photo: Elfi Schmidt
German composer, piano and keyboards player Martin Kohlstedt invents himself every time he plays a concert. His improvising skills are top shelf, as he switches between instruments, accompanying himself with loops he invented on the spot, creating a wondrous maze where ambient, jazz, neo-classical and snippets of dance wander around.
The tracks on his new album Live were recorded during his European tour in 2023 and sequenced flawlessly to make it sound like one concert. That is no small feat, given the various acoustics of the clubs and concert halls he played in. Kohlstedt is always aware that the space between is as important as the music itself and that repetition can induce a trance-like vibe that lifts him and the audience before he goes back to the earth with a choice melody. There is no applause between the tracks, which is a smart choice as it would take away from the quiet intensity and rip apart the illusion that he is playing just for you.
Live is a self-released album. Buy it from his website (vinyl, CD, digital).
- TARNIOYALXEO (Live At Wiener Konzerthaus, Vienna 2023)
- PANHAREJA (Live At Kino Šiška, Ljubljana 2023)
- LUVFLIMOD (Live At Peterskirche, Leipzig 2023)
- HARMOD (Live At Club La Nau, Barcelona 2023)
- ELLAJA (Live At Bogen F, Zurich 2023)
- KSYGOL (Live At Handelsbeurs Concertzaal, Ghent 2023)
- VIMENTSJO (Live At Théâtre La Scala, Paris 2023)
- RULSJOVET (Live At Salle Robert Krieps, Luxembourg 2023)
- VET (Live At Melkweg For Amsterdam Dance Event, Amsterdam 2023)
- BRU (Live At Huset, Copenhagen 2023)
- AMSOMBLEH (Live At The Glasshouse, Gateshead 2023)
- 12/22 Heilbad Heiligenstadt, Germany @ Kulturhaus
- 03/06 Amsterdam, Netherlands @ Concertgebouw
- 03/07 Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique
- 03/09 London, UK @ Bush Hall
- 03/10 Leeds, UK @ Opera North (Howard Assembly Room)
- 03/13 Manchester, UK @ St. Michael's Church
- 03/14 Gateshead, UK @ The Glasshouse
- 03/15 Colchester, UK @ Colchester Arts Centre
- 03/17 Paris, France @ La Scala
- 03/18 Dudelange, Luxemburg Opderschmelz
- 03/19 Mannheim, Germany @ Alte Feuerwache
- 03/20 Marburg, Germany @ Kfz
- 03/22 Leipzig, Germany @ Gewandhaus
- 03/29 Berlin, Germany @ Admiralspalast
- 03/30 Prague, Czech Republic @ Palac Akropolis
- 04/01 Graz, Austria @ Orpheum (Großer Saal)
- 04/02 Vienna, Austria @ Konzerthaus
- 04/03 Linz, Austria @ Posthof
- 04/04 Salzburg, Austria @ Szene
- 04/11 Nürnberg, Germany @ Tafelhalle
- 04/12 Karlsruhe, Germany @ Tollhaus
- 04/13 Darmstadt, Germany @ Centralstation
- 04/15 München, Germany @ Werk 7
- 04/16 Bern, Switzerland @ Bierhübeli
- 04/17 Zürich, Switzerland @ Volkshaus
» martinkohlstedt.com
HCTF review of Feld.
