The cover represents the main theme of the EP:

“Its all about the piano”

So sit back and take a listen to these 4 minutes of Nu Jazz and electronic music soundscapes.

1. Always // stefan oberthaler aka KEYMINATOR`s original Mix

2. Always // keyminator`s prepared piano RMX

3. Always // zrmf`s remix for piano, silence and tape delays

thanx for listening and i am looking forward to reading your comments

Among others, i will also make a short performance. So if you are in town dont miss it!!!!!!

Program

See you

I decided to enter the 64-bit world with 96kHz workflow and so i had to change some equipment parts.

The new computer is an iMac 3,4 GHz Intel Core i7

The new audiointerface is a Universal Audio Apollo Quad with special analog designed mastering PlugInns

After a periode of time my ears are ready to listen in a neutral and linear surrounding. This will be the step into a new chapter of audio-design, mixing and mastering. I rearranged the old tunes for my new album and will be able to work in this high-end setup for the new ones.

The main theme will be a sequenced pattern around a dominant-diminished chord, playing in different colours and sounds. The idea is to combine a straight-forward techno pattern, which is played and manipulated live, with an improvisation in jazzy style and approach.

Feel free to play the sequenz by your own.

regards stefan

Here is the whole playlist:

Here are some quotes and comments from people working in the music-industriy:

Name: DJ Chang Bang

Organisation: Red Bull Music Academy

Country: USA

Comments: like the various sounds incroporated on this one.

Name: David Bassin

Organisation: Freefall weekly radio show – KUSF in Exile /RadioPellenera / Space Invader Radio / Live1.FM

Country: USA (San Francisco)

Comments: Fly5 is the joint, but Reflex Action also commands my attention.

Name: Mario Lovakovic (Umbo)

Organisation: Timewarp Music / Goodgroove Records / Bombastic Jam

Country: Croatia

Comments: lovin the fly5 track!

Name: Art-D-Fact

Organisation: Art-D-Fact Online Web-Zine / Reviewer

Country: Holland

Comments: nice release

Name: Cedric

Organisation: One Summer Web Radio

Country: France (Bordeaux)

Comments: Thank you for the new promo. the sound i love. I will play it on the radio. thanks for the good vibes.

Name: Ulf Engelmayer

Organisation: StadtRadio Göttingen / Radio Lounge

Country: Germany

Comments: tracks for the radio lounge

Name: Paddy Freeform

Organisation: Universal Vibes Radioshow / SSRadio / Life FM

Country: England

Comments: good stuff, radio support guaranteed

Name: Edground

Organisation: Grooveland Music / 99 FM

Country: Brazil

Comments: Dope EP. All tracks are fantastic. Grooves for the dancefloor.

Name: Dirk Habenschaden

Organisation: w-id.net Online Magazine

Country: Germany

Comments: Ouh Yeah, that kills me!

Name: Clairvo

Organisation: Tilos Radio FM90.3 / Jazz Drive On Pulse Radio /Freelance Reviewer

Country: Hungary

Comments: clean and brave!

Name: Matthew Chicoine (Recloose)

Organisation: 98.6FM George FM / Hit And Quit It Radio /Peacefrog

Country: New Zealand

Comments: Properly oddball dopeness.

Name: Kerem Gokmen

Organisation: Dubmission Radioshow (WYEP FM) – weekly

Country: USA (Philadelphia)

Comments: Nice little remix package here, glad to see Stefans efforts getting some edit action, aside from his own remixes Pete Fletchers stands out the most.

