Skalpel – Quicksilver

The first single from the forthcoming album „Highlight”, to be released on 20 March on NoPaper / !k7

Video: Niklas Paschburg – Little Orc

Nearly two years have passed since Niklas Paschburg presented his critically acclaimed debut album ‘Oceanic’ in February 2018. Niklas’ musical ideas have crystalised and become cogent through a combination of extensive live performance – playing over 100 shows in the last two years – and experimentation in his Berlin Studio. Written between 2018 and 2019, his second album ‘Svalbard’ will be released in February 2020 via 7K!. Niklas’ use of the piano; electronics (synth and computer) and his Grandfather’s piano accordion allow him to communicate via a number of musical traditions and languages. This versatility has allowed him to work on a variety of projects ranging from an inspired reinterpretation of Bach’s Preludes in C Minor (“Blooming”), to well received remixes for pop artists such as RY X and Asgeir. Today he releases the second single lifted from ‘Svalbard,’ and he had this to say on its creation:

“Little Orc is a gem driven by contrasting feelings: nostalgic solemness runs through it and becomes a struggle which is articulated through Niklas’ own breathing which is suspended between tension and escape – underlying the environmental anxiety. Referring to “Orc.” In Svalbard there’s a bird called Auk, which I dedicated a song to, but when Andy asked about the title, I made a spelling mistake when writing it down. But I liked it and decided to keep it that way”. NIKLAS PASCHBURG

Upcoming album ‘Svalbard’ was written in the winter of late 2018 to 2019 on the Norwegian archipelago, far away from his birth place in Hamburg. The islands are isolated and their relatively rapid changing landscapes, display immediate and visible effects of climate change. These thoughts weigh heavily in the heart and mind of the 25 year-old artist, who’s process was enriched by the environment which he chose to write in. Niklas was at once ensconced within the dark azure palette of winter – a piano waited for him and he brought Grandfather’s Accordion and a new Electric Harmonium along with a small number of other instruments. In Svalbard, throughout December and January the temperature never peaks above minus twenty degrees celsius – sunlight hours are numbered at zero. “Sometimes during the day I was opportune to get a peak of blue, but I knew that the daylight wouldn’t come. There’s no sun in Svalbard in the first half of January, there’s no sunrise, there’s no sunset. It’s always night.” Niklas chose this as an “inhospitable and uncomfortable” place to convalesce and write – cocooned away from the darkness of our times.

Once Niklas had finished writing, he took these compositions to Andy Barlow of Lamb (U2, Fink and Willie Nelson). In Brighton they worked together and Andy recorded, produced and mixed ‘Svalbard’ it into its final state. ‘Svalbard’ opens with “If”, a song which articulates the traces which these environments have left in Niklas’ mind – something pressing is present in the music. All these impressions come from a piece of music which is both melancholic and positive, something which can cradles us from anxiety. ‘Svalbard’ balances a turbulent outlook with peaceful embraces. A relationship inspired by the Norwegian archipelago – situated in the Arctic Ocean, a place where climate change – an issue dear to the German composer and his generation – is most evident.

Niklas goes on to explain that “It was after the release of “Oceanic” that I gradually developed a vision of what I wanted to achieve with my second album: with ‘Svalbard’ whilst still working with ambient music, I also explore darker and louder territories”. The island landscape provided inspiration, faced with blue and white arctic light he was compelled to an awareness of his own fragility.

The delicateness of his situation was further emphasised when he was caught outside, unaware that a -20°C storm was due to take place. “The previous day the locals had warned each other to stay inside on the following day, but I was alone and missed the warning! Moments before it had been peaceful and silent, and then suddenly there was an almighty wind that was so strong it knocked me over. I couldn’t see anything and I was absolutely petrified, but when I went back to the studio I wrote the second track of ‘Svalbard’, “Cyan””. The thrashing of the storm is present in the rhythm and textures of the piece: it impresses the feeling that one is facing the enduring power of the wind – before being forced to flee.

