The Kiezsalon settles in the vast industrial halls of MaHalla once more, this year for a full weekend of programming. Following Friday’s lineup of Wojciech Rusin, Mariam Rezaei and Martha Skye Murphy, it continues Saturday with clarinet/piano duo Group Listening, synth composer and accordionist Yara Asmar, retro-futurist Pye Corner Audio and DJs Strobocop and konkrit.
Longtime musical collaborators Paul Jones and Stephen Black are together known as Group Listening. Following Clarinet & Piano: Selected Works Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 – which reinterpreted cult ambient classics by the likes of Robert Wyatt, Arthur Russell and Beverly Glenn-Copeland – and Here It Comes Again, commissioned by Cate Le Bon as a reimagining of songs from her album Reward, the duo are back with Walks. The duo’s first of completely original compositions is an ode to the gently psychedelic potential of wandering around in some place, any place, every place – the places in one’s own mind.
Yara Asmar is a musician and puppeteer based in Beirut, Lebanon. She incorporates accordion, metallophone and electronics in her live work. Her music “unfurls in evanescent bliss, an invitation to a safe space both isolated and welcoming,” according to The Quietus in their review of her second album Synth Waltzes and Accordion Laments, which landed among Pitchfork’s “30 Best Jazz and Experimental Albums of 2023,” noted for its “introspective, breath-catching moments of beauty.”
Pye Corner Audio (PCA) is the project of British musician Martin Jenkins, blending eerie electronic tones with post-punk influences, taking on a hauntological approach. With releases on labels like Ghost Box and Lapsus, Martin channels hidden energies reminiscent of BBC Radiophonic Workshop and John Carpenter soundtracks, crafting timeless retro-futurist transmissions. The latest PCA album Let’s Emerge! was released in 2022 via Sonic Cathedral Recordings, continuing their enigmatic allure.
Strobocop is the moniker of Thorsten Lütz, founder of the Karaoke Kalk label, putting out out records by the likes of Donna Regina, Bill Wells, Hauschka and Toulouse Low Trax in a catalogue that bridges the genres of electronica, ambient, and techno.
konkrit is the alias of Kristoffer Cornils, a cultural journalist based in Berlin. He has served as editor at Groove, Spex and most recently field notes. His work focuses on the economic, social, and political dimension of music, because music is never really about music. However, he will let it speak for itself when he puts on some records.
The dramatically repurposed factory MaHalla has been the setting for Kiezsalon events over the past few years, and we’re delighted to return to the iconic industrial location. The vast turbine space located in the city’s historic industrial zone of Oberschöneweide provided the inspiration for Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis.
