows. I met Nick and his friend, asked him some whats and hows, and he turned out to be a musician, in fact with quite a lot of Japanese recordings. And then he looked up, and he said why do I hear a clarinet?

And that is where the music changed. And pure field recordings got played and a sense of spaciousness took over. Some of the topics we discussed concerned the next festival and how to organise it. Different views came out, that got repeated again after the show on saturday at about 3.30 in the morning, which is, as we all know, the best time to get to conclusions.

Day Four: Monty - Berlin soundscapes

A very cosy bar with sofa and lazy chairs and Ute who was happily curious and Thea who was happily surprised and Steffan who never knew anything about field recordings and got carried away completely, and Gerd who shone with joy that he got the chance to hear this, and with a guy and his girlfriend to whom I had to explain what FR. in fact were, with Nick and his friends who kept their promise and came and found out that also these kind of things are what it is all about when living in Berlin, and the friends of Lasse, and the friends of Derek and Derek and Lasse and Patrick and Martin (rauschpartikel) all responsible for the best evening of the week.

review+pix

Day Five: Karmanoia - Dreams and Travelogues and Haunted Houses.

Lights out: Marcel to bring us to an empty house with a singing room in Buenos Aires, Patrick who turned his backyard into a little world full of miniatures, Stephane who took us on a trip around the world, Tim, the guy from Karmanoia popping out of the blue, asking if he could play sounds from Letland, a funny Klabum featuring his son who was born some days before.
Lasse very confidently took us into his sonoramic centrifugal soundscape, Marek made us travel from Poland to Portugal and back again, and Martin brought us all safely back home with a Hinterhof symfonie recorded in his backyard in Friedrichshain.
All performances got introduced by the recorders, telling where we were going to, and what had happened on the place where the recording was made.

Then the festival finished.

The first two days

First Day: Wendel.

Without massive publicity and only with the help of dense-mailing list, waiting for visitors to the first day of the festival was something like a lottery. The festival got mentioned in the TAZ by chance and through a chance meeting of Derek with Meike Jansen, the woman who took interest and mentioned us; TAZ is a newspaper as marginal as the almost secret world of field recorders.
But at the end people came, be it sound collegues or ear collegues. Wendel bar was cosy enough. The space was filled. Our first five performers brought sounds from different places of the world. And I hope that it brought fantasies to each one among the listeners.
For example, rauschpartikel brought sounds from Sao Paolo, and had a sound included that reminded of an old typewriter. The tropical heat came very near, pearly sweatdrops, palmtrees, a bird singing, the silence of days: I had to think very hard of Graham Greene, somewhere in the fifties, working on a novel.

review+pictures+download

Day Two: KuLe

That was fun. It lasted only half an hour. I found Jörg ( O shame, I keep on forgetting his last name) from Kule, who had just finished an exhibition on his travels from Dakar to Benin in West Africa. I invited him to join the half an hour of festival with his sounds.
Stephane Leonard, Patrick Franke, Lasse Marc Riek and Jörn all introduced their recording with a little story that brought the listener to the place where it was made. That's how we visited the sea and some schoolgirls in Brighton, migrating birds that took a rest in a garden in Leipzig, the remains of the bridge in Mostar during the call for prayers, and a very loud hotel somewhere in Ghana. It was very much like a life recording of a radio programme.

Meanwhile in Weblandia friends are made, and sounds arive from all over the globe.

Just keep on listening.

The complete programme 22-26 november

Hello listeners,

For those who are not able to visit the festival
there will be an online edition
in festival-to-go

with contributions (update 27 november)
by Lynne Andonian, Scott Sherk, Kate Donovan,
Meri von Kleinsmid, Phill Harding, Anders Östberg,
Olivier Nijs, Antonio Mainenti, Roland Etzin,
John Tenney, Adriano Zanni, Kristen Roos,
Harold Schellinx, Amy Denio, Lasse-Marc Riek and Michael Peters.

