The artist
Martin Stimming is an internationally successful Hamburg musician and producer who is mainly at home in the realm of techno and house. Originally known as part of the Diynamic label, today he plays at huge festivals and major clubs all over the world, but also withdraws, as he did in 2016, to a remote mountain hut for a while in order to work on new pieces undisturbed. His highly organic electronic music is always open for new things: in 2018 he released an album together with neoclassical pianist Lambert.
Setlist
1. Prepare
2. Cwejman's Tale
3. Trains of Hope
4. Alpe Lusia
5. The gift that never stops to give
6. Drips
The Music
When he appears at one of the »in« clubs of the day, often in the early hours of the morning, Stimming generally puts his tracks together just before he goes on stage, depending on the mood he's in. For his Elbphilharmonie set, however, he chose six pieces in advance that he felt went with the location and with the sunset behind him. He plays them live with a hardware-only set-up, i.e. without using a laptop. As Stimming himself says, the laptop is a universal machine that can do a great deal, but where you have to lower your sights in the special situation of a live appearance. The devices he uses are of course machines as well, but he tries to use them »to create something organic«.
Stimming about his live set-up
The location
The Artistic Planning Office is located at the western tip of the Elbphilharmonie, and offers a magnificent view of the Landungsbrücken and the docklands from the tenth floor. On a normal working day, there's not much time for people to enjoy the sunset here – in the evening too, artists are arriving or getting ready for their appearance, so things are really busy.
About the series
Artists record exclusive music videos at the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle for Elbphilharmonie Sessions – sometimes in unusual locations offstage. Discover the concert halls from the inside. Discover what they sound like.
Text: Francois Kremer (Stand 08.05.2020)
