The Göteborg String Theory
Encyclopedia
The Göteborg String Theory is an international music and art project which provides a creative joint
venture production platform for composers, artists, musicians and video artists from different
countries. The project was founded in 2006 as The Berlin String Theory, followed by The Göteborg
String Theory in 2009.
, Germany
in 2007 and developed by the musician/artist couple Nackt and Chérie of the band Warren Suicide, composers Ben Lauber and Nils Tegen and Party Arty beat poet Yaneq among others. Based on an idea of experimental musical development and grassroots
networking outside the existing business structures, The Berlin String Theory was founded, starting out as an impromptu basement event of close friends performing their songs with a string quartet instead of electric guitars and computers, yet in the course of a couple of months developing into a high-output recording workshop and a major multimedia project involving more than 100 musicians, artists, producers, journalists, designers, technicians, visual artists, a documentary film team, painters and poets, culminating in a show at Berlin’s Volksbühne
theater on New Year’s Day 2008.
, Sweden
and gathered an abundance of artists at Kokokaka filmstudio for the next leap. José González, Midaircondo, Wildbirds & Peacedrums
, Studio
, Jaqee, Jaw Lesson aka Idiot Wind, Silverbullit
, El Perro Del Mar
, Fox Machine, Ebbot Lundberg (The Soundtrack of Our Lives)
, Bow & Arrow and Jmy Haze were among those who made The Göteborg String Theory happen in June 2009. Their original songs were arranged by The Berlin String Theory composers Nackt, Ben Lauber and Nils Tegen for the string quartet Qvartiett and other classical and jazz
musicians. Together with the artists the new renditions were rehearsed and documented during a five day workshop and then performed for the first time at Clandestino Festival. The recordings resulting from those days in June were subsequently released on the record label Kning Disk.
) and noise avantgardists The Skull Defekts featuring hardcore Daniel Higgs (Lungfish) from Baltimore. Video artists also contribute by visually interpreting the sound pieces produced during the workshop, and these visuals were included in the performance. The concert was broadcast live on Swedish National Radio
and gained critical acclaim, in comparisons with Krzysztof Penderecki
, Arnold Schönberg
and Nico Muhly
. Some of the live recordings from the show at Göteborgs Konserthus were later released as a limited edition vinyl EP on Kning Disk.
venture production platform for composers, artists, musicians and video artists from different
countries. The project was founded in 2006 as The Berlin String Theory, followed by The Göteborg
String Theory in 2009.
Background
The idea of the musical String Theory was born in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 2007 and developed by the musician/artist couple Nackt and Chérie of the band Warren Suicide, composers Ben Lauber and Nils Tegen and Party Arty beat poet Yaneq among others. Based on an idea of experimental musical development and grassroots
Grassroots
A grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
networking outside the existing business structures, The Berlin String Theory was founded, starting out as an impromptu basement event of close friends performing their songs with a string quartet instead of electric guitars and computers, yet in the course of a couple of months developing into a high-output recording workshop and a major multimedia project involving more than 100 musicians, artists, producers, journalists, designers, technicians, visual artists, a documentary film team, painters and poets, culminating in a show at Berlin’s Volksbühne
Volksbühne
The Volksbühne is a theater in Berlin, Germany. Located in Berlin's city center Mitte on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz in what was the GDR's capital....
theater on New Year’s Day 2008.
First phase
The musicians Sebastian Gäbel and Nathalie Barusta Gäbel, who participated in The Berlin String Theory, took the project to their hometown GothenburgGothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and gathered an abundance of artists at Kokokaka filmstudio for the next leap. José González, Midaircondo, Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Wildbirds & Peacedrums
Wildbirds & Peacedrums is an experimental band from Sweden consisting of two members, Mariam Wallentin and her husband Andreas Werliin.-Background:...
, Studio
Studio (band)
Studio is a Swedish electronic music band. They have been described as the missing link between The Cure and Lindstrøm - while simultaneously touching upon Can, Neu, Happy Mondays and The Smiths - in their creation of a "afrobeat-dub-disco-indie-pop" adventure...
, Jaqee, Jaw Lesson aka Idiot Wind, Silverbullit
Silverbullit
Silverbullit is a Swedish rock band based in Göteborg. Formed in 1995 under the name "Silverbullet", which was changed after a conflict over the rights for the name. They are known under the name Citizen Bird in the US, and have toured under that name and released their album Citizen Bird as a...
, El Perro Del Mar
El Perro del Mar
El Perro del Mar is a musical project that was founded in December 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The sole member of El Perro del Mar, Sarah Assbring, initially started as an MP3/CD-R artist and released her first songs through Hybris Records...
, Fox Machine, Ebbot Lundberg (The Soundtrack of Our Lives)
The Soundtrack of Our Lives
The Soundtrack of Our Lives, alternatively known as T.S.O.O.L. or Soundtrack, is a Swedish rock band that formed in 1995 after the dissolution of the punk band Union Carbide Productions....
, Bow & Arrow and Jmy Haze were among those who made The Göteborg String Theory happen in June 2009. Their original songs were arranged by The Berlin String Theory composers Nackt, Ben Lauber and Nils Tegen for the string quartet Qvartiett and other classical and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musicians. Together with the artists the new renditions were rehearsed and documented during a five day workshop and then performed for the first time at Clandestino Festival. The recordings resulting from those days in June were subsequently released on the record label Kning Disk.
Second phase
The next performance, coinciding with the album release, was at Göteborgs Konserthus the 17th of April 2010. Even more artists joined The Göteborg String Theory on this evening and premiered their songs in new arrangements: Anna von Hausswolff, Daniel “Hurricane” Gilbert (also guitarrist with Håkan HellströmHåkan Hellström
Håkan Hellström is a Swedish musician. He got his Swedish breakthrough in the year 2000 with the song "Känn ingen sorg för mig Göteborg"...
) and noise avantgardists The Skull Defekts featuring hardcore Daniel Higgs (Lungfish) from Baltimore. Video artists also contribute by visually interpreting the sound pieces produced during the workshop, and these visuals were included in the performance. The concert was broadcast live on Swedish National Radio
Sveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
and gained critical acclaim, in comparisons with Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
, Arnold Schönberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
and Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly is a contemporary classical music composer, who has worked and recorded with classical and pop/rock musicians. He currently lives in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan in New York City.-Early years:...
. Some of the live recordings from the show at Göteborgs Konserthus were later released as a limited edition vinyl EP on Kning Disk.
European tour
The Berlin/Göteborg String Theory orchestra collaborated with José González on yet another occasion – a sold-out European tour in March/April 2011. Nackt had written 11 new arrangements for González’ songs, transforming them into expressions of a new musical spirit, and conducted the 25 person orchestra. An songsmith and world-known artist in his own right, González became a part of the ensemble, performing to audiences in 19 cities and garnering critical praise along the way. A film documentary about the performance at the Copenhagen Concert hall was produced by Danish National Television.Discography
- 2011 – The Göteborg String Theory EP (Kning Disk)
- 2010 – The Göteborg String Theory Album (Kning Disk)
Related projects
- 2011 The Aachen String Theory Workshop
- 2010 The Berlin Weekend
- 2006–2008 The Berlin String Theory