Fenn O'Berg: In Stereo/ Nice Music/ Yes/ No

There are plenty of pictures of Peter Rehberg to be found on the web and, man, he's loking extremely serious on most of them. After reading through our interview with him as the official spokesperson of Sound Art Supergroup Fenn O'Berg (which should take you about ten seconds at a casual reading speed), you'll agree this can only be a complete misrepresentation: Quite clearly, his answers reveal a lot of humour, don't they. And, truth be told, there are plenty of reasons to be in a good mood. After almost a decade of near-complete inactivity, his trio with Christian Fennesz and Jim O'Rourke has awoken from its hibernation and re-assembled in the latter's new hometown of Tokyo to record an album not even their most ardent fans seriously expected anymore. Since their last full-length together ("The Return of Fenn O'Berg"), all three artists had gone on to turn into renowned solo artists and much-coveted collaborators with extremely busy schedules, after all, leaving little time for the extensive live-excursions which formed the backbone of their previous efforts. And yet, out of the blue, the chance arose for the original line-up to get together again and finish their first true studio-album ever. No doubt, it has been worth the wait: The six tracks seamlessly segue into an astounding journey through galaxies filled with crackling micromatter and percussive particles as well as melancholic echoes of Piano, Guitar and Bass. With its fearless journeys into Ambient, Drones, Audio Installations, Sound Art, Noise and even Krautrock, "In Stereo" is the kind of album that could sum up an entire year of experimental music in just under an hour. With this achievement, the long period of silence and the untypical creative process in mind, there would have been plenty to talk about. Which suddenly makes these puny answers look somewhat less funny than they originally seemed. Better get that serious look back on.

During these years when you did not perform together as a trio, did you regularly discuss the idea of returning as a band again? What was the spark that made you rent a studio in Tokyo for a week?
Discussions often arose. I guess the spark was a free week in everyone's calendar.

Nine years are a long time. So how did the chemistry of the band feel when you started working with each other again?
The band felt fine and got on really well.

The setup for the new Fenn O'Berg album differs quite considerably from the first albums. Were there some prior agreements on which direction you wanted to go, which instruments you wanted to use?
No.

How would you describe the sessions to "In Stereo"?
8 hours a day. 3 days recording. 2 days mixing.

"In Stereo" is the first Fenn O'Berg album recorded in a studio. But was the recording process really so much more structured for this album compared to your live performances?
Yes.

The press release maintains that on the finished album, it is "impossible to determine who does what". As you were there when it happened, what would you say, do the individual members of the project contribute to it?
Nice music.

How much editing took place after the sessions, how much material was ultimately discarded and did not end up on the album?
Maybe 70/30.

With you solo projects, you all take the time to refine each element and the album as a whole, is part of the appeal of Fenn O'Berg that you can move from recording to postproduction and release within a few months?
Yes.

In which way did the sounds of Tokyo vast city inspire some of the music contained on it?
The studio had no windows.

Will you be taking this material to the stage, in a sort of reversal of the previous works?
Fenn O'Berg performed a few shows while in Japan. Everyone involved was happy with the results.

Stereo has been around for some time now. So what's the idea behind the title of the album?
During the first concerts due to limitations of the technology used many of samples had to be in mono. Now stereo is possible.

Homepage: Editions Mego
Homepage: Peter Rehberg
Homepage: Christian Fennesz
Homepage: Jim O'Rourke

Tags: austria, peter rehberg, experimental, sound art, editions mego records, jim o'rourke, fenn o'berg, christian fennesz, news

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