Minimalism as a contrast to abundance: three musicians in search of a new sound language.

Today, a few clicks are enough to make a poor musical idea sound bold and opulent. In this respect, the Arnold/Martin/Rom project can be seen as the antithesis of this development. Because at the center of his musical work is a wealth of ideas that is transformed into carefully crafted sound miniatures by means of sound-aesthetic minimalism.

The collaboration emerged from the project Die Andacht, which Leipzig guitarist Markus Rom ((Oh No Noh, Philipp Rumsch Ensemble) and bassist Philipp Martin ((Glotze, Alin Coen Band) brought to life in 2020. In an intensive collaboration that lasted a good year, they created a variety of pieces characterized by warm, reduced guitar arpeggios - oscillating between structure and openness, repetition and variation. During this time, they were equally inspired by the floating sound language of the British ambient old master Brian Eno and the radical sound researchers Erik Satie and Steve Reich.

The musical work of Leipzig drummer and pianist Hans Arnold, who has made a name for himself in the past with H.C. Behrendtsen, Holzig or his solo project, can easily be described as related in essence - after all, it also operates at the interface of indie and experimental music. The idea of bringing the two conceptual threads that have emerged so far together as a trio and spinning them further proves to be consistent - and a real stroke of luck at the same time.

Media