Name: Emmet & Ali Hand

Organisation: Up And Down Radio Show / 103.2 Dublin City FM

Country: Ireland

Comments: Very deep, love the drumworx remix

Name: Genetic druGs

Organisation: Cyberjam Show: WDR Radio (Cologne) /RBB Radio(Berlin) / Funkhaus Europa

Country: Germany (Berlin)

Comments: funky progressive stuff here

Name: Craig Bartlett

Organisation: LAMERICA / Tilllate Magazine (reviewer)

Country: Wales

Comments: love this

Name: ALTZ

Organisation: Altzmusica /Bear Funk / DFA

Country: Japan

Comments: Black Alley`s version like underwater

Name: Matthias Kirsch

Organisation: JazzRadio 106.8 FM (Head Of Music)

Country: Germany (Berlin)

Comments: Fresh take on a jazz classic. Fits perfectly to our programming. Great to start the night out.

Take a listen in itunes or amazon and download your own package.

regards stefan

Keyboardist Stefan Oberthaler explores creative possibilities of Nu Jazz on latest release

The creative possibilities of jazz are still being explored. That Stefan Oberthaler should name his new album Journey Man has a deeper meaning. As a musician, Oberthaler is an adventurer, one who is fearless in stitching together old and new elements of jazz for experiments in reinventing pop music for the 21st century. It’s a seemingly uphill climb; there’s been so much that has been done before, even in the area of the avant-garde. But what Oberthaler manages to do is not only reconstruct jazz; rather, he uses jazz as the foundation for which he drops layers of electronic, funk, and lounge music. The results are surprisingly accessible.
Hailing from Vienna, Austria, there is a distinctly European perspective to Oberthaler’s take on jazz. For example, the jazz community in America largely does not have an openness to synthesized beats, especially those inspired by house music. “Move” is aptly named; Oberthaler’s high-speed keyboards generate infectious energy. It also has a truly funky vibe that vocalist Mariko Kiyose latches onto, transforming it into a clash of R&B, dance, and jazz that is utterly irresistible. The title track, on the other hand, reveals Oberthaler’s affection for spaced-out scores.

Oberthaler’s commitment to progressive jazz sounds extends beyond his own work. He has also formed his own record label, Killervirus-Audio, that will explore the various offshoots of Nu Jazz. Oberthaler is basically continuing the pioneering experimentations with jazz that Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock broke ground with decades ago. The commercialization of the genre, with the proliferation of smooth jazz radio causing much of the damage, has created a generation gap in the audience. Oberthaler’s innovative compositions help ensure that jazz will be appreciated by younger listeners in years to come.

link to article

Tracklist:

1. Fly5 // Keyminator`s drumworx RMX

2. Move feat. Mariko Kiyose // Black Alley`s Private Cut

3. Reflex_Action // Pete Fletcher`s RMX of Re_Act (Journey_Man CD)

4. Fly5 // Keyminator`s extended drumworx RMX

The remix from my track “Fly5″ is influenced by the sound of german label Compost-Records. In the late 90ies till the beginning of the 21st. century this label has been famous for a variety of productions combining traditional jazz-influenced tunes with electronic production and improvisation methods – a milestone in european nujazz development.

For this EP I had the chance to team up with to remixers, representing two different musical styles.

First, Black Alley, a Berlin (Germany) based dj, remixer and producer, wellknown for his remixes for Mary J. Blige, Alexi Delano & Vincenso or labels like Mindbase Recordings, Freeport, Brickhouse, Edel, UCA, to name a few. He choosed the title “Move feat. Mariko Kiyose”, smashing it on the dancefloor in a soulful, deephouse way. The selection of vocal tracks is very delicious with deep musical sense, the sound and rhythm moves straight to the dancefloor.

Second, Pete Fletcher, a Glasgow (Scotland) based guitarist, composer, producer and the owner of NuJazzEurope, a label representing wellknown artists like Satoko Fujii, Raymond MacDonald, Marc Urselli and himself. He describes his remix of the title “Re_Act” in the following statement:

I wanted to deconstruct the original track keeping the basic feel of drum, bass and keyboard then add tracks of cellos, sound effects, voice and a wild screaming rock fusion guitar  building up to a climax and then quietly fade out with acoustic guitar taking the outro.”

