Sundaze 1940

Hello,


Today's artist is a composer of electronic music, sound artist and inventor born in Eschwege in Germany. Sound is his art form. He has worked for film, television, theatre, dance and as sound designer. He began his career in the early 1990s constructing 'soundscapes' and installations around Germany. He has collaborated with a wide range of visual artists, musicians, producers and DJs. He has released several albums, starting in 1995 with Homelistening Is Killing Clubs. His focus is on electronic music, seamlessly blending interesting samples, synthesizers, percussion and other elements together in unique ways. While sometimes experimental, most of his music has a certain accessibility in terms of the rhythmic and melodic components. Though frequently associated with the retro or Berlin School sound pioneered by Klaus Schulze and others, he uses modern ambient electronica elements extensively, creating his own rich sound that defies easy categorization."...  ......N-Joy

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From Spyra's website

artistic biography of wolfram der spyra (* 1964) , clearly there was no need to keep this bio german style up to date after 2001, what can i say apparently no devoted fan availble to do the work for free. Not sure what has been posted on his facebook page, i'm not a member of that club.

performance, invention or exhibition referred to within this website
release on compact disc referred to within this website

 
1986 - 92 study of free arts at the h b k college of art, kassel
1986 metall . basalt - performance, galerie zorro, kassel
1988 denkwürdigkeiten eines nervenkranken - composition of music for a theatre-performance, kassel
composition of music for several performances of the artist natascha fiala
1989 ausflug zur dämmerung - performance, schaufenstergalerie, kassel
musica povera - music- and text - performance with bernd friedmann and tim matthieson as part of the exhibition kunststudenten stellen aus, moderne galerie, saarbrücken
steine -performance within the context of the retirement of the g h k - president, gießhaus, kassel
1990 wenn - performance, produzentengalerie, kassel
1991 nachrichten - klanginstallation, kirchweg 15, kassel
build of a sound studio at the h b k, kassel
hunger kunst hunger - group - exhibition , halle k 18, kassel

 
1992 completing the free arts study with the degree dissertation klangerzeugung, klangkomposition, klangskulptur (sound generation, sound composition, sound sculpture)
lectureship at the h b k college of art, kassel
1. kasseler kunstmarkt - organisation of the eexhibition
hush hour - sound installation in a parking house as part of the sculpture exhibition platz da (documenta - support programme)
fisch / schiff - sound installation, ms ger jea, kassel
panakustikum - individual exhibition of sound sculptures within the context of the documenta IX support programme
winner of the award kasseler kulturförderpreises
winner of the wolfgang zippel - award with the artist group platz da
bath - sound installation, dock 4, kassel
etherlands - outdoor sound installation with antennas as part of the exhibition zeitbrücken, mühlhausen

 
1993 the park -sound installation, cultural fair kassel, dock 4
composition and realisation of music for the lecture ofe windi winderlich, kongreß der luxus und seine verpackung, hotel 4 jahreszeiten, münchen
nachtmusik - sound installation, salzmann factory, kassel
composition of a modern dance piece for the company tanz form, kassel
hospital - sound installation, hospital church, treysa
klangbleche - concert and sound installation in the gasgebläsehalle der völklinger hütte as part of the festivals schichtwechsel, saarbrücken / völklingen
nr. 7 - sound installation in a hotel room as part of the international art project transit, hotel hessenland, kassel
stiftskirche und roßgang - 2 environmental sound installations as part of the kaufunger kulturtage

 
1994 stille - 4 sound installations,gedenkstätte breitenau (breitenau memorial)
roßgang 2 - the sound installation is being bought by the mining museum, kaufungen
sound factory - sound installations in the club aufschwung ost, kassel
the queen of instruments has left the country -sound installation in the city-church of hessisch - lichtenau (finissage of the exhibition höhenflug + flügelschlag from elke teuber - s. and ruth ullenboom)
p.a.s.s. - portable ambient sound system -(Interactive sound installation. P.A.S.S. - units were hired out to visitors by the documenta - archiv, allowing them to use the system for soundwalks through the city

 
1995 farbrauschen - exhibition with the finnish artist helena rytkönen, galerie studio kausch, kassel
live concert with klangbleche (metal sound sheets) at the computer-fair combit , kassel
kunstwald - live concert at the art festival in herne
live-konzert within the context of the love - parade in berlin
several concerts in the chillout of the techno-club aufschwung ost, kassel (also 1996 / 97/ 98)
exhibition of the klangbleche at the hessentag in schwalmstadt
strom - exhibition of 220 volt - objects in the salzmann factory, kassel
homelistening is killing clubs - release of the first solo - cd (hyperium / wigwam)


