Barbara Morgenstern
Encyclopedia
Barbara Morgenstern is a German electronic music
artist who has released seven full-length albums and seven EPs.
, Germany
, Morgenstern describes herself as self-taught, although she had piano lessons as a child and jazz
lessons at the school of music in Hagen. In addition to having played in a band, she decided on a career in music in 1991 after completing her schooling at the Ernst Meister Gymnasium
in Hagen-Haspe
.
From 1992 until 1994 Barbara Morgenstern lived in Hamburg
, working on her own music as well as singing in an a cappella
group. She took part in a six-week popular music course at the Hamburg Hochschule
. In 1994 she moved to Berlin
, where she initially played keyboards in a band, and from 1996 onward she concentrated on her own music.
In early 1997 Morgenstern released the cassette Enter The Party through Hausfrau Im Schacht, a mail order label set up by former bandmate Florian Dietz (a.k.a. Jo Tabu). Later that same year she released the EP Plastikreport, which she produced in tandem with Michael Mühlhaus, later to join Blumfeld
. In the winter of 1998, she toured Germany with backing from Christian Obermaier and the aforementioned Mühlhaus on bass guitar, and in September of that year, she toured Germany, Austria and Switzerland with other Berlin-based musicians including Quarks, Jo Tabu and Fuschimuschi. The following month saw the release of her first full-length album Vermona ET 6-1 on the Monika Enterprise label. 1999 saw the release of a remix EP, Fan No.1.
On her 2000 album Fjorden, Morgenstern worked with Stefan Betke (Pole
) and Robert Lippok of To Rococo Rot
. The 2001 release of the EP Eine Verabredung was accompanied by gigs in Glasgow and London. Another EP followed in 2002, Seasons, a collaboration with Robert Lippok, which was released in a limited run of 500 copies through Domino Records. Morgenstern later worked with Robert Lippok on a full-length album, 2005's Tesri. Stefan Betke and Thomas Fehlmann
assisted with the recording of Nichts Muss
, released in 2003.
Another noted collaboration came in 2002, when she remixed DNTEL's "This is the Dream of Evan and Chan" which featured Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie on the single released for the track.
In 2004, at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut
, Morgenstern undertook a 34-date world tour together with Maximilian Hecker
. Bill Wells
' 2004 mini-album Pick Up Sticks featured contributions from Morgenstern on two tracks. She also joined Paul Wirkus and To Rococo Rot's Stefan Schneider in September Collective, a project which had its origins in encores that they joined together to play at their own individual concerts while on tour in Poland. September Collective's eponymous debut album was released on the Geographic label, an offshoot of Domino Records run by the Pastels
' Stephen Pastel. Morgenstern's next solo album was The Grass Is Always Greener (2006).
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
artist who has released seven full-length albums and seven EPs.
Biography
Born in HagenHagen
Hagen is the 39th-largest city in Germany, located in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It is located on the eastern edge of the Ruhr area, 15 km south of Dortmund, where the rivers Lenne, Volme and Ennepe meet the river Ruhr...
, 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...
, Morgenstern describes herself as self-taught, although she had piano lessons as a child 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...
lessons at the school of music in Hagen. In addition to having played in a band, she decided on a career in music in 1991 after completing her schooling at the Ernst Meister Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Hagen-Haspe
Hagen-Haspe
Hagen-Haspe is a borough of the city of Hagen in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the valley of the Ennepe at the confluence of the Hasper....
.
From 1992 until 1994 Barbara Morgenstern lived in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, working on her own music as well as singing in an a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
group. She took part in a six-week popular music course at the Hamburg Hochschule
Vocational university
A vocational university is an institution of higher education and sometimes research, which provides both tertiary and sometimes quaternary education and grants academic degrees at all levels in a variety of subjects...
. In 1994 she moved to Berlin
Berlin
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...
, where she initially played keyboards in a band, and from 1996 onward she concentrated on her own music.
In early 1997 Morgenstern released the cassette Enter The Party through Hausfrau Im Schacht, a mail order label set up by former bandmate Florian Dietz (a.k.a. Jo Tabu). Later that same year she released the EP Plastikreport, which she produced in tandem with Michael Mühlhaus, later to join Blumfeld
Blumfeld
Blumfeld was an indie-pop band from Hamburg, Germany, formed by singer and songwriter Jochen Distelmeyer. The name of the band was coined by the main character of the short story "Blumfeld, ein älterer Junggeselle" by Franz Kafka...
