TIP

DER ELEGANTE REST wanders around between Element of Crime, jazz and club sounds, playing the Koppruchian corner man here and there, but always staying completely to themselves. After three great records between 2008 and 2011, the indie band around singer and lyricist Jörg Wolchina now presents its fourth album "Lessons in Japanese" (Kick the Flame / Analogsoul, release date: 13.5.16). On this record, which is timeless in the best sense of the word, the quartet loosens up song structures and experiments at both ends of the digital-analog spectrum: Arpen contributes midi sounds, and a saxophone can be heard on three tracks. Bassist Philipp Rohmer is known from Spielvereinigung Sued or LU:V, drummer Andreas Schwaiger from Schwarzkaffee.

Jörg Wolschina (voc, g), Daniel Dexter (keys), Philipp Rohmer (b) and Andreas Schwaiger (dr)

The second band of the evening is the Berlin-Irish indie quintet MICHAEL KNIGHT. (That's right, David Hasselhoff's masterpiece alter ego!) Their graceful chamber guitar music comes across as light and nonchalant, but also tips over into the unwieldy and weird again and again. Michael Knight's voice-guitar-bass-drums are joined by a trumpet and a violin. Which somehow brings us back to Element of Crime...

Richie Murphy (g, voc), Mike Cleare (b, voc), Henrike Rabe (v, voc) and Martin Petersdorf (dr)

10/7 Euro VVK at Culton
12/8 Euro at the AK