1996 r. u. n. - composition of the music for the theatre piece r. u. n. - risiken und nebenwirkungen of michael seyfried and oliver nitsche, theatre erlangen
odyssee - group exhibition, documenta - halle, kassel
quest - composition of music for the animation film quest by stellmach / montgomery. in 1997 the film wins the oscar - award in the category animation film
diverse live - concerts, e.g. at the festivals waterworld, koblenz, auerworld, bad sulza, and escape from samsara, london
realisation of the soundtrack for an animation film by parvis safadel
composition of music for the cd - rom china - im reich der sonne, publisher nova media

 
1997 schall und rauch - two sound installations of the type portable ambient sound system (p a s s ) for a sound-exhibition for children in the kongreßhalle berlin
p a s s in space - 30 pass - systems are bought by the firm reemtsma (west)
das büro -realisation of the soundtrack for a short film by joachim bode (mtv)
phonehead - release of the 2nd solo - cd (plus vinyl-maxi) at fax - records, frankfurt

my little garden of sounds - sound exhibition and live concerts as part of the documenta X support programme
my little garden of sounds - release of the 3rd solo - cd within the context of the exhibition of the same name

kulturbahnhof - several sound sculptures from the little garden of sounds are shown at the kulturbahnhof, kassel
the akustischer stadtplan - (acoustic city map) is bought by the city of kassel and exhibited at the town hall
future of the past -release of the 4th solo - cd at manikin records, berlin
schall und rauch - the exhibition (s.o.) is shown in vienna

 
1998 schall und rauch - the exhibition (s.o.) is shown in mailand
solar system - sound installation as part of the atelierrundgang, neuer kasseler kunstverein
sferics - release of the 5th solo - cd at fax records, frankfurt
le jardin - participation in the exhibition and diverse live - performances at the stockwell-studios, the vauxhall st. peter's heritage center, the beaconsfield gallery and the i.c.a. (institute of contemporary arts), london
round tables - the sound installation is being bought by the allianz-versicherung, frankfurt
kassels akustischer stadtplan – release of a cd with the sounds of the acoustic city map of kassel

virtual vices - release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax-records, frankfurt

 
1999 die blinden von kilcrobally - composition of music for a theatre piece, staatsatheater kassel
etherlands- release of the 6th solo -cd at fax records, frankfurt
vauxhall soundmap - acoustic city map vauxhall - order of an acoustic city map for the london district vauxhall
acoustic city maps budapest & frankfurt - the acoustic citymaps of both partnership towns are shown in the kunsthalle schirn, frankfurt
jump - o - phone - construction of an interactive sound - and - light - instrument
weltglockengeläut - dj - livemix of music and sounds of bells from all over the world (via internet & telephone), apolda
e - live - - live concert at one of the most important festivals for electronic music in europe, nijmegen (netherlands)
fliegender wechsel, group- exhibition at the kunsttempel, kassel

 
2000 dj und live - act at the liquid millenium celebration, liquid sound, bad sulza
build and move to af a new sound studio in kassel
composition of an 8 - channel - music-soundcollage for yadegar assisi´s hanse-panorama
komposition of midi - files for a cd - rom with projectsof the expo 2000
live performance with adrian palka and dancers of the coventry university at the opening of the summer show at stockwell studios, london
group - exhibition funkhaus, dresden
exhibition klangbleche and several live-performances in croatia
live-concert (steel cello and electronics) with bob rutman, architekturfakultät, berlin
virtual vices II -- release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax records, frankfurt
live-concert in berlin (2nd space trance tronic night, lichterfelde)
live-performance with the russian sound-poet valeri scherstjanoi, leipziger literarischer herbst

 
2001 performance with scherstjanoi at the festival musica viva (joseph anton riedl), gasteig münchen
construction of technical sound-units for the friedensmuseum (peace museum), lindau im bodensee

composition of sound-tracks for mtv spots by lichthof/stellmach
kick the bucket - installation und performance in collaboration with adrian palka as a part of the exhibition carambolage, kunsttempel, kassel
live-performance with valeri scherstjanoi, steffen moddrow and f.w. block, kasseler museumsnacht
treib.gut - les sons démocratiques - concert and performance museumsnacht, kassel
the presence of the sun - installation und video - live - performance with andreas stolkmann, bastion kunst, kassel
live performance at the opening of millennium - tage, kassel
kassel am meer: participation in the group-exhibition with a new version of the klangbleche (incl. a 7-channel-composition) and the work round table, fridericianum kassel

