Lali Puna GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 GERMANY AT MUSIC GUIDE Ace Tee Sea Moya BARRACUDA 611 E 7TH STREET CONTENTS WUNDERBAR MUSIC GUIDE 2018 AUSTIN GERMAN PAVI BOOTHLION WELCOME 4 #909 ON THE MOVE 5 WUNDERBAR 8 NEXT GENERATION KRAUTROCK & CONNY PLANK TIMETABLE 15 BRIDGE CONGRESS GERMAN BANDS 20 INITIATIVE MUSIK 31 C O L O R A D O R I V E R GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 — WUNDERBAR 3 ON THE MOVE GERMANY'S MUSIC SCENE CONTINUES TO EMANCIPATE ITSELF Author: NORMAN FLEISCHER IT ALL COMES DOWN TO KRAFTWERK IN THE END, DOESN’T IT? THE FACT THAT THE ICONIC GERMAN ELECTRONIC PIONEERS JUST WON A GRAMMY FOR THEIR COMPILATION '3D KATALOG' ONLY FOUR YEARS AFTER RECEIVING A LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD CAN BE SEEN AS A SYNONYM FOR THE GERMAN MUSIC SCENE. The Initiative Musik extends a very warm ing them with their international activities in and enthusiastic welcome to the SXSW 2018 the world’s largest music market. Come hear Music Festival. One of the main goals of Ger- for yourself how exciting and diverse music many’s export office Initiative Musik is to created in Germany can be at the GERMAN promote emerging German talents. Included HAUS and other clubs during the SXSW Music in this brochure are some of the highlights Festival. at the SXSW Music Festival 2018 as well as information about the German music scene. Furthermore, we would especially like to invite you to the WUNDERBAR DAY at the Over six days, the stages at GERMAN HAUS GERMAN HAUS on Wednesday, March 14 for will host a lineup of inspiring keynotes, pitch- exciting showcases by the “Next Generation es, and talks on a wide array of topics in the Krautrock.“ German digital, startup, film, and music in- dustries. Join international professionals at With this in mind, I hope you have an inspir- the joint German trade show booth GERMAN ing time at SXSW. We’re looking forward to PAVILION and at the GERMAN HAUS, just five seeing you here! minutes from the Austin Convention Center. Sincerely, GERMAN HAUS is once again taking up res- idence in the popular Barracuda music club, Böttcher Peter © Kraftwerk a superb location for concerts. We are very PROFESSOR DIETER GORNY, pleased to be presenting more than twenty CHAIRMAN OF THE INITIATIVE MUSIK promising bands at SXSW 2018 on Barracu- ADVISORY BOARD Neo-classic composers like Nils Frahm, acclaimed American independent rock heroes da’s two stages — running the gamut from Martin Kohlstedt, or Volker Bertelmann aka The National with the production of their latest, hip-hop to pop to rock music — and assist- Hauschka take their virtuosic composi- recently Grammy-awarded album. In return, tions way beyond the borders of their home members of the band will be featured on the country. Frahm’s critically praised new album new album of the German duo, next to inter- “All Melody” made it onto a large number of national heavyweights such as Beirut and Bon international hit lists while Hauschka’s con- Iver. Well, you should get the pattern by now: tribution to the “Lion” score resulted for a German music is a wonderfully connected nomination for an Academy Award. Elec- creative affair these days, one that happens to tronic masterminds Mouse On Mars helped show up in the most unusual places. 4 WUNDERBAR — GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 — WUNDERBAR 5 A NEW STUBBORN CONFIDENCE If you look at the German musical land- scape, you will also notice a vital outburst of new musical energy. Amazing female ar- tists like R&B artist Ace Tee, rap duo SXTN or self-proclaimed ’ghetto pop’ gal Haiyti take the urban music genre to new heights as they find their own independent style and language. Berlin-based duo Gurr show their creative energy in their reinvention of independent garage rock. Together with artists like Die Nerven, Drangsal, and Isola- tion Berlin they are proof, that the infamous German punk spirit is very much alive. New talent is surfacing on a new exciting scale, ready to leave the underground and always true to their creative principles. A natural Robin Schulz © Maximilian König stubbornness that grew within this new generation of German artists which makes it even more enjoyable and worth discover- ing at SXSW Music Festival 2018. So, German music can indeed be a lot of things simultaneously these days. You can have Robin Schulz playing in front of thou- sands of ecstatic Ibiza ravers right next to established metal heroes Heaven Shall SXTN Burn, cloud rap shooting star RIN and an es- tablished vanguard group like Einstürzende Neubauten. The fact that their lead singer, Blixa Bargeld, recently appeared on a re- cord by famous cross-over rapper Casper right next to art pop band Sizarr and US rockers Portugal. The Man is another fine example of that dynamic. It’s all connect- Gurr