Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - 4 Albums (2009-2017)

Since its inception in 2006, Berlin-based Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra has not only redefined the term “large ensemble,” because more importantly, the 18-piece has created a whole new musical language: “Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra dwarfs anything heretofore experienced: Big band brass meets Free Jazz antics, Neue Musik-style compositions meet a unique definition of pop – all thrown into a blender: It’s the kind of sonic cocktail you’ve never tasted before.” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung)

A self-organized, independent group of likeminded individuals, AMEO is unlike any other orchestra: It’s a steadily working ensemble with a steady focus on experimentation. Comprised of 18 young, in-demand musicians hailing from various countries and musical backgrounds, its members have previously worked in constellations that couldn’t be more diverse – including Ensemble Intercontemporain, Tony Allen’s Afrobeat, Jazz-Legend Kenny Wheeler, Camerata Bern, and post-conceptual artist Cory Arcangel. Daniel Glatzel, the orchestra’s leader and saxophonist, has been the main composer over the last decade. “A witty musical understanding and collages rich in citations that nevertheless make you forget postmodern arbitrariness, combined with a technical level of musicianship so high and yet far from being an end in itself: mutable, contrasting, subtle.” (Jazzthing)

Widely celebrated for its explosive, intensely fun live shows – surprisingly accessible and infectious despite the musical complexity –, AMEO’s concerts are essentially wild and colorful sonic adventure trips that cannot possibly be repeated or foreseen. “Music that’s incredibly fun, based on intricate, intelligent compositions. Diversity on a terrific level of musicianship.” (BR Klassik)

A permanent laboratory for musical experimentation, Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra also curates and organizes events and festivals, which have already been hailed for boasting “one of the most brilliant concepts in Germany” (Hamburger Abendblatt). Apart from playing the main stages of major festivals like Jazzfest Berlin, Roskilde Festival, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Musiques en été, AMEO has toured extensively throughout Europe, South America, Central Asia, the Far East and Africa.

The orchestra also caused a stir by collaborating with international heavyweights such as Hermeto Pascoal and The Notwist. “Fantastic. Some of the most detailed jazz-writing you’re likely to find. Clearly a group that stands out and is on the rise.” (BBC Radio)

“Succeeds in fitting a square peg into a round hole.” – Süddeutsche Zeitung





In the end of November 2008 we spent three days in Saal 1, Nalepastraße in Berlin. We bought and rented a bunch of bizarre lamps and recorded in outer space atmosphere. Then Daniel obsessively mixed the material with engineer Martin Ruch for several weeks in all kinds of studios and also did some overdubs with melodicas. Eventually Daniel went to Abbey Road to master the whole thing with Sean Magee.

It's a good blend of old and new material from our first 3 years of playing together. The style of each tune is quite different but the musical material is closely related and there is a conceptual aspect to the album.

Henning Wagenbreth did the artwork - a marvelous 20-page-booklet which is a Space-Road-Movie in which the orchestra travels through outer space! ~ andromedameo.com

Musicians:
Daniel Glatzel - bass clarinet, clarinet, tenor saxophone, composed
Johannes Schleiermacher - baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone
Aki Sebastian Ruhl, Magnus Schriefl - trumpet, flugelhorn
Sebastian Hägele - bassoon
Gerhard Gschlössl - trombone
Oliver Roth - flute
Laure Mourot - flute, piccolo flute
Andi Waelti - bass
Kalle Zeier - guitar
Anna Viechtl - harp
Karl Ivar Refseth - vibraphone
Charlotte Jacke, Isabelle Klemt - cello
Johannes Pennetzdorfer, Martin Stupka - viola
Josa Gerhard, Matthew Lonson, Mokkapan Phongphit - violin
Andi Haberl - drums
Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra - percussion, melodica, harmonica

The recording sessions took place November 26-28, 2008 in Funkhaus Nalepastraße, Saal 1, Berlin
Percussion instruments, melodicas, harmonicas and other sounds are played by everyone in the band
Artwork by Henning Wagenbreth

Track List:
1. Gamma Pluto Delta (06:25)
2. Asteroids! (08:39)
3. Lava Lovers (05:11)
4. Radioactive People (07:10)
5. Scene 3 (06:41)
6. Cotton Candy Nebula (02:36)
7. Milky Way Fables (12:38)
8. Postludium (08:11)





This is our second album and it took almost two years to complete it:

The basic idea was the deconstruction of the whole orchestral organism into its individual parts, its reconfiguration and transformation into something that could not be done live. This led to a long and adventurous journey into the unexplored realms of editing, processing and mixing of millions of puzzle-pieces that had been recorded in numerous overdub-sessions before.

This odyssey is condensed to one hour of music and these texts are taken from the artwork in the 2LP-set:

Saturn Hoola Hoop is quite simply a beat combining orchestral and cut-up aesthetics. Something it has in common with the more abstract Sotho Hotho Ro, which you could call a distilled essence - a constellation of musical aphorisms and assumptions, colorful crystals mirrored and juxtaposed in the tightest of spaces.

Le Prêtre Viré was originally an argument between a priest and a doubter. Karsten Hochapfel - guitarist, cellist and composer of this piece - discarded the part of the priest though, hence the title. This piece was written for his band "Das Rote Gras" in which he plays with Daniel Glatzel, who created this adaptation for Andromeda.

Hektra Mumma Gulla is a musical diary, written in the cold winter of 2009. Outside people tried to balance on the thick layers of ice like clumsy penguins. Everyday rainy showers made matters only worse. Inside it was dry and empty. Repetitive patterns riddled the author… daily routines, music, perception - absurdity and mystery of life… Ceci n'est pas de la musique?