live performance with adrian palka at the opening of wiedervorlage d5, an exhibition in the context of the 40th anniversary of the documenta - archive, fridericianum kassel
konzert für querflöte und 4 k(ettensägen) – performance with christiane winning, dr. f.w. block, m. hess, u. duttenhofer
elevator to heaven – release of a 3-cd-box (7th solo -project) at manikin records, berlin
presentation of the round table at the symposium labyrinth des hörens, villa clementine, wiesbaden
virtual vices III - release of a cd in collaboration with pete namlook at fax records, frankfurt
2002-2019
    Virtual Vices IV (with Pete Namlook) (2002)
    Invisible Fields (2003)
    Achtundsechzig 24 Live@Toskana-Therme (2003)
    Excerpts 1 (2004)
    Headphone Concert: Little Garden of Sounds II (2004)
    Meditationen (2005)
    Orphan Waves (2006)
    Virtual Vices V (with Pete Namlook) (2006)
    Space Cowboys @ Jelenia Góra (2007)
    High Phidelity (2007)
    Gasoline 91 Octane (2008)
    Virtual Vices VI (with Pete Namlook) (2008)
    January in June (2009)
    SeQuest (with Chris Lang) (2010)
    ADSR Remixed (Maxi-single with Steve Baltes) (2010)
    No Beats For 1 Hour (0B41H) (2010)
    Staub (2014)
    Requiem (2017)
Wolfram did undoubtedly much more because clearly he did very little to promote himself and his work like creating a decent biography alas that kind of naivity is all to common with artists.

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Starts off with a trippy vocal sample, which breaks into some nice unusual synths. The track is entitled "Test Transmission", and the name seems to fit with the music. It seems to be a techno montage of samples and beats all coming at you. The synth lines are most wonderful however. Entropy is Just...  starts off with some Spyra sounding samples and synth lines. The music is beautiful, and amazing. It is mellow with slow beat which seems to make you smile. There are some nice ambient sounds mixed within the beats. With -6:20 the music adds a new layer, and seemingly become more chilled out than before. With -2:57 is sounds like rain mixed with a funky beat. -1:45 introduces an interesting sound synth, that turns into a highly melodic finish. ...A Seven Letter Word sequins nicely into a psychedelic ambient techno melody, that streams quirky samples throughout the mix. The ambience blends with a nice melodic drum beat. It seems to drift you off into an epic journey. -5:27 This part completely blows me away! it has made me warm and my skin tingle. The beat changes, and introduces a new direction, still sounding ambient, yet with a faster beat.

Three Players in an Artifical Landscape introduces yet another direction, and synth line. The music at times sounds (slightly) similar to Tangerine Dream. Interesting and highly original. XyloCity Part I and XyloCity Part II blend in some IDM type beats, yet still maintaining the Sprya sound. -4:05 is the highlight of the track. Everything seems to blend in all at once, creating a heavenly trance like journey. Truly amazing. Track five fades, and mixes nicely with six. There are some tribal and ambient qualities, which quickly blend into a mellow ambient techno mix. With -6:00 that familiar funky synth returns, creating a wonderful mindset. It remains deep and full of ambient layers.

Bath is almost 24 minutes long. It starts off with some static and odd samples. The static resembles rain, and the mechanical booms sound like thunder. Some female vox samples infiltrate the thunder and seemingly changing the flow. The track changes many times, and with each change it creates a more euphoric feeling. Around the -15:00 mark, the flow seems to bump into some disruptive samples. The track becomes darker and more suspicious. The track really becomes disillusioned and paranoid around the -10:50 mark. The final track is a piano track called "Temporarily Not Available", which seems to simulate the "hold" music in your brain. The music has been temporarily changed into something completely different. This is a very nice way to finish the cd. This track makes you smile and know that everything is good. You are left with a very positive feeling at the end.

.Spyra - Invisible Fields ( 394mb)

01 Test Transmission 4:20
02 Entropy is Just... 8:54
03 ...A Seven Letter Word 9:27
04 Three Players in an Artifical Landscape 2:44
05 XyloCity Part I 10:54
06 XyloCity Part II 9:50
07 Bath 23:57
08 Temporarily Not Available 3:54

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Meditationen is divided into 3 pieces, Mentalized (preloaded) opens the album and is one of the magnificent works of the ambient of this century, shockingly beautiful and sumptuous, dark and bright at the same time, reminiscent of Picture Music's Schulze, although with Spyra's own personality. It is a disc that based on the electronics of the 70 achieves fresh and current results, with that so liquid analog sound, the construction of music through sound textures, and the use of notes that float in space and accompany you with them like a shower of stars that takes you to the ether, as if your physical dimension disappeared and you became the music, or so, heh, all supported by a majestic orchestral planning music that helps to enter a deep contemplative and meditative state, although music can also be tasted simply as pure aural pleasure, despite being so deep and meditative. Space music that seems to move you to the deepest part of the cosmos, but also to the closest, like your thoughts and your mind. The theme closes delicately with a piano and the hypnotic effect of these 28 minutes is of such immense beauty that it makes you feel very very small.