The recordings will remain on line for some more days

In Berlin:

Das kleine field recordings festival with,

marek brandt co-founder of privatelektro

patrick franke initiator of the alula ton series in Leipzig

totstellen

marcel türkowsky

lasse marc riek co -founder of gruenrekorder

derek holzer co-initiator of sound transit

rauschpartikel

stephane leonard

each evening will be introduced by me

wednesday 22nd of November

Wendel,
Schlesische Strasse 42, Kreuzberg, Berlin
U-bahnhof Schlesisches Tor
performing soundscapes
Totstellen, Marcel Türkowsky, rauschpartikel, Lasse-Marc Riek, Derek Holzer
evening starts at 21.00
entrance fee 5 euro

review+pictures

Thursday 23rd of November
Kule,
Auguststrasse 10, Mitte, Berlin
U and S-Bahnhof Oranienburger Strasse
performing a short story in word and sound
Marcel Türkowsky, Lasse Marc Riek, Patrick Franke, Stephane Leonard
evening starts at 21.00
entrance fee 1 euro

Friday 24th of November
Wendel,
Schlesische Strasse 42, Kreuzberg, Berlin
U-Bahnhof Schlesisches Tor
chatting and drinking coffee in the field recordings cafe,
All
evening starts at 17.30,
entrance fee none

Saturday 25th of November
Monty,
Lenbacher Strasse 10, Friedrichshain, Berlin
U and S-Bahnhof Ostkreuz
Berlin soundscapes with
Derek Holzer, Patrick Franke, rauschpartikel, Lasse-Marc Riek
evening starts at 21.00
entrance fee 3 euro

Sunday 26th of November
Karmanoia Theater
Mainzerstrasse 5, Neuköln, Berlin
U Bahnhof Hermannsplatz/Rathaus Neuköln or Bodainstrasse
Between nostalgia and leaving
Marcel Türkowsky, Marek Brandt, Patrick Franke, Lasse Marc Riek, Stephane Leonard
evening starts at 21.00
entrance fee 4 euro

city map

greetings to you all,

concept

When I got the idea to organise this festival, there was as ever the challenge to realise it as fast as possible. Thanks to the quick response of the performers this part was set fast enough. Then I thought to have it on various locations, with no other reason then the pleasure to see it happen in different parts of Berlin. If you follow intuition, there is no time for reflection. Only when stepping back from it, something becomes clear.

1. Without having the intention I had copied part of the set-up of the LeM-festival I had encountered in Barcelona in the year 2000: during a period of three months, concerts were given in different venues, thus giving me the possibility to explore different parts of Gracia.

2. Das kleine field recordings festival copies in a way the movements of the field recordist. He goes out to find new sounds, even if this voyage will take him to the other side of the globe. Visitors of this festival won't have to go that far, but they have to move to different neighbourhoods that all have their own special characteristics and their very own sounds.

2a. Each day the festival presents a different aspect, be it the individual approach, the finest moment( a short story in sound and word), the exchange of experiences and the possibility to listen to adventures in sonic wanderland, berlin soundscapes or sounds between nostalgia and the longing, with the intention to introduce field recordings and the recordists in a kaleidoscopical way.

3. The recordists are all part of a big network. This offers the possibility to have an on-line version of the festival as well. The computer will become a kind of bar. Instead of a coffee-to-go, you can find a festival-to-go. Each day of the festival there will be a different choice. At least this is what I hope, because I depend on the co-operation of recordists at the other side of this computer.
Once the mp3-s are on line, festival life becomes simple: Plug in, download, leave the bar (or not) and enjoy wherever you are, whatever you do.

waiting for a reply + poster

Yesterday evening I made some cycle tour through Friedrichshain and Mitte to ask two people if they would like to host the festival. For saturday I need an alternative to factory-berlin, because things are getting to hectic over here with diverse works in progress concerning festivals organised by other members of the artist comunity.

Saturday evening we might be welcomed in a very cosy bar in the Ostkreuz area, a very lively part of Friedrichshain. Definitive yes or a very disappointing no will arive after a phonecall later this afternoon.

Less hope there is for a bar in Mitte, but I will certainly consider this place for a next festival, or maybe a field recordings evening in january. A no won't be a disaster, because we could do the cafe again at Wendel in Kreuzberg.

