There are few genres in which German artists play such a central pioneering role as they do in electronic music, be it techno, electropop, trance or rave. At the frontline for many years were Kraftwerk and U96, two absolute trailblazers of this musical direction. While Kraftwerk wrote international music history mainly in the 1970s with cult albums such as Autobahn (1974), Radio-Aktivität (1975), Trans Europa Express (1977) and Die MenschMaschine (1978), U96 had a profound influence on the global pop music, rave and techno scene of the 1990s with hits such as “Das Boot“, “Love Sees No Colour“, “Night In Motion“ and “Heaven“. Transhuman, scheduled for release on Radikal Records/UNLTD Recordings on September 4, 2020, will feature a spectacular collaboration between U96 (Ingo Hauss and Hayo Lewerentz) and Wolfgang Flür, Kraftwerk’s drummer in the years between 1972 and 1987 and therefore involved in the most seminal albums by the group from Düsseldorf.
This remarkable cooperation was first announced and implemented by two joint numbers on U96’s 2018 offering Reboot. Transhuman sees U96 and Wolfgang Flür develop their creative exchange across a full album, creating fascinating sonic worlds. The title song “Transhuman” and an updated version of “Zukunftsmusik (Radiophonique)” will be released as lead singles, including, as we’ve come to expect from U96, experimental video clips. That New York record label Radikal Records immediately secured the rights to the album for the US and Canada points to major interest in this project, not only on these shores but also across the Atlantic.
“Transhuman is a stylistic mélange of our different histories,” describe Wolfgang Flür and U96 masterminds Hauss and Lewerentz an offering that is spectacular in many respects, featuring, along with typical U96 tracks such as “Clone” and “Specimen“, numbers such as “Transhuman”, “Planet In Fever” and “Sexersizer” that are inspired by Flür’s past. Notably, the content has been reduced to the sheer basics, in other words: sparingly used associative statements with deep, but at times also playful and mysterious messages that the listener feels rather than consciously registers. The lyrics are about the transformation of people through technology and our massive interference in life on our planet.
“Pieces like ‘Zukunftsmusik’ and ‘Transhuman’ don’t tell a story in the classic sense,” says Hauss. “They articulate emotions and associations in very few words, bringing to mind recordings such as RadioAktivität, Autobahn and Die Mensch-Maschine. In addition Transhuman, features a number of melodies created on the basis of computer algorithms, in other words fractal music which takes us even further back in history, to Klaus Schulze, Stockhausen, the electronics laboratories of the fifties and sixties and the musique concrete compositional technique.”
TRACKS
* Transhuman
* Hamburg – Düsseldorf
* Zukunftsmusik (Radiophonique)
* Specimen
* Clone
* To The Limit
* Zufallswelt
* Planet In Fever
* Shifted Reality
* Kreiselkompass
* Data Landscape
* Transhumanist
* Sexersizer
* Maschinenraum
* Let Yourself Go
* Let Yourself Go (Beatsole Remix)
U96 and Flür met in person for the first time in the early 2000s, but they had felt mutual respect for each other for a long time before that. Explains Hayo Lewerentz, “Of course there was no way past Kraftwerk for any German artist who worked with electronic music, synthesizers and creative studio options in the eighties. We were occupied day and night with how that band created their incredible sounds.”
Later Flür offered Lewerentz, who ran the electro label Major Records, new songs for release, and the latter went on to remix Flür’s track ‘Beat Perfecto’, among others. Subsequent to the creative collaboration between Hauss, Lewerentz and Flür on Reboot, the trio exchanged more than forty fragments of ideas online over the past two years, which eventually spawned the 14 songs on Transhuman. Says Lewerentz, “In addition there are two more tracks, which will feature on Wolfgang’s upcoming album Magazine at the end of the year.”
Joint concerts by U96/ Wolfgang Flür are also in the making. “We’re hoping to do a few shows together next year,” add Lewerentz. “There’s definitely been a lot of interest from the promoters.” No doubt about it: There’s a lot of interest not only from the promoters!
DISCOGRAPHY DAS BOOT (1992) REPLUGGED (1993) CLUB BIZARRE (1995) HEAVEN (1996) OUT OF WILHELMSBURG (2007) REBOOT (2018)
new: TRANSHUMAN (Release date: September 4, 2020)
Rob CellaComments Off on “The two records are examples of what makes Wong special as a musician. They are both rich with his artistic voice and an unparalleled technical proficiency.” Today, Minneapolis-born Cory Wong, best known for his funky guitar work and touring worldwide playing his original music on the biggest stages, shares “Bluebird” from his upcoming album TRAIL SONGS: DAWN. Following its exclusive premiere on American Songwriter, “Bluebird” featuring mandolinist Chris Thile is available now on all streaming services. TRAIL SONGS: DAWN will come out on August 7, 2020 following the recent release of its sister record, the quiet, contemplative and acoustic-based TRAIL SONGS: DUSK. TRAIL SONGS: DAWN is a more rollicking affair, but was also made on all acoustic instruments. “I wanted to release two albums over the summer that reflect my personality on acoustic instruments,” Wong says. LISTEN TO “BLUEBIRD” The beginning of lockdown was an emotional time for the guitarist and podcast host who found himself sitting still for the first time in a decade. The music that was to become TRAIL SONGS came pouring forth. “The last few years have been a wild ride with Vulfpeck blowing up, and my solo career taking off as well,” continues Wong. “It’s been really fun, but it’s been at a constant high-speed pace. In March, when everything went into lockdown, it was the first time in a long time I was able to just clear the calendar for a few months and take a breath. It kind of felt like there were no rules for an artist’s output…in a good sense. Some people needed time to just absorb everything going on, and others needed to express parts of their humanity through music. I am one of those artists who needed to express my feelings through writing and recording music, but more specifically, songs from sequester. I’ve never been in one place for this long in the last 10 years. It’s crazy, it’s different, but it’s in some ways exactly what i needed. “The music I wrote for this album is nothing like the music I’ve put out before. It’s reflective and contemplative. It’s all acoustic music, recorded on acoustic instruments. I started by writing tunes on the guitar, and then added layers while mocking up demos. And then i sent the demos and scores out to my friends to replace the demo parts. It was really a magical thing to be able to bring some of my friends together to play music from around the world in a time where many of them felt isolated from any sense of community. “This music is meant to be taken in and absorbed through the lens of the listener’s self-reflection. Some people dream of taking a trip to the midwest to find a respite in nature to write. For me, I didn’t need to take a trip. I needed to stop taking trips! The midwest is home for me, and this album reminded me of that.” CORY WONG TRAIL SONGS: DAWN Release date: August 7, 2020 Tracklisting: Trailhead Bluebird (feat. Chris Thile) Western Winds (feat. Sierra Hull) Perfect Stone For Skipping Race With The River Overcome (feat. Cy Leo) See You On The Other Side # # # CONNECT WITH CORY WONG: OFFICIAL FACEBOOK INSTAGRAM TWITTER YOUTUBE