johneckhardt.de/visualbassic
As visual bassic, Katrin Bethge (overhead projections) and John Eckhardt (bass) create audiovisual situations in real time which balance active composition with self organizing processes. Employing light refracting objects, liquids and everyday materials directly on her projector, Katrin Bethge conjures up equally cosmic and microscopic spaces. John Eckhardt’s structured yet always changing music for bass guitar & live effects draws on stylistic influences such as Krautrock, Drone and Dub Techno - a personal language for the bass guitar committed to pulsating low frequencies as well as to spectral soundscaping. All loops and sound modulations are happening in real time. His DJ sets have a special focus on the low end as well - depending on location and occasion, they feature sound system music from experimental ambient and deep down tempo to contemporary club music and dancehall.
Like an ephemeral painting, the overhead projections of Katrin Bethge transform the surfaces of their respective space. In public or in art spaces, in churches or on stage, three dimensional materials such as liquids, powders and organic structures are projected in real time, as they interact directly on the projector's light area. Through the microscopic magnification and fluoroscopy of these materials, localities appear transparent and permeable, and give insight into an ephemeral, poetic world of everyday natural processes. Music as an art form unfolding in time that charges spaces with atmosphere, plays a crucial role in Katrin Bethge's work. Her projections accompany projects in dance, theatre, photography, exhibitions and events in urban space on international stages and festivals.
John Eckhardt has been enjoying a busy international schedule as a bass player in a wide field of contemporary music for two decades, and is considered by many a leading figure in the recent development of both his acoustic and electronic instruments. Next to his involvement in a dazzling circuit of collaborations and in the recording of 40 CDs, he releases his third solo album in 2016 after his acclaimed debut "Xylobiont" (PSI Rec. 2008) and the massive, mixed media project "Forests" (Depth of Field Music, 2014).
video shot by mark-liedtke.de