September 27th, 2010. Mankind has gone insane.
Something has to change. Something has to move. But not us! We need a hero who can pull us all along. We need you! We long for you! We desperately call you…

anebulamanifesto is a collage of scattered, improvised fragments by harpist Anna Viechtl.

Despite his dubious character, the express messenger Space Purolator is always on his way. Burdened and thrilled by the goods he has to carry out into the world, he jets around between utter apathy and supernatural motivation. ~ andromedameo.com

Musicians:
Daniel Glatzel - clarinet, tenor saxophone, melodica, vocoder
Johannes Schleiermacher - baritone saxophone, flute
Gerhard Gschlössl, Johannes Lauer - trombone
Aki Sebastian Ruhl, Fidelis Hentze, Magnus Schriefl, Ritsche Koch - trumpet
Laure Mourot, Oliver Roth - flute, alto flute
Sebastian Hägele - bassoon
Elena Kagaliagou - french horn
Andreas Lang, Andreas Waelti - bass
Anna Viechtl - harp
Kalle Zeier - guitar, banjo
Karl Ivar Refseth - vibraphone
Andi Haberl - drums, percussion
Isabelle Klemt, Sophie May - cello
Johannes Pennetzdorfer, Martin Stupka - viola, recorder
Adrian Kimstedt, Grégoire Simon, Josa Gerhard, Matthew Lonson, Mokkapan Phongphit - violin
Annika Ritlewski, Jelena Kuljic, Marie Séférian, Ulrike Schwab - vocals
The "Lusubilo Choir" And Our Neighbours From The 4th Floor - vocals and kids voices

Recorded in 2010-2011 at Studio P4, Lovelite Studios and Bärenhorst in Berlin
Artwork by Henning Wagenbreth

Track List:
1. Saturn Hoola Hoop (03:35)
2. Sotho Hotho Ro (04:33)
3. Le Prêtre Viré (07:37)
4. Hektra Mumma Gulla (15:55)
5. Rainbow Warrior (06:06)
6. anebulamanifesto (02:33)
7. Space Purolator (17:46)





As the title suggests, it's a live-album. Taken from a 2012-concert in Berlin.
In contrast to our last album BUM BUM, it is unedited and will give you a good picture of the band performing in concert - lively interplay, a roaring audience and uncut natural flow.

Despite our earlier heavy studio productions, there are a lot of people out there who insist AMEO is a live-band and this concert was particularly inspired - a lot of surprising things happened.
Another thing that comes out very well on this album is the exciting symbiosis of all the different characters in our group. There are more spots for the distinctive individuals to stretch.

The pieces chosen for this album combine for a wide array of moods and mindsets.
From the meditative Opening, the Techno-Thriller Sozialbao and wild-percussive Harmagedon,to the comic abstract showdown between W.A. Mozart vs Random Generator.

We will carry the album with two tours in May and September 2014.
Some dates are already set, be sure to check our schedule every once in a while! ~ andromedameo.com

Musicians:
Oliver Roth - flute, flute alto
Laure Mourot - flute, piccolo flute
Daniel Glatzel - tenor saxophone, clarinet
Sebastian Hägele - bassoon
Johannes Schleiermacher - baritone saxophone, flute, audio generator
Richard Koch - trumpet
Els Vandeweyer - vibraphone
Jörg Hochapfel - synthesizer
Anna Viechtl - harp
Kalle Zeier - guitar
Andreas Lang - bass
Andi Haberl - drums
Grégoire Simon - violin, 1st
Biliana Voutchkova - violin
Johannes Pennetzdorfer - viola
Martin Stupka - viola
Isabelle Klemt - cello

Recorded on May 2nd, 2012 at Heimathafen, Berlin
Artwork by Henning Wagenbreth

Track List:
1. Opening (Stimmung in G) (03:51)
2. Le Prêtre Viré (07:09)
3. Sozialbão (07:35)
4. Harmagedon (12:59)
5. Overture (08:36)
6. W. A. Mozart vs Random Generator (11:59)





Berlin’s Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra returns with its fourth album “Vula”. Having celebrated their 10-year anniversary with a stunning series of concerts last year, the 18-piece’s new full-length showcases a stronger focus on harmony and melody – and yet AMEO sound no less explosive or unpredictable than before.

It arrives gently, with shimmering lights, soft winds, sashaying melodies, and of course, the isotherms and isotheres function just as they should: All of a sudden, lighting strikes amid the concord of instruments, unforeseen energies erupt and upset the rhythmic scenery with elemental force. Making a combined effort to create sheltering patches of harmony within the unfolding drama, leader Daniel Glatzel and his 18-piece “working band” set out to harness album #4: “Vula” is out 09/07/ 2017 via Alien Transistor/Morr Music.

Another musical tour de force that connects too many dots, decades, traditions and genres to mention, “Vula” is quite a different beast compared to its live predecessor or the orchestra’s last studio effort “Bum Bum” (2012): There’s bigger, bolder strokes, and the compositions are linked by recurring motifs and harmonies, which is why the new LP sounds like one entity: It is ONE hour-long adventure that needs to be listened to in full. “Listeners who just dip in and out won’t be able to grasp it, I’m afraid,” says Glatzel. “It takes concentrated listening from beginning to end with good sound to feel it out. It might sound somewhat anachronistic, but it actually reflects the working process, because there were so many hindrances and obstacles we had to overcome during the five years in which we worked on ‘Vula’. And yet, despite all the hullaballoo I felt inspired to