Hauschka

Hauschka

Volker Bertelmann studied popular music at the College of Music and Theatre in Hamburg. He is one half of Tonetraeger, a member of Music A.M., and an organizer of piano concerts. Hauschka is his solo moniker for exploring both traditional and prepared piano. His practical approach of "doing first, interpreting later" allows Volker the freedom to avoid all concepts — except that of drawing on other genres and styles of music, which he adapts for the piano.

For his recordings, Volker multi-tracks parts, at times adding instrumentation other than the piano. The result: orchestrations that are almost ambient or band-like. For his concerts, he does entirely without computers, preferring the spontaneity and dynamics of live improvisation. "Both the audience and myself," he reasons, "have a right to something unique." Yet, the piano motifs are reminiscent of synth arpeggios in electronica, while the percussive sounds from the prepared piano strings echo the structure and feel of clicks, pops and other noise in minimal electronic music.

Hauschka's music is film without pictures, inviting listeners to imagine their own stories — such as a long walk through the Welsh mountains, along La Seine or the Lower Rhine. Maybe someone was waiting for a friend in a café in Cardiff, or was it in Düsseldorf? Hauschka's music is deceptively simple and highly personal, giving ample room to expand — and its charm is told as one's own story.

 Hauschka homepage
 Download free MP3 || from "prep. piano session" (4'23" with 5.1 Mb)
 Download free MP3 || from "substantial session" (4'06" with 3.8 Mb)
 Read interview (tokafi) || 15 Questions to Hauschka


Listen to Hauschka

(Album) Foreign Landscapes
[CD: FatCat, 2010]

|01| Alexanderplatz |02| Iron Shoes |03| Mount Hood
|04| Madeira |05| Union Square |06| Snow
|07| Early in the Park |08| Kamogawa |09| Children
|10| Sunny Mission |11| Kouseiji |12| Trost


(Album) Snowlfakes & Carwrecks
[CD: FatCat, 2009]

|01| Ginsterweg |02| Eisblume
|03| Wonder |04| Tanz |05| Kindelsberg
|06| Hauberg |07| Tagtraum


(Album) Ferndorf    [CD: FatCat, 2008]

|01| Blue Bicycle |02| Morgenrot |03| Rode Null
|04| Freibad |05| Barfuss Ddurch Gras |06| Heimat
|07| Nadelwald |08| Schönes Mädchen |09| Eltern
|10| Alma |11| Neuschnee |12| Weeks of Rain


(Album) Room to Expand    [CD: FatCat, 2007]

|01| La Dilettante |02| Paddington
|03| One Wish |04| Chicago Morning
|05| Kleine Dinge |06| Belgrade
|07| Sweet Spring Come |08| Femmeassise
|09| Watercolour Milk |10| Zahnluecke
|11| Fjorde |12| Old Man Playing Boules


(V.A.) Versions of the Prepared Piano
[CD: Karaoke Kalk, 2007]

A remix album featuring contributions by Eglantine Gouzy, Barbara Morgenstern, Nobukazu Takemura, Wechsel Garland, Frank Bretschneider, Mira Calix, Tarwater, and others.


(EP) What a day    [7": earsugar, 2006]

|A| What A Day
|B| Femme Assise


(V.A.) Groove #97/N°6    [CD: Groove, 2005]

A 10-track compilation CD featuring tracks by Jan Jelinek, Kelley Polar, Yoav B., The Orb, Alex Under, Patrick Chardronnet, Nubian Mindz, Boards of Canada, Ricardo Villalobos, as well as Hauschka's track "Red Pencil".


(Album) The Prepared Piano
[CD/12": Karaoke Kalk, 2005]

|01| La Seine |02| Traffic |03| Fernpunkt
|04| Where Were You |05| Gingko Tree
|06| Firn |07| Twins |08| Two Stones
|09| Kein Wort |10| Long Walk
|11| Kreuzung |12| Morning

sora_kalk_seeds

(V.A.) Kalk Seeds    [CD: Karaoke Kalk, 2005]

16-track compilation featuring tracks by many Karaoke Kalk artists including Hausmeister, Donna Regina, Takagi Masakatsu, Kuchen meets Mapstation, Takeo Toyama, Kan Daisuke, Sora&Wechsel Garland, as well as Hauschka's track Two Stones.

(Album) Substantial    [CD/12": Karaoke Kalk, 2004]

|01| Orange I |02| Vielleicht |03| Golden
|04| Dark I |05| Sequence I |06| Fragile
|07| Wait |08| Sequence II |09| Cardiff
|10| Dark II |11| Orange II

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