Carsten Bohn
Encyclopedia
Carsten Bohn is a musician from Hamburg
, Germany
with a long career on the German
music scene. He is known for his earlier works as drummer, founder and composer with the kraut rock band Frumpy, and also under his pseudonym
of 'Bert Brac'.
He has recorded with Peter Baumann
(ex-Tangerine Dream
) and played as Drummer with the Jan Hammer
Band
(where the Beatles started out), acting as the drummer in a variety of bands that gained a measure of local popularity. His breakthrough in Europe came in 1970 with Frumpy.
The funky lounge sound of Carsten Bohn’s soundtrack music for children’s audio story books from the 1970s and 1980s has been has long been a hit in Germany. Between 1970 and 1972, Carsten Bohn was the leader and drummer of Frumpy, the German "Kraut Rock" band headlined by the Hamburg-born blues singer Inga Rumpf.
Bohn was already a fixture in the German music business when, as BERT BRAC, he began composing music for audio story books. The music accompanying the audio book
s became just as popular as the stories themselves. Bohn’s work was concentrated on multiple audio book series in which he left his own mark with his music.
The record labels responsible for the audio story books, without Bohn's knowledge or permission, used his work to accompany the story telling in at least 16 audio book series totalling approximately 170 individual episodes. Bohn engaged Europa Records
in a legal battle for copyright infringement
that continues today, with the result that neither the record label nor Bohn were allowed to publish the original music used for the audio books. The publishers of the old audio books had to re-record them with new music not composed by Bohn. This resulted in a full-blown run by fans on the early editions of Bohn’s vinyl recordings. Special editions from that time, featuring full-length versions of Bohn's music, are sought-after collectors' items. In Germany, the original vinyl LP of some of his recordings can command very high prices, in the region of $US 250. In addition, communities of fans took the trouble to remaster the new audio books, replacing "alien music" with songs from Bohn’s older creations, and distributed them in a private pool.
In 1973, Bohn formed the group Dennis, named after his son born in 1971
Between 1977 - 1981 Bohn formed Carsten Bohn's Bandstand and recorded 3 LP's with different lineups. He was member (drummer) of the Jan Hammer
Band between 1982 and 1983 along with Colin Hodgkinson
and Jack Bruce
, touring the US and Europe.
Bohn has attempted twice to reform Frumpy, once in 1976, and once in 1989. The 1989 revival resulted in the release of two studio albums, and a live album in 1995.
In 2004, Bohn and his band, Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, re-recorded the audio book music released by his own BigNoteRecords label, for re-release. Vol. I & II of a planned CD trilogy series were issued in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The songs therein feature Bohn's signature lounge beat which enjoy cult status among followers. For these re-recordings, the same instruments and equipment used to make the original recordings were used in order to replicate the original 1970s' and 1980s' recorded performances as closely as possible.
Carsten Bohn now composes and records music for films.
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...
, 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...
with a long career on the German
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...
music scene. He is known for his earlier works as drummer, founder and composer with the kraut rock band Frumpy, and also under his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
of 'Bert Brac'.
He has recorded with Peter Baumann
Peter Baumann
Peter Baumann formed the core line-up of the German electronic group Tangerine Dream with Edgar Froese and Christopher Franke in 1971. While touring with the band, Baumann composed his first solo album in 1976...
(ex-Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream
Tangerine Dream is a German electronic music group founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese. The band has undergone many personnel changes over the years, with Froese being the only continuous member...
) and played as Drummer with the Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
Band
Biography
Already in his youth he performed at Hamburg’s legendary Star-ClubStar-Club
The Star-Club was a music club in Hamburg, Germany that opened Friday 13 April 1962 and was initially operated by Manfred Weissleder and Horst Fascher. In the sixties, many of the giants of rock music played at the club. The club closed on 31 December 1969 and the building it occupied was...
(where the Beatles started out), acting as the drummer in a variety of bands that gained a measure of local popularity. His breakthrough in Europe came in 1970 with Frumpy.
The funky lounge sound of Carsten Bohn’s soundtrack music for children’s audio story books from the 1970s and 1980s has been has long been a hit in Germany. Between 1970 and 1972, Carsten Bohn was the leader and drummer of Frumpy, the German "Kraut Rock" band headlined by the Hamburg-born blues singer Inga Rumpf.