ed. The kids and grandchildren of Kraftwerk have grown up, they are hungry and ready to present their music to the world. Einstürzende Neubauten © Mote Sinabel Mote © Neubauten Einstürzende Nils Frahm © Alexander Schenider Alexander © Frahm Nils Casper © Christian Alsan 6 WUNDERBAR — GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 — WUNDERBAR 7 WUNDERBAR MUSIC DAY THE POTENTIAL OF NOISE: NEXT GENERATION KRAUTROCK & CONNY PLANK CONNY PLANK GERMAN HAUS, WED 03/14 A DOCUMENTARY ON THE LIFE & WORK 11AM–12PM MEUTE OF KONRAD „CONNY“ PLANK by Sugar Town Filmproduktion and Seneschall Film SHOWCASE GERMAN PAVILION @ SXSW TRADE SHOW, BOOTH #909 –> STREET PARADE TO GERMAN HAUS Konrad „Conny” Plank was undoubtedly one whom he had often seen only behind the 12–2PM WUNDERBAR LUNCH of the most innovative and visionary sound mixing console when he was a young child. It DOORS OPEN INVITATION ONLY designers of his time. ”It was the hippies also became the search for his father’s artis- 11:30AM Presented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and who fell in love with machines“, Dave Allen, tic legacy, an intimate portrait and personal Energy, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in producer of The Cure, once said about work- account of his life and work, giving a voice NETWORKING Houston, TX and Initiative Musik ing at Conny’s legendary studio: An almost to friends and creative companions such as mythical place that had become synony- Annette Humpe, Midge Ure of Ultravox, mem- Greetings by mous with the ingenious musical passion of bers of the Scorpions, Devo, and many more. Bernd-Wolfgang Weismann (Head of Division, Cultural and Creative and true innovation by the German producer. Private and for the most part never-before- Industries Initiative of the Federal Government) The recordings realized in his self-built sound seen archival footage is interspersed with Thomas H. Meister (German Consul General) studio near Cologne between the 60s and personal interviews in which musicians Professor Dieter Gorny (Chairman of the Initiative Musik Advisory Board) 80s, revolutionized the music world. provide insight into Conny’s meticulous and highly sensitive manner of working. Bands and artists such as Kraftwerk, Neu!, 2–2:45PM CONNY PLANK – THE POTENTIAL OF NOISE Can, Whodini, Brian Eno, DAF, Gianna Nanni- Join Milena Fessmann for an intimate con- ni, and the Eurythmics have stressed the in- versation with Stephan Plank and a Special INTERVIEW, with Stephan Plank, Milena Fessmann and Special Guest fluence of Conny Plank’s approach to music Guest on a fascinating journey through the Q & A, FILM conny-plank.de production has had on their work. history of German and international pop SCREENING music in the 1970s and 1980s and their MILENA FESSMANN, Co-Producer, Music Supervisor, Music Journalist; Twenty-five years after Conny’s untimely very personal account of the life and work STEPHAN PLANK, Co-Author/Director/Producer, Label Manager, death, Stephan Plank along with co-director of Krautrock pioneer and music visionary Media Advisor Reto Caduff, went in search of the man Konrad “Conny” Plank (1940-1987). 3–3:30PM LIVE PERFORMANCE BY SPECIAL GUEST FILM SCREENINGS @ SXSW 2018 FILM FESTIVAL SHOWCASE SCREENING SECTION: 24 BEATS PER SECOND 3:30–4:15PM JOASIHNO 03/10 7–8:30PM 03/16 1:30–3PM ALAMO LAMAR A ALAMO LAMAR B SHOWCASE 1120 S Lamar Blvd 1120 S Lamar Blvd 03/13 1:45–3:15PM INTERVIEW, Q & A, FILM SCREENING 4:30–5:15PM BLACKBERRIES ROLLINS THEATRE AT THE LONG CENTER @ GERMAN HAUS 701 W Riverside Dr, Austin 78704 03/14 2–3:30PM SHOWCASE BARRACUDA 611 E 7th Street 8 WUNDERBAR — GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 GERMANY AT SXSW 2018 — WUNDERBAR 9 DAVID A. STEWART · GIANNA NANNINI · ULTRAVOX · DAF MICHAEL ROTHER · WHODINI · DEVO · LES RITA MITSOUKO SCORPIONS · DANIEL MILLER · ANNETTE HUMPE · KARL HYDE BLACKBERRIES BLACKBERRIES From the haircuts to the shirts, from the sound praise from national music media institutions to their visual representation, it appears like Intro and Musikexpress and are currently as if Cologne’s Blackberries rather belong busy working on their next musical release. in the late 1960s. Once you experience the The German tradition of psychedelic rock is in four-piece band live on stage, you immedi- good hands with these guys and the chance ately sense that they are so much more than you will find yourself under their musical spell a retro music dream. Blackberries some- is pretty high. times seem to almost lose themselves in their krautrock-inspired psychedelic anthems, something that’s quite addictive to the audi- ence as well. Their music is driven by an unde- niable groove, packed with tender twists and turns, but also their love for a good melody. Blackberries take the best of the past and put it into the here and now.