Listening to ‘Svalbard’ one dives into the fascinating world created by the German Artist. Here we are presented with a more mature Niklas Paschburg, aware of his purpose; an artist who has found his voice. Paschburg’s music is unique in its ability to be both melancholic and positive, an embrace to lift anxieties and encourage meditation, whilst also making the listener want to move, dance and run.

“SVALBARD” IS SET FOR RELEASE VIA 7K! ON FEBRUARY 28th

Tracklist:
If
Cyan
Bathing In Blue
Little Orc
Season Shift
Opera
Duvet
Husky Train
Arctic Teal
Winter Born

Video: Hior Chronik – Words Are Gone feat. Hania Rani

Seductive drone and post cinematic soundscapes between ambient, indie-neoclassical music. These are the best words to describe the vibes of the new album by the Greek/Berliner composer Hior Chronik, entitled “Blind Heaven” out on November 8th via 7K!.

There is a dark and cinematic atmosphere that chases throughout the new album by the Greek composer and producer Hior Chronik, a natural sequel to “Out Of The Dust”, released on 7K! in 2017. While retaining an ambient and modern-classic dimension, “Blind Heaven” goes in search of new territories to observe and interpret. Sound landscapes made of synthesizers, electronics, strings, woodwinds and above all magical touches of the piano, so minimal as they are brilliant in their being perfectly integrated into the sonic trajectories traced by the Athens-born artist who has lived in Berlin for several years.

Track after track “Blind Heaven” reveals itself by involving the listener in a particularly evocative and immersive multi-stage sound journey: Nocturne, crepuscular, foggy, the record moves in neighboring territories without delineating a precise and static form: the sound moves magmatic, it is discovered, it hides, it explodes, it shrinks and once again it frees itself to cross extremely natural and peaceful landscapes, as well as darker, industrial, apocalyptic… more

released November 8, 2019

Hior Chronik – One Eternity at a Time

Seductive drone and post cinematic soundscapes between ambient, indie-neoclassical music. These are the best words to describe the vibes of the new album by the Greek/Berliner composer Hior Chronik, entitled “Blind Heaven” out on November 8th via 7K!.

The first single “One Eternity at a time” featuring Francesco Donadello is out today. Available to stream or buy: https://7k.lnk.to/blindheaven

Dominik Eulberg – Fünffleck-Widderchen

Music producer, Biologist and Ecologist, Dominik Eulberg has a clear message within his music. Creating a plea to save the biodiversity of nature, his forthcoming album, ‘Mannigfaltig’ pushes forward the importance of preserving our earth’s ecosystems and warning of the danger posed to it by humans.

Ahead of the album’s release via !K7 Records, Dominik unveils the next single, ‘Fünffleck-Widderchen’ which translates as ‘New Forest Burnet’. With each album track from ‘Mannigfaltig’ aptly named after varying native animal species which bares a number in its name in German, ‘Fünffleck-Widderchen’ derives from the name of a distinctive species of moth with five red spots on each forewing. Looking to celebrate the many shades of nature and its beauty, Dominik offers a near extra-terrestrial take on ‘Fünffleck-Widderchen’. Electrical currents tick and crackle as feather light bells and synths harmonise before the unleashing of a weighty, punching kick.

“With Fünffleck-Widderchen I wanted to build a hypnotic and almost transcendental journey. For that I created polyrhythmic sequences which are also sometimes triplet, but their transpositions are still in the classic 4/4 scheme. In interaction with its broken beats and the wide Oberheim theme with no clear start and ending, it develops its own vortex this way. Fünffleck-Widderchen (English: New Forest Burnet) is a moth with five red spots per forewing. This is why it is track-number five on my album Mannigfaltig.”
Dominik Eulberg

As he seeks to showcase nature at its most raw and magnificent, a series of stunning and nature-centric music videos will also accompany the album. With the recent release of previous single ‘Goldene Acht’, Dominik worked with one of Germany’s leading documentary film makers Jan Haft to create the music video. The upcoming video for album track ‘Eintagsfliege’ has also been recognised by the UN Decade Of Biodiversity, gaining ‘An Outstanding Contribution’ award whilst also receiving recognition from the Federal Agency of Nature Conservation who will feature the film as their ‘Project Of The Week’. Alongside the new single ‘Fünffleck-Widderchen’, Dominik also reveals a series of album tour dates that will see him perform across Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France and Spain.

