Ana Berkenhoff & Michael Holland - Watch Close

Collaboration between me and Ana, she's a german actress and theatre performer with a passion for music and experimenting with her deep voice that finds its way through the world by feeling. Her soundcloud has many diverse experiments https://soundcloud.com/aha-birkeshof have a look and a listen!

 

you can listen to the album here... https://jcdecaux.bandcamp.com/album/watch-close

 

Here are the liner notes that developed over many months during the early part of this year.

 

Welcome -   -     -      - Let’s hear what this is. 

In the Future I hope that instead of inventing new animals- green ones some that walk on their knees- all the varieties are allowed just to exist further on. 

As, when we think deeply about it, there are already the most and funkiest ones. 

 

There is something going on right here- all these bubbles. Don’t know if creatures live in this area. Somehow it reminds me of boiling mud pots in Iceland. 

And in the distance is a voice. Possibly brought here by the wind or taken away by the wind.

 

As for the coincidence of some letters a certain novel and was given or quoted to me many times during my life. It started when I was 17. It is Anna Blume by German artist Kurt Schwitters and for my taste it is very cheesy and although it wants to talk about the love to a woman- Anna it just reveals a very romantic and patronising male view. A woman as a flower? That shall be nice? I am not too sure a woman never suggested this to me. Nevertheless here it came again and

so -first time I deal with it by translating it live into English as it is unbearably cheesy in my mother tongue...

 

By tilting, the Pendolino train can go around curves at higher speeds without causing undue discomfort to passengers. We watched many trains from the studio bending themself in the landscape.  

 

Ana Berkenhoff June 2015.

 

1. is an original improvisation by Ana & Michael. Recorded on Rick Nicholls Fostex Cassette 4 Track Tape.  

2. is Ana’s translation of the poem Anna Blume by Kurt Schwitters. 

3. is an instrumental composition by Michael and Ana. Using the Trichord guitar built with the guidance and ideas of Yuri Landmann.

4. is an interpretation of a poem by Philippe Soupault named Tomatenblüten. 

5. is recycled, with beats by Giuseppe Ielasi from Stunt (Appendix) 

6. is entirely improvised and layered by Michael and Ana Mostly using the Plumbutter Drum and Drama Machine Graciously lent by Sam Weaver.

 

Ta To Andrew, Paddy, Sam, Rick And Danny For Encouragement.

 

Recorded over many days March-April 2015 W/ Roland 303 Groovebox, Zoom H4 Fostex 160 Multitracker, Samplr, Trichord, Plumbutter, Steel on Foam and Littlebits.

 

Mastered By Sam Weaver fuelled by Caribbean Flavas