Martin Kohlstedt

Martin Kohlstedt (born 1988) is a German composer, pianist and record producer with a contemporary approach of mixing classical and avantgarde music styles.

Martin Kohlstedt
Martin Kohlstedt 2019, portrait by J. Konrad Schmidt
Background information
Born (1988-01-24) 24 January 1988
Breitenworbis, Germany
GenresModern classical, ambient, electronic
Occupation(s)Composer and producer
InstrumentsPiano, synthesizer
LabelsEdition Kohlstedt
WebsiteOfficial website

Solo works

Kohlstedt has released two corresponding solo piano albums: 'Tag' (2012) & 'Nacht' (2014). In 2017, he released his third record 'Strom' which also features electronic instrumentation. In a live setting Kohlstedt mostly uses grand and upright pianos in combination with a Fender Rhodes and several synthesizers. The Daily Telegraph said in review of his London live debut that "the music’s repetitive patterns and modal harmonies sometimes reminded one of other music often described as hypnotic, from Ryuichi Sakamoto to Einaudi. What sets Kohlstedt apart is the undercurrent of anxiety, and the occasional moments of grandeur".[1]

He frequently plays concerts at international festivals and concert halls, such as the Russian State Library in Moscow,[2] where he also played a television concert for the Russian TV station Дождь,[3] or the Talar-e Rudaki in Teheran.[4] In December 2017, Kohlstedt played a sold-out show in the main hall of the newly build Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg.[5] He also plays contemporary pop and electronic music festivals like SXSW Festival.[6]

Modular composing
Martin Kohlstedt with grand piano, Fender Rhodes and several synthesizers, live at Theaterhaus Jena, Germany, 2016
Martin Kohlstedt, Gamma Festival 2017, Russia

Kohlstedts approach to modular composing, in which a cohesive 'piece' does not exist but is rather always changing, was laid out by him in a 2017 TEDx-Talk.[7] He also demonstrated the principle with the release of a single called "OMBLEH", which is derived from the corresponding modules 'OMB' and 'LEH' from two different albums.[8] (Another example live at the Elbphilharmonie [9]) Also, in 2017, the German newspaper Die Zeit published the first part of a filmed documentation about his work[10] followed by the second part.[11]

Collaborations

Next to his solo albums Martin Kohlstedt released several collaborations: 2013 saw the remix album "Tag Remixes" and 2015 the so-called "Nacht Reworks", which are close collaborations with Pop- and electronic artists like FM Belfast, Christian Löffler and Douglas Dare.[12][13][14] He also did an improvised live session in 2017 with Peter Broderick.[15]

Discography

Solo albums
  • 2012: Tag
  • 2014: Nacht
  • 2015: Nacht Reworks
  • 2017: Strom
  • 2019: Ströme [16]

Singles & EPs
  • 2013: Tag Remixes (EP)
  • 2017: OMBLEH (Single)

References
  1. Ivan Hewett (2018-03-17). "Martin Kohlstedt turns anguish into an art form at Servant Jazz Quarters". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2018-04-12. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  2. "Martin Kohlstedt : SOUND UP". SoundUp. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  3. "Пронзительное выступление немецкого виртуоза на Дожде". YouTube. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  4. "German pianist Martin Kohlstedt performs in Tehran". TehranTimes. 2017-02-24. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  5. "Do, 21.12.2017 - Martin Kohlstedt". Elbphilharmonie Hamburg. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. "SXSW 2017 Schedule". SXSW. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  7. "Modular compositions and musical conversations : Martin Kohlstedt : TEDxRWTHAachen". YouTube. 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2018-03-30.
  8. "Witness Martin Kohlstedt morphing two of his songs into a brand new one called OMBLEH". Nothing But Hope And Passion. 2017-04-06. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  9. "Martin Kohlstedt - HARNAO (Live at Elbphilharmonie Hamburg)". YouTube. 2018-03-22. Archived from the original on 2019-02-13. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  10. "Musikdoku Martin Kohlstedt". ZEIT Online. 2017-11-20. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  11. "Martin Kohlstedt - Strom (Chapter II)". YouTube. 2018-08-02. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  12. "Premiere: Martin Kohlstedt - 'GOL' (FM Belfast Rework)". Clash Music. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  13. "Videopremiere: Martin Kohlstedt - ELL (Christian Loeffler Rework)". Groove. 2015-11-17. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  14. "Live-Perfomance in der Videopremiere: Martin Kohlstedt "EXA" (Douglas Dare Rework)". INTRO. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  15. "NDR Kultur Neo - Peter Broderick & Martin Kohlstedt". NDR Kultur. Archived from the original on 2018-03-30. Retrieved 2018-03-29.
  16. Erato, Warner Classics /. "Martin Kohlstedt // STRÖME". Warner Classics.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.