Test #5: E.A.R - Another Opening Night

Ive known Günther and Raphael for the better part of 3 years now. They are a pair of unbelievable pop-smiths and super nice guys. Unfortunately I dont see them that often. A part from E.A.R Mr Günther K. Harder has a blooming career as an actor at the theater in Leipzig and Raphael is busy with his music producing empire, but when I get the chance to hang with these cats it is a blast.

This video was shot at Raphael's studio. It is a super cosy little place, but unfortunately my home build camera was suffering a bit under the low-light-conditions hence the somewhat grainy pictures. But somehow it doesn't really matter because of the song. Günther's amazing vocals and Raphael's beautiful minimalistic guitar really pulls it all together...

I hope the video brings out the vibe of the day - and that you'll enjoy it just as much as I did.

http://www.ear-theband.com/
http://www.tschernuth.com/

Test #4; Vera - Silk

We shot this video at Wünsdorf in the middle of December. It is a beautiful old army base about an hours drive south of Berlin build during the "Kaiserzeit" in 1910. It was used during the Weimar-years by the Nazis (they trained there with the Swedes for the 1936 olympics) and later it was taken over and used by the Russians during the cold war. ln 1992 after the wall fell (in 1989) it was abandonned, and has just been decomposing ever since. It is super sad. It is a really beautiful place. Unfortunately the electricity was out in most of the complex so we couldnt set lights - so my homebuild camera was too light sensitive to shoot in most of the rooms. But go see a gallery of the place here - WHOA!

This video is the first one of the batch where we prerecorded the track. Vera needed it to raise a bit of money for further recordings, so it was important to present the mix and the production (made by my good friend Raphael Tschernuth). I still think it fits perfectly into the mix, and she definitely deserves to keep going with this. As I mentioned earlier we shot mid-December and I have to give props to Vera for spending all day sitting on a cold concrete floor in a thin silk dress in minus degrees. Shes a champ...

Go check her project here! It is not a request - it is an order!
soundcloud.com/veramusica 

Vera is Quebecoise and I had a blast with her and Colombe Raby (also Quebecoise) who joined us on set. She is an amazing setdesigner and artdirector and a heck of a whirlwind of a girl. I really hope I get the opportunity to work with her at some point again (if shes not too busy with her blooming Hollywood career).  I used to live in Quebec a few years back and do not have the opportunity to speak the language often - so it was an added bonus to spend some time with the girls.

Test #3: Il Tempo Gigante - Woven Wings

Il Tempo Gigante - Woven Wings from Christen Bach on Vimeo.

Rolf is one of the most amazing musicians I know, and it doesn't matter if he's alone on stage or together with his full 10 - 15 person setup. He never seizes to amaze me. A part from being one of the sweetest persons I know, he excels in his musical expression and he lives every tone of the music he delivers.

This video is shot in his rehearsal room in Copenhagen a late afternoon a few months back. As with the other videos we shot both picture & sound live on the spot, unfortunately we couldn't get the output from the mixer so the sound on the video is the room recorded with my little Zoom H2N. So I apologize that the mix and levels aren't 100% on the sound - But it adds to the live presence of the clip and thanks to the grandeur of Il Tempo Gigante, I think it catches every bit of nerve in the performance.

The song is the opening tune from his latest album, "Lost something good". If you like the music on this video I cannot emphasize enough how amazing the studio version is. It is one of my favorite albums of 2010 - so go peak a listen and enrich your music collection. It is worth every penny:

itunes.apple.com/​dk/​album/​lost-something-good/​id375642109
And of course the Myspace:
http://www.myspace.com/iltempogigantes

Test #2; Benjamin Aggerbæk - Be Together, Apart

I know Benjamin from when I was a regular on the singer/songwriter circuit in Copenhagen a few years back. He is an amazing jazz-crooner and one of the sweetest guys I know - and the absolute King of the Copenhagen s/s-scene. On top of teaching vocal techniques and songwriting he is also the host of several open stages throughout the city. At the moment he is traveling back and forth to New York where he is performing at a regular basis - So if you're situated in the Big Apple or Cph - go spoil yourself with a listen!

Benjamin Aggerbæk Myspace
His new album "My, Oh my"

The video is shot at "Huset ved Kongens Have" in Copenhagen. Unfortunately a few of the shots are suffering a little bit from low lighting conditions, my fault entirely, but mind you that this series is meant as an exercise for me. Luckily Benjamin completely saves the clip with his rock steady velvet performance.

Ladies and gentlemen: Benjamin Aggerbæk, "Be Together, Apart"...

Test #1: Christina Maria - Travel Back in time

Christina Maria is nothing less than amazing. She is a pure force of nature and a highly skilled performer, and one of my most cherished friends. I met her at an Open Stage at the Schokoladen Open Mic session (Ackerstrasse 169, Berlin) in the dawn of 2010. I just remember that for once there was horrendous sound at the session - but even with a poor mix in the speakers that night she somehow managed to pull it off... I've seen her play more times than I can count, but somehow It never becomes boring. She adds a renewed energy to her performance every time she's on stage.

Christina Maria's site
Her new album "Straight Line"

We shot this video beginning of March 2010 in Christina's Room in Kreuzberg, Berlin.