Release date will be the 7th of november 2011, available in all major downloadstores.

August 1, 2011 (Vienna, Austria) Written by Robert Sutton. His nickname, Keyminator, has the ominous ring of a science-fiction villain, but there is nothing apocalyptic about Stefan Oberthaler’s cross-pollination of lounge music, electronica, and funk. On his latest album Journey Man, Oberthaler comes across as a visionary; his futurist take on jazz reflects progressive European sensibilities but it is much more soulful and heartfelt than most genre-bending experiments.

Where Oberthaler succeeds and others fail is his sense of melody. Too many contemporary jazz acts become so infatuated with the possibilities of sound, especially through synthesized means, that what is left is a sparkling heart of stone. Not so with Oberthaler.  On “Move,” Oberthaler’s keyboards generate pulsating dance rhythms that are further intensified by funky riffs; R&B-styled guest vocals from Mariko Kiyose inject it with pop accessibility. “Move” broadens the definition of jazz; although borrowing elements from other styles, it is primarily rooted in jazz albeit with modern touches that can attract a younger crowd.

The name of the album seems to reflect Oberthaler’s hard-earned résumé, a background that includes working as a sideman for numerous artists. But it can also be interpreted as summarizing his thirst for adventure; after all, music can be a journey itself. Sure enough, the throbbing synths of “Fly5” find Oberthaler reaching into the stars for an otherworldly jaunt. The title track brims with thick atmospherics, stomping beats, and an icy spoken-word performance from Forss.

Although Oberthaler’s genre of choice – Nu Jazz – is nothing new anymore, it hasn’t risen from the underground yet, at least in America. And Oberthaler does it better than the majority of his peers, turning an obscure, often frustratingly detached and unorganized offshoot into a collection of sterling musicianship and rock-solid hooks.

link: jazzcorner

Tracklist:

1. Re_Act (listen)

2. Re_Turning

3. MomentRMX feat. Marina Trost (listen)

4. Re_Touch

5. Fly5

6. Move feat. Mariko Kiyose (listen)

7. Re_Wire (listen)

8. Cross_Roads

9. Mother feat. Bella Wagner

10. Journey_Man feat. Forss

It is available as CD and Download. Cd will be distributed by Amazon and CdBaby in about 2 weeks. The “early adopters” can download it here or you can order a physical CD via mail.

Further infos will follow.

thanx Stefan

“…Past the Mark is a transatlantic collaboration between Vincenzo Pastano (one of Italy’s most in-demand guitar players) and Marc Urselli (New York-based 3-time Grammy award winning producer/engineer/composer). The project started as long-distance collaborative-composing experiment back in 2003, but unfortunately due to their insanely busy schedules, it took a little over 7 years for them to write enough material for a full album, although Pastano has released at least 5 other records of his own in the meantime and Urselli has recorded and/or mixed around 100 records in that timeframe.” (Press-Text)

The result is an eclectic mix of influences, styles and moods with deep roots in the rock traditions and the evolutions of electronic music. The compositions are really unique and Marc Urselli and Vince Pastano give a deep and consequent insight in their musical world.

Past the Mark

iTunes

CdBaby

Producer Opolopo alias Peter Major describes this release:
“Well, the album has been under construction for quite a while in parallel with my solo album (Voltage Controlled Feelings). Some of the tracks were meant for my album but ended up on Amalia’s album and vice versa. However Amalia’s album is more about her musical influences and what shaped her growing up with soul and funk from the late 80′s and early 90′s. I too was heavily into swingbeat and new jack swing from that era, championed by producers like Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Teddy Riley so there are some obvious references on the album. But there are also some more twisted and futuristic tracks on there that are harder to categorize. It’s all tied together by Amalia’s powerful vocals, letting her shine!”

AD Bourke, Atjazz and Son Of Kick deliver the bonus remixes for the release.

amalia`s myspace site

www.opolopo.com

www.tokyodawn.net