In the organizer's words:

THIS TIME WITH...

MA:RA

With the formation of the duo MA.RA. in January 2024, the musical paths of Raimund Gitsels and Manni Schwarz, who first met in the 1990s in the Essen-based art-pop band Kammerjaeger, crossed again. After further joint projects, their paths initially diverged.

Raimund Gitsels played violin in bands such as Octafish, Zinctone, Honigdieb and the Violet Quartet. He developed his own style with Loops, in which he piles up unusual violin sounds into complex layers of sound - today as solo artist Gee and the Plastic Strings.

Manni Schwarz began with drums and vibraphone, played with El Cuatrimotor, Makita and blomqist, among others, and increasingly turned to electronic music. With his current band ThirdPartyPeople, he works with analog synths and Kaoss Pad.

In MA.RA. they combine their experiences to create a new sound.

...AND...

DANIEL BRANDL Daniel Brandl is a cellist, composer and experimental musician. He prepares his cello with objects and uses the computer as a second instrument to achieve sounds beyond the normal. In this way, Daniel Brandl constructs a language in which sounds defined as unattractive are interwoven with clear melodies to create improvised poetry. He builds paths into chaos, somewhere between artificial intelligence and intelligent humanity. Daniel Brandl composes music for theater and dance productions, three solo albums and several bands.

...AND...

TAGMATA

Fabian Kieven has been unfolding his vision of dark electronica with the TAGMATA project since 2018: dark atmospheres, cutting rhythms and a mix of electronic and acoustic sounds characterize the sound design of the project, whereby a wide variety of musical influences always play a role.

In addition to various releases, there is repeated participation in art exhibitions, organization of live events and collaborations across national borders.

At the same time, the pianist and drummer is a co-founder of the Mönchengladbach project studio 'RAUM', where a broad-based musicians' collective has been working for over 15 years and where guest artists have also been able to produce music for several years.

✨VERSTÄRKER ✨ In this concert series - always on the third Friday of the month - very different bands play. Sometimes they come from the region, sometimes from further afield. Groups and solo musicians who would like to play at Verstärker should get in touch with us. We then curate the evenings in a way that results in a nice and surprising mix for bands and audience. Free admission, a hat goes round - and the bar is open afterwards.