Dominik Eulberg’s ‘Mannigfaltig’ will be released via !K7 Records on 6th September. Pre-order here.

Bjarki – ( . )_( . )

Icelandic electronic artist and founder of bbbbbb Recors, Bjarki announces his new album ‘Happy Earthday’ on !K7.

Along with a slew of international tour dates, Bjarki releases new track ‘( . )_( . )’ – available to stream below.

An expressive electronic album with the kind of positive, stirring resolve that leaves you feeling utterly comforted, Bjarki’s new album ‘Happy Earthday’ is influenced by his home country Iceland as well as environmental issues.

Having released bodies of work on трип and his own label bbbbbb, Bjarki views ‘Happy Earthday’ as his proper debut album; he feels it’s a more coherent and conceptual body of work that finds him offering up music he never thought he would release. The album contains very personal material written over the last decade during fragile moments of introspection.

Says Bjarki on the album:

“You can consider this album as a window into my head and even my soul. It reflects my thoughts at the time I made this music. For me it is a bit odd, sharing it like this with the world. As a very private person I am not used to open my door so completely, it can be a little scary for me. What if … I tend to think, expecting all kinds of everything.

Releasing this album is also a kind of a farewell to music I made in a certain period in my life. It’s like I’m saying farewell to a grown-up child which is now ready to leave.

When facing the world, the music undergoes many changes from my point of view. It becomes global, ceased to be obeyed by my thoughts. Now it’s yours, the folks that listens, thinks, speculates about it, consumes and develops a private opinion. Not one, or two, but many, even thousands. And your opinion is equally as ‘right’ as mine, or maybe more.

That’s how art is. When published, the understanding or opinion is even more of the consumers than the artist. He has lost his control over it and for me that is the scary part. Again, what if …

My music is under a heave influence from my inheritance as an Icelander, my upbringing, my family, surroundings and of course the music and artists I have listened to all my life. That’s how things are.

Maybe you can feel the melancholy of my life, the nature overall. Volcanos and the lava flowing down the slopes, the frightening noise of the ocean beating the land, the strong wind in the mountain passes and a glimpse of the first ray of the rising sun over the glacier. Now that is the dawn of a new day.”

Bjarki also announces a host of new dates in the new year, including shows in France, Italy, Poland, Switzerland, Australia, Austria, Netherlands and UK.

Video: Niklas Paschburg – Anew

Niklas Paschburg Releases Hypnotic Video for ‘Anew’. The video uses footage from legendary surfer and filmaker Bruce Brown’s ‘THE ENDLESS SUMMER’.

Niklas Paschburg was born in Hamburg in 1994 – but he knows how to charm and bewitch with melodies and notes; mesmerising sounds and a cinematic atmosphere, intense crescendi and a pop flavour that moves and fascinates. Following his first EP “Tuur mang Welten”, he released his debut album ‘Oceanic’ with 7K! back on in February: a moving trip full of both melancholy and energy; twelve instrumental songs between neo-classical, ambient and electronic music, inspired by nature.

The video for ‘Anew’ uses original footage from a short film shot legendary surfer and filmmaker Bruce Brown, who became famous for producing and shooting much of the film footage for ‘The Endless Summer.’ It features skateboarding manoeuvres performed by a group of young boys, using slow motion and a variety of camera-angles which were not typical in 60’s.

Paschburg’s story is intriguing: Paschburg spent as much time as possible on the coast throughout the past year, catching the mood, breathing in the sea breeze, listening to the constant flow of the waves and transposing it all into his music. This period was a defining experience for the young German composer, grown up as a pianist and then attracted by the so-called “neo-classical scene”: “As a teenager I used to listen to Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Hauschka and all that world, and my EP was influenced by those artists. Then I moved in other directions: for my first record I really wanted to make something different, something between piano, classical and electronic music, but also with some pop flavours incorporated – not in harmonies, but in the songs’ structure”.