Composure begins with a piano, but in a more threatening way and approaching the darkest and most minimalist 'drones', as if after leaving the cosmos we had entered a tunnel or a somewhat sinister grotto without losing its majesty and beauty and its great hypnotic power and total immersion in music. Towards the 11th minute of the song, a beautiful sequence of crystalline sound begins, reminiscent of Schulze's Crystal Lake, and occupies the foreground of the song for 7 dreamy minutes, to return to the straight line at the end of the song progressively more ethereal, and a glorious ending that transports you back to the cosmos, to end a delicacy of a lullaby. A marvel.

Finally in Future of the Past Part II, the sound of somewhat more rhythmic and modern sequencers (and for my taste repetitive) happens to occupy the foreground, and as the subject progresses it reminds me of previous works, it is true anticlimax to listen in full trance and immersion 'spiritual' a more mundane, rhythmic and closer music to contemporary chillout, especially in the last 2 minutes. In any case Spyra leaves its stamp of creativity and is a good topic, and the previous buts do not go from anecdote to the brilliance of the set.

Spyra - Meditationen (flac 356mb)

01 Mentalized (Preloaded) 28:09
02 Composure 28:12
03 Future of the Past Part II 14:38

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Fine album that you can listen to multiple times - but it does leave you a little bland afterwards. It lacks that "great idea" or theme that would give it a character. Now it's just a collection of fine electronic tracks that are quite versatile in style, all having very "synthetic" sound forms, but it's forgettable. The listener is also not given any idea why the album is named like it is that leaves a mystery hanging. It has yet another version of Future of the Past - this version being a good one.

Spyra - Gasoline 91 Octane (flac 377mb)

01 Shirogane 9:32
02 Rantum Random 10:26
03 Operation PPG 16:30
04 Treskow Bridge 7:10
05 Below 20 19:09
06 Future of the Past EleKtriK 3:50

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Anyone who felt bad that they were letdown down by last year's Virtual Vices VI should feel some comfort in Spyra's follow-up solo release, which is the first to not be part of his series on the unseen world of radio waves, getting back to a more elemental nature theme which tends to describe autumn leaves falling amidst a European cityscape. As with Virtual Vices VI, it lacks the radical progressiveness that he is known for, falling back to jazz roots, which would work better if it was more consistent; "Budapest" opens as gently as an overcast day as with "Kinglodrum" on Orphan Waves, but loud drum beats follow, leading to the louder guitar of "Btyom". The title track, though, is a better example, which begins with a clever, laid-back piano melody for a few minutes then completely leaping up into something loud and boombastic just as your mind is settling in. The ambient dub "Transitautobahn" and the post-rock of "Eschatology" (argueably the most heart-felt track) which go only mildly uptempo are somewhat balanced but as with Virtual Vices VI, in the end you'll miss the edge that his work normally features.

Spyra - January in June   ( flac   402mb)

01 Transitautobahn 11:00
02 Budapest 10:26
03 Bytom 7:00
04 Schneekoppe 7:23
05 January In June 9:37
06 XyloCity VI 10:02
07 Grenzgebiet 6:08
08 Eschatology 9:58


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Staub is not a memory of what Spyra has accomplished in the past, it presents modern live electronic elements with modern rhythms, building something epic and unexpected towards the finish line. The centerpieces on this album are "Staub" and "Flur." All pieces on Staub have been recorded during live performances in the middle of the night. Rather than being a slave to the machine, he seems to just let go, without a safety net or a double bottom. Spyra is reinventing himself with his new record and currently, there are almost no notable German producers creating such brilliantly odd pieces of music. The German label Butterfly Collectors based in Haldern and Cologne releases Staub in association with Indigo Distribution. About the making of Staub: "Somewhere, at some time, I started experimenting with an old Juno 6 and fell in love with sequences all over again. Apparently all ordered and logical, but then, the more I played and the deeper I listened, the more chaotic and unpredictable their sound became. Late in 2013 I started to record my sessions. Always in the middle of the night while the city was falling asleep. Changing cities in Berlin, Warsaw, Uzhgorod, Cologne, filled my head with child-like inspiration. At last, I was back, dreamily, in my element.

Spyra - Staub ( flac   244mb)

01 Dusk 6:54
02 Staub 9:22
03 Glacier 7:50
04 Etude 6:09
05 Ecce Homo 12:17
06 Flur 7:21


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