Bohn was already a fixture in the German music business when, as BERT BRAC, he began composing music for audio story books. The music accompanying the audio book
Audio book
An audiobook or audio book is a recording of a text being read. It is not necessarily an exact audio version of a book or magazine.Spoken audio has been available in schools and public libraries and to a lesser extent in music shops since the 1930s. Many spoken word albums were made prior to the...
s became just as popular as the stories themselves. Bohn’s work was concentrated on multiple audio book series in which he left his own mark with his music.
The record labels responsible for the audio story books, without Bohn's knowledge or permission, used his work to accompany the story telling in at least 16 audio book series totalling approximately 170 individual episodes. Bohn engaged Europa Records
Europa (record label)
Europa is a German record label, originally owned by Miller International Records Company . It has since belonged to the Music Corporation of America and Bertelsmann Music Group, and is now owned by Sony Corporation of America. It was once well-known for its very successful radio plays for...
in a legal battle for copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
that continues today, with the result that neither the record label nor Bohn were allowed to publish the original music used for the audio books. The publishers of the old audio books had to re-record them with new music not composed by Bohn. This resulted in a full-blown run by fans on the early editions of Bohn’s vinyl recordings. Special editions from that time, featuring full-length versions of Bohn's music, are sought-after collectors' items. In Germany, the original vinyl LP of some of his recordings can command very high prices, in the region of $US 250. In addition, communities of fans took the trouble to remaster the new audio books, replacing "alien music" with songs from Bohn’s older creations, and distributed them in a private pool.
In 1973, Bohn formed the group Dennis, named after his son born in 1971
Between 1977 - 1981 Bohn formed Carsten Bohn's Bandstand and recorded 3 LP's with different lineups. He was member (drummer) of the Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
Band between 1982 and 1983 along with Colin Hodgkinson
Colin Hodgkinson
Colin Hodgkinson is a British rock, jazz and blues bassist, who has been active since the 1960s.-Career:...
and Jack Bruce
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
, touring the US and Europe.
Bohn has attempted twice to reform Frumpy, once in 1976, and once in 1989. The 1989 revival resulted in the release of two studio albums, and a live album in 1995.
In 2004, Bohn and his band, Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, re-recorded the audio book music released by his own BigNoteRecords label, for re-release. Vol. I & II of a planned CD trilogy series were issued in 2004 and 2005 respectively. The songs therein feature Bohn's signature lounge beat which enjoy cult status among followers. For these re-recordings, the same instruments and equipment used to make the original recordings were used in order to replicate the original 1970s' and 1980s' recorded performances as closely as possible.
Carsten Bohn now composes and records music for films.
Frumpy
- "All will be changed", 1970
- "Frumpy 2", 1971
- "By the Way", 1972
- "Frumpy LIVE", 1972
- "Now!", 1990
- "News", 1991
- "Frumpy (live '95)", 1995
Other Projects
- Zabba Lindner - "Vollbedienung of Percussion", 1973
- Dennis - "Hyperthalamus", 1973
- A.R.Machine -"A.R.4", 1974
- Kickbit Information - "Bitkicks", 1975
- P. Baumann - "Repeat Repeat", 1981
- Georgie Red - "We'll Work It Out", 1986
- Georgie Red - "Helpless Dancer", 1987
- Udo Lindenberg - "Atlantic Affairs" 2001
Carsten Bohn's Bandstand
- Humor Rumor, 1977
- Mother Goes Shoes, 1978
- C.B. Radio, 1979
- New York Times, (Solo), 1993
- Brandnew Oldies Vol.1, 2004
- Brandnew Oldies Vol.2, 2005
- Brandnew Oldies LIVE - Limited Fan-Edition (DVD), 2006
- Brandnew Oldies LIVE,Hamburg,02.10.04 (DVD+CD), 2006
- Brandnew Oldies Vol.3, 2009
External links
- Official Website
- Fansite (German)
- Dispute with EUROPA (German)
- Annette Bastian "Kassettenkinder", Kapitel 4, S.88 "
- Drei Fragezeichen Folge 29 (German)
- H.G.Francis Grusel-Serie Folge 15 (German)
- Wikinews: "Verlorene Hörspielmusik" erscheint nach 20 Jahren auf CD (German)
- Interview 2005