Terrain: Terrain

In Liminal Spaces – Angus MacLise

Trance is an important aspect in Angus MacLise’s sound works. The drummer, composer, poet and calligrapher was a link between Beat culture, New York City’s art scene in the Sixties, and the hippies. 78 minutes with material by an originator who never released a record during his short life.

New York in the Sixties – A Hotbed for Experiments

Whether conceptual or performance art, electronic music, counterculture, minimalism, drone sounds or Fluxus – New York City is a hotbed for all sorts of experiments during the Sixties. 62 minutes with Angus MacLise, Henry Flynt, La Monte Young & Marian Zazeela, Richard Maxfield and others.

No Way Out – No Wave Years in NYC (1978-84)

Most artists involved in what critics called no wave in 1978 shared a nihilistic mindset as they explored realms ranging from abrasive noise to mutant disco in New York City. 44-minute mix featuring tracks by Boris Policeband, Bush Tetras, Jill Kroesen, Konk and others.

Love for Sound – Engineered Reggae (1979-87)

In the Eighties, old and new styles alike get developed in Jamaica. Ragga evolves and electronic production tools enter the studios, helping to establish the digital dancehall era. 37 minutes with Bunny Lie Lie, Charlie Chaplin, Don Carlos, Johnny Clarke and others.

Love The Residents (1971-2002)

Wearing eyeball helmets is the trademark of the Californian artist collective The Residents. Inspired by avantgarde and pop, the band anticipated the idea of audio piracy and developed groundbreaking multimedia projects. 42-minute mix with some of the group’s conceptional thematic compositions and deconstructions of Western popular music.

Ata Tak – Die neuen Herrn (1980-84)

Equally at home in the art world and the artists’ pub, Ata Tak‘s proprietors manage their label from a nice office in Düsseldorf; in the adjoining music studio, they pursue the idea of a world rebellion with sound – as Der Plan. 32 minutes with Holger Hiller, Minus Delta T, Picky Picnic, Wirtschaftswunder and others.

Quiet Ambient – In Lilac Heaths (1974-96)

Quiet ambient music may have its roots in cybernetic spirituality or be played in hospitals. It may be cinematic or resemble a landscape, and vast quantities of graph paper may be used in its production. 61 minutes with Anthony Manning, Inoyama Land, Joanna Brouk, Laurie Spiegel and others.

Sleep – Dark Ambient Textures (1982-2020)

Despite their gentle and surreal nature, these tracks were not necessarily composed with the idea of sleep in mind; however, their dark ambient textures are inspired by memories, sounds, or discoveries. 51 minutes with Brian Eno, David Toop, Monolake, Thomas Köner and others.

She Told Me – Experimental Music by Women (1969-2020)

An invented language, imitations of field-recordings, or the idea of a visual work with sound make these tracks express something not yet known. 38 minutes with Buffy Sainte-Marie, Gazelle Twin & NYX, Glynis Jones, Valentina Goncharova and others.

Obscure Music – Paving the Way for Ambient (1975-78)

With his label Obscure, Eno began curating a series of experimental listening music in 1975. The participating artists left their previous approaches to music production behind, worked with new technologies, or engaged in challenging group situations. 71 minutes with Gavin Bryars, Harold Budd, Max Eastley, Michael Nyman and others.

Relics – Miniatures on Air (1953-2019)

Relics tell stories, take listeners on acoustic journeys, or document situations. They can be poems, studio productions, field recordings, or something completely different. 53-minute mix representing Paul Paulun's series Fundstück on DLF-Kultur with radiophonic miniatures by Anne Waldman, Helga Goetze, Mark E. Smith, Timothy Leary and 26 other artists.

Proper Krauts (1971-78)

The stoic, almost machine like drumming of many West-German tunes from the early Seventies became the hallmark of a new sound – different from British pop or American rock, and in no way related to the country's horrible Nazi past. 45 minutes with Cluster, Faust, Harmonia 76, Wolfgang Riechmann and others.

Future Japan – Technopop (1979-86)

Yellow Magic Orchestra’s concept of connecting pop, dance music, and Far Eastern folklore quickly became synonymous with technopop in Japan. The band’s members also occured in each others solo recordings and cooperated with other musicians. 49 minutes with Apogee & Perigee, Friends Of Earth, Miharu Koshi, Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session and others.

Perplex – Electronic Mood Music (1990-97)

After years of increasing harshness on the dancefloor culminating in Gabber, round 1992 the time has come for more friendly grounds. 55 minutes from the advent of personal computers and internet for everyone – with tracks by Acid Jesus, The Black Dog, Cylob, Like A Tim and others.

Reggae? – Some Seventies Soul Fire

Driven by collaborations between producers, singers, and studio musicians in ever-changing constellations, the 1970s mark the transition from ska and rocksteady to a multitude of styles in Jamaica. 46 minutes with Keith Hudson, Norma White & Brentford Disco Set, Sound Dimension, Susan Cadogan and others.

More Poetry of DIY – Using the Means at Hand (1967-2011)

It is a common misconception that DIY music productions are necessarily realized without a budget. In fact, their most striking characteristic is that they aim to create unique listening experiences by using the means at hand. 36 minutes with works by Blancmange, Gregory Whitehead, Minus Delta T, People Like Us and others.

Reggae From Scratch – Lee Perry (1968-78)

Known for his innovative studio techniques, unique production style and weird tunes, Lee "Scratch" Perry combined influences from soul, funk, reggae, and dub in the early and mid Seventies. 46-minute mix with 14 tracks from the Perry orbit.

A Dandy From Heaven – Haruomi Hosono (1975-95)

Aware of musical traditions and eager to incorporate the latest technology in his productions, Haruomi Hosono is one of the most versatile and influential figures in Japanese popular culture. 44 minutes with various collaborations and solo works by the co-founder of Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Ambient Japan (1981-2004)

Free of artificial embellishments, well balanced, and designed with attention to detail, some Eighties' Japanese ambient music resembles the concept of the countries' traditional gardens. 51 minutes of music striving to enhance environments – with Haruomi Hosono, Inoyama Land, Masahiro Sugaya, Yasuaki Shimizu and others.

Sekt oder Karies – West Germany in the 80s

Owing to a straightness rooted in punk, new things and personalities get invented everywhere and all the time in West-Germany’s music scene of the Eighties. 53 minutes with Freiwillige Selbstkontrolle, Ingrid Wiener & Chor, Martin Kippenberger, Santrra and others.

Shaping Intermedia Art – Avantgarde Women (1968-85)

In the late Sixties, women composers start mixing various kinds of sonic material. Often their idea of intermedia art has a link to human life. 88 minutes with Christina Kubisch, Eliane Radigue, Frankie Mann, Ruth Anderson and others.

Ray-Dee-Oh (1960-2004)

Ten pieces about the mysteries, realities, and prospects of airwaves. 30-minute mix with works by The Android Sisters, Dan Lander, Negativland, Phil Harmonic and others.

Enhanced Poetry (1956-1991)

With reel to reels, poetry reaches the next level in the 1950s – language gets arranged in completely new ways. 37 minutes with Ernst Jandl, Henri Chopin, Neil Mills, Sten Hanson and others.

Ten Magic Pianos (1912-2017)

For some, the piano is the instrument of instruments. Here are ten good reasons why. 40 minutes with works by Charlemagne Palestine, Graeme Revell, Henry Cowell, Johanna Magdalena Beyer and others.