The result is a soundtrack of a landscape with echoes of Bonobo and Kiasmos, on the electronic side, and with Bon Iver as Paschburg’s main pop reference, co-produced and mixed by Gijs van Klooster (who has previously worked with Joep Beving and Tom Trago). And another feather in the cap for 7K!, the hub launched by the Berlin-based company !K7, to promote neo-classical, ambient and experimental music.

Live Dates
28th October – SIlent Green Kulturquartier, Berlin (Germany)
31st October – E-Werk, Erlangen (Germany)
22nd November – Šv. Kotrynos bažnyčia, Vilnius (Lithuania)
5th Decemver – Nochtwache, Hamburg (Germany)
23rd January – TivoliVredenburg, Utrecht (Netherlands)
25th January – Westerliefde, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

Tricky feat. Mina Rose – Mixed by Vol. 2

Tricky has recruited heavyweight Italian producer and fellow !K7 artist DJ Tennis to remix ‘Running Wild feat. Mina Rose’, the third single to be taken from his universally acclaimed 13th studio album, ‘Ununiform’. Drawing on more than two decades of experience, DJ Tennis AKA Manfredi Romano has built up his reputation as an eclectic DJ and versatile producer.

The Life and Death label head twists Tricky’s hypnotic original with haunting electronics and brooding synths for an absorbing reinterpretation that is certain to entertain fans of Tricky and DJ Tennis alike.

Inspired by the emotive elements of the original, electro duo LA Riots infused their own adept house artistry to bring the single to newer heights. Keeping all the essential heart-rendering tonalities of the track, the pair turn ‘Running Wild’ into a sizable, four-on-the-floor thriller, enlivened by a fusion of deep drum patterns, full-bodied synths, and skillfully placed vocal chops.

‘Ununiform’ is the first album made since Tricky moved to Berlin, three years ago. While many people move to the clubbing capital of Europe to party, this was a clean break in every sense of the word. “I like it here because I don’t know anybody. I eat good food, I go for walks, I’ve got a bike. I’m trying to look after myself. I don’t drink here. Some people call it boring, but I wake at 9am and I’m asleep by 11 o’clock at night. I’m looking after myself.”

Tricky also credits much of the freedom of ‘Ununiform’ to something more grounded: “This album now is the first album I’ve made (in years) which isn’t going to pay off some kind of debt. So it’s more relaxed!” Referring to his previous albums, False Idols, Adrian Thaws, and the Skilled Mechanics project, he says “I was doing these records thinking ‘the quicker I do this album, the quicker I pay off the tax people.’ So ‘Ununiform’ has been very chilled out. Now, I own the label, I pay for everything myself. I’m a truly independent artist. Now I do what I want. Freedom is a beautiful thing.”

Tricky will also be touring throughout the last two months of 2017 and will be hitting the following dates:

20th November – Warsaw, Poland – SOLD OUT
21st November – Poznan, Poland – SOLD OUT
22nd November – Krakow, Poland – SOLD OUT
23rd November – Wroclaw, Poland
28th November – Berlin, Germany
29th November – Hamburg, Germany
30th November – Cologne, Germany
1st December – Amsterdam, Netherlands
13th December – London, England
15th December – Paris, France
16th December – Strasbourg, France
19th December – Leuven, Belgium
20th December – Liège, Belgium – SOLD OUT

Dj Tennis – Certain Angles feat. Fink

After nearly half a decade since their monumental ‘Make It Good’, DJ Tennis and Fink re-collide on !K7. The Certain Angles 12”, to be released on 13 October, includes an exclusive club mix by DJ Tennis.

Inspired, recent studio sessions have bore two breathing, sonic landscapes, entitled ‘Certain Angles’. Glimmering pianos, droning machines and captivating song writing take form, wrapping the Berlin-based singer’s voice in subtle melancholy. Both humbly understated, yet party-ready, ‘Certain Angles’ perfectly summarises the Life and Death founder’s recent etching in the DJ-Kicks stone.

