posts on the norient space by Hannes Liechti

In this first issue of the Norient Sound Series, we examine how political contexts of our time are transformed into musical production. With case studies from all around the world, this Norient Special approaches sampling as a tool for critical thought and a way of alternative storytelling.

Wie und warum benutzen Musiker*innen Samples? Welche Positionen stecken hinter der Wahl ihrer Samples? Sind diese Samples vielleicht sogar politisch? Solche Fragen stellt Hannes Liechti in seiner Doktorarbeit.

Berlin-based producer Kritzkom rarely works with samples and, accordingly, on her 2016 techno track «Inner March for Utopia» synth basses and melodies dominate. But if one digs deeper one can find the traces of a sample of the Kurdish national anthem.

After being invited by the Iwalewahaus Bayreuth the Nairobi-based electronic musician and producer DJ Raph did an artist residency in Germany, rummaging through the institution’s extensive music archive of ethnographic field recordings from Africa.

In the tracks of the San Francisco-based artist, sampling is as much identity-generating as a political tool. Here are five reasons why sampling is so important in the ambient-shaped tracks of the upcoming producer.

Tracing the genesis of a track by producer Ian McDonnell (Eomac, Lakker) we can follow the steps to learn how sampling is used to replace a conventional vocal track and discuss questions on the circulation and handling of media material in times of Web 2.0.

In this interview Norient asked Eduardo Navas, one of the main scholars theorizing the phenomenon of remix, to clarify some of his points and to talk about algorithms, the surplus of remix studies, and cultural appropriation.

«Das Internet ist nicht demokratisch», sagt Andreas Ryser, Präsident des Musikverbands IndieSuisse. Und in sozialen Netzwerken bestimme das Geld, welche Musik gefunden werde. Doch die Digitalisierung birge auch Chancen für die Finanzierung von Musik.

With the #rojava campaign female:pressure aimed to raise awareness around the resistance movement in Northern Syria. We meet one of the artists who have contributed and sampled women fighters.

The viral music video «Formidable» of the Belgian musician Stromae reached almost 120 million YouTube hits in two years. We talked to the Belgian music video director Jérôme Guiot about the process of creating a marketing buzz.

The heavily sample-based tracks by Estonian electronic producer Mihkel Kleis show the total disembodiment of the samples from their sources. This approach becomes apparent when both listening to the tracks but also looking behind the scenes of its production.

«Volya» is the only record so far in which the Ukrainian experimentalist has used sampling material with a strong political connotation: field recordings from the revolutions in Kiev. A background talk about the soundscape of the Maidan.

It is the very discrete mixture of samples, jazz vocals, folk spirit, live instrumentation and experimental electronics that characterizes the weird and beautiful song sketches of interdisciplinary artist Yatta Zoker from Brooklyn, NY.

Dancing women at a pool party, mens with guns and barbecued sausages. An attempt of understanding the music video «Pau, Perereca e cu – PPC» by the Brazil musicians Harmonia do Sampler.

Aniruddha Das understands sampling as a political, yet militant instrument. In the interview he gives insight into his sampling practice and talks about musical exoticism, political meaning, and his use of distortion.

Digging samples in the tracks of Daniel Jakob led me to two interesting potentials of the production method: sampling as a hidden means of producing tracks and sampling of ambient sounds as cultural signifiers.

A psychological approach to sampling: the American avantgarde-pop musician Katie Gately samples familiar, sometimes scary sounds and noises form the everyday that are deeply connected to her childhood memory.

With her new project, COOL FOR YOU, Berlin-based multidisciplinary artist Vika Kirchenbauer tends to «decompose harmonies as colonizers». What comes out are high-pitched voices, unfamiliar harmonies, and rumbling and raw rhythms.

In times of constantly bubbling news tickers that have long ago stopped covering sport events only, Berlin-based James Whipple has produced a LP that is dealing with the resultant feeling of information overload.

In «Libres» Argentine producer Moro is bridging the Atlantic slave trade with the current refugee crisis. The main element of the track is a sample of chain sounds, transformed into a historically meaningful rhythm.

Although it's been labeled as an afro-futuristic project and also comes along as such through an eclectic and futuristic sound collage, fashion, photography, and music videos, «Alien Cartoon» by Senegalese producer Ibaaku is deeply rooted in place.

In this new series, Norient talks about sampling and remixing with different musicians from all around the world: Why, how and what do they sample? Meet Israeli electronic industrial artist Ptyl in this first sequel.

Bhutan is a tiny kingdom in the himalayas and not really known for experimental music. But due to Ed Linton and his net label «Avant-Garbe Records» there is a growing music scene with a love for weird sounds.

Der Schweizer Rudolf Eb.er will mit seiner Noise-Musik Hirnwellen verändern und unser Bewusstsein erweitern. Für Norient stellt er sein neues Album «Brainnectar» vor und spricht über die Zusammenarbeit mit der Japanerin Junko Hiroshige.

Musikvermittlung 2.0: Die App «Memoreille» verbindet in einem Sound-Memory Kompositionen von zeitgenössischen Klangkünstlern und experimentellen Musikerinnen. Rezension und Portrait von drei ausgewählten Levels.

Als «Hypergamelan» bezeichnet die koreanische Komponistin Unsuk Chin ihr «Doppelkonzert für Klavier, Schlagzeug und Ensemble». Ein Gespräch mit Chin.

Rudolf von Steiger verwandelt wissenschaftliche Daten in Musik. Im Interview spricht der Weltraumphysiker über sonische Phänomene im All und erklärt, weshalb er die Utopie der Marsbesiedelung für Unsinn hält.

Wer hat nicht schon mal ein Karton an sein Fahrrad geklemmt und ist mit scheppernden Speichen durch die Gegend getingelt? Wer kennt das Quietschen eines alten Drahtesels nicht? Die Norient Fahrrad-Selection.

Roxana Corrales und Aldo Rubio arbeiten in Honduras beim Widerstandsradiosender «La Voz de Zacate Grande». Sie geben einen Einblick in die aktuelle musikalische Landschaft an der Peripherie des zentralamerikanischen Staates.

Ein neu erschienener Sammelband beleuchtet die wechselseitige Beziehung zwischen Popmusik und Politik, fokussiert dabei von 9/11 bis Sam Cooke aber zu stark auf US-amerikanische Aspekte.

Unter dem Namen «HUGO hat Töne» vertonen Daniel Schümperli, Lukas Frey und Rudolf von Steiger seit 2001 Erbinformationen, sogenannte DNA-Codes. Was unvorstellbar klingt, gelingt den drei Naturwissenschaftlern und Musikern aber auf eindrückliche Art und Weise.