Also this afternoon I will get the first propagandamaterial to spread around town.

opening day - the programme

Wednesday 22 November
Wendel
Schlesische strasse 42, Kreuzberg
U-bhn Schlesisches Tor

shows start at 21.30
entrance fee 5 euro

On the opening day of the festival
the artists will introduce themselves through their soundscapes.
Expect recordings from all over the world,
be it animal, vegetal or mineral.

performing artists:

totstellen

marcel türkowsky

lasse marc riek co -founder of gruenrekorder

derek holzer co-initiator of sound transit

rauschpartikel

the evening will be introduced by me

I would like to thank all at wendel,
the ministery of propaganda at factory-berlin,
and all of you who supported this festival
and regretted to be out of town.

new artists + festival-to-go

Patrick Franke has confirmed his arival on thursday and will stay with us untill sunday. Marek Brandt (aka) triPhaze will come to the field recordings cafe on friday, and play on sunday in Karmanoia theatre in Neuköln. The cafe has still to be found. And a hurricane of activities has arived at factory-berlin, so maybe also the saturday should be held at another place.

Meanwhile the idea to involve recordists and phonographers from all over the world has set upon us, as you can read in Derek's comment in the entry down here.
The festival version is a bit different to Derek's proposal, and would be a festival-to-go, as in coffee-to-go, or a take-away-festval, as in take-away-pizza.
The field recording submissions will be on line for just one day: a different menu every day, easy to download on your mp3player or on your ipod. Then go out and listen and participate at the festival wherever you are.
Now I have to study if the www.factory-berlin.de website can host the field recordings festival-to-go.

Be back soon.

just back from Leipzig + new artist + future plans

Yesterday -saturday the 11th I performed in Leipzig, in the Alula Ton Serie, organised by Patrick Franke. He is one of the key figures for field recordings and experimantral music in Leipzig and Saxonia. We spoke about a second edition of the festival, and the possibilities to include Leipzig. Certainly this item will come up again during the five days of festival. And probably Patrick will join the list of artists. Now.

I also received some posts from field recordists who are over the hills and far away, who would have loved to participate. Thanks to you for your trust; it gives me - and comes the second edition, I am quite sure I will be part of an organising team - therefore, us, good hope. and spirit.

The third day when the field recordings café will open its doors won't be at the kastanienallee. The coming days I will try to find a new location.

Greetings from Berlin,

new location and new artist

Two phonecalls today:

One with Marcel Türkowsky to ask him if he would like to come with the found sounds of Asa Stahl. He told me he had loads of field recordings and would be happy to compete. He will be there for sure on wednesday.

The other one was with Tim from Karmanoia theatre in Neuköln. The venue will be available on sunday. This means that the closing day will be in Neuköln, and that here the finishing soundstories will be told: maybe some travelogue, maybe something that Germans call Fernweh (as opposed to homesick, "awaysick"), maybe some farewellsymphony der Grossstadt.

The saturday edition will be at factory-berlin and is dedicated to the Berlin soundscapes.


Some felt really sorry to be abroad in that period. But to those and all the others I can tell, that I think of a next edition in february.

some ideas on the programme

Hello listeners,

Wednesday 22nd:Lasse Marc Rieck, Totstellen, Derek Holzer and Rauschpartikel are sure as performing artists on the opening day in Wendel, in Schlesische strasse 42 in Kreuzberg, Berlin.

Thursday Tape Only will host the festival. The performers will present one favourite or special or precious piece of their recordings in word and sound. Each performer will have a maximum of ten minutes.

On Friday I would like to do a field recordings cafe in the late afternoon. I asked for the bar in Kastanienallee 77, Prenzlauer Berg today, and I am waiting for an answer.
Should I get the space, here is where visitors and performers can meet and receive further insight in the noble art of field recording. Of course with loads of sonic information and recordings from all over the world.

Also for saturday I wait for an answer to get a place. Here I would like to present Berlin soundscapes, because by now our recordists are in Berlin for a few days, and the freshly made recordings can be used for a new composition.

Finishing day is in factory-berlin in Schöneweide, shortly after sunset. I trust that four days of activities and meetings have brought up a new idea. I don't want to set everything on forehand.

more in the next entry