. In the winter of 1998, she toured Germany with backing from Christian Obermaier and the aforementioned Mühlhaus on bass guitar, and in September of that year, she toured Germany, Austria and Switzerland with other Berlin-based musicians including Quarks, Jo Tabu and Fuschimuschi. The following month saw the release of her first full-length album Vermona ET 6-1 on the Monika Enterprise label. 1999 saw the release of a remix EP, Fan No.1.
On her 2000 album Fjorden, Morgenstern worked with Stefan Betke (Pole
Pole (musician)
Pole is the artistic name of Stefan Betke, a German electronic music artist commonly associated with the glitch genre as well as dubtronica.-History:Pole took his name from a Waldorf 4-Pole filter which he accidentally dropped and broke in 1996...
) and Robert Lippok of To Rococo Rot
To Rococo Rot
To Rococo Rot is a Berlin-based trio who combine electronic and acoustic elements to create instrumental post-rock and electronic music. The group is composed of bassist Stefan Schneider and brothers Robert and Ronald Lippok . Ronald Lippok has also gained praise for his work in Tarwater...
. The 2001 release of the EP Eine Verabredung was accompanied by gigs in Glasgow and London. Another EP followed in 2002, Seasons, a collaboration with Robert Lippok, which was released in a limited run of 500 copies through Domino Records. Morgenstern later worked with Robert Lippok on a full-length album, 2005's Tesri. Stefan Betke and Thomas Fehlmann
Thomas Fehlmann
Thomas Fehlmann , is a Swiss-born composer/producer who currently lives in Berlin, and has been active in electronic music as far back as the 1980s. He is currently active on the Kompakt record label based in Germany...
assisted with the recording of Nichts Muss
Nichts Muss
Nichts Muss is an album by the German musician Barbara Morgenstern.-Track listing:#"Aus Heiterem Himmel" – 4:25#"Nichts und Niemand" – 3:57#"Ohne Abstand" – 3:54#"Nichts Muss" – 8:06#"Merci " – 4:29#"Kleiner Ausschnitt" – 3:21...
, released in 2003.
Another noted collaboration came in 2002, when she remixed DNTEL's "This is the Dream of Evan and Chan" which featured Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie on the single released for the track.
In 2004, at the invitation of the Goethe-Institut
Goethe-Institut
The Goethe-Institut is a non-profit German cultural institution operational worldwide, promoting the study of the German language abroad and encouraging international cultural exchange and relations. The Goethe-Institut also fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on German...
, Morgenstern undertook a 34-date world tour together with Maximilian Hecker
Maximilian Hecker
Maximilian Hecker is a German musician from Berlin, known for ethereal pop music, similar to Radiohead, Sigur Rós, Tom Baxter and Nick Drake. He himself describes his songs as »melancholy pop hymns«....
. Bill Wells
Bill Wells
Bill Wells is a Scottish bassist, pianist, guitarist and composer.He is best known for his group the Bill Wells Octet, since the early 1990s, but he has performed and recorded in a wide range of settings, including collaborations with The Pastels, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Future Pilot A.K.A., Lol...
' 2004 mini-album Pick Up Sticks featured contributions from Morgenstern on two tracks. She also joined Paul Wirkus and To Rococo Rot's Stefan Schneider in September Collective, a project which had its origins in encores that they joined together to play at their own individual concerts while on tour in Poland. September Collective's eponymous debut album was released on the Geographic label, an offshoot of Domino Records run by the Pastels
The Pastels
The Pastels are a group from Glasgow, Scotland, UK.Their early records for labels like Whaam!, Creation, Rough Trade, and Glass Records, had a raw and immediate sound, melodic and amateur, which seemed at odds with the time...
' Stephen Pastel. Morgenstern's next solo album was The Grass Is Always Greener (2006).
Discography
Albums
- Vermona ET 6-1 (1998)
- Fjorden (2000)
- Nichts MussNichts MussNichts Muss is an album by the German musician Barbara Morgenstern.-Track listing:#"Aus Heiterem Himmel" – 4:25#"Nichts und Niemand" – 3:57#"Ohne Abstand" – 3:54#"Nichts Muss" – 8:06#"Merci " – 4:29#"Kleiner Ausschnitt" – 3:21...
(2003) - Tesri (with Robert Lippok, 2005)
- The Grass Is Always Greener (2006)
- BM (2008)
- Fan No.2 (2010)
EPs
- Enter The Partyzone (cassette release, 1997)
- Plastikreport (1997)
- Fan No.1 (1999)
- Eine Verabredung (10" vinyl, 2001)
- Seasons (with Robert Lippok, 2002)
- Himmelmixe (2003)
- Come To Berlin mixes (2008)
External links
- Official website
- MySpace page
- Autobiography from the Monika Enterprise website