DJ Tennis has also called on four of his most trusted allies to reinterpret the single, with four digital-only remixes: The/Das deliver a pensive moment of bubbling body music; Francesco Leali appears with a timeless, genre-bending re-perception as OPUS 3000; Lee Jones salutes the faithful dancers, while Mentrix’ unclassifiable excursion challenges the towering borders of Techno. The ‘Certain Angles (Remixes)’ digital EP will be released on 27 October.

Tricky – Mixed By… Vol.1

Tricky has today released an EP of remixes encompassing the first two singles from his forthcoming album, ununiform. Standout tracks ‘The Only Way’ and ‘When We Die (feat. Martina Topley-Bird)’ receive reworks from Kahn, FaltyDL and The Heatwave respectively. Available everywhere digitally, the remixes can be heard below.

The producers have also taken the time to share their own thoughts on Tricky’s lasting influence upon their own material and more widely on the last two decades of British music.

FaltyDL is first out the blocks with a catchy as hell remix of ‘When We Die (feat. Martina Topley-Bird)’ – the recent single which so excited long-standing Tricky & Martina fans upon its release last month.

He commented:

“I used to work in a restaurant cleaning dishes many years ago. They had an old fashioned jukebox but it was filled with CD’s. A copy of Maxinquaye was in the machine and I would sneak out of the kitchen and load it up then dive back into my work. I must have worn that CD out, it was a daily thing for a while. I grew some attachment to the music and have been listening to Tricky ever since. There’s a certain combination between the tone of his voice and the production that always hit a nerve pretty deeply with me, it’s amazing.”

As CRACK magazine wrote in premiering Kahn’s sultry edit of ‘The Only Way’:

“Tricky stan and Bandulu Records label head Kahn has gained a reputation for cutting experimental grime dubs that are shot with a dose of the same dark, negative space that artists like Tricky helped to innovate. For this spacious remix, the Bristol producer has reworked Tricky’s trademark whispered vocals to drift into the haze of rumbling drums..”

Kahn himself adds:

“It’s hard to know where to begin in expressing how much of an influence Tricky’s music has been on me, not just as a musician but in my life generally. It’s music that’s been with me since I was a child; listening to his albums over and over again at school on my CD walkman, memorising lyrics and immersing myself in the unique atmosphere of his work and collaborations. It was an essential pillar of my musical education growing up in Bristol and remains some of the most important music and poetry to me personally. Certain songs of his are so entwined to specific memories and periods in my life, it’s like the music’s just a part of my identity.

So with that said, naturally I was honored to be asked to remix some of Tricky’s new work. In truth it was initially a bit daunting working with someone who’s been such a crucial creative influence, but the whole experience has meant a great deal to me and I hope we can work together again at some point in the future.”

Finally – rising bashment producers The Heatwave were tasked by Tricky (ever with his ear to the ground) to work their magic on ‘When We Die’ just in time for the last summer rays.

“It’s a big deal for me getting the chance to remix a Tricky tune. His music had a big impact on me as a teenager and he’s a brilliant example of a groundbreaking, genre-defying, Jamaican-influenced British MC. Before grime, garage and almost even UK hip hop, you had Massive Attack and Tricky weaving words, booming out basslines and melting minds and moods. Their Wild Bunch crew was an inspiration for what The Heatwave has become as a UK soundsystem.”

The full remix package ‘Mixed By… Vol.1’ is released today. Available here: https://K7.lnk.to/MixedbyVolume1

Tricky’s 13th album, ununiform, is a delicate, storming, intricate album that sees Tricky take perhaps his most radical step yet – a journey into happiness and contentment. It’s a record that shows the legendary British producer confront his legacy, history, family – even death itself. And in all of this, he finds the strangest, least familiar thing – peace.

It’s released on 22nd September via False Idols / !K7.
Pre-order here: https://k7.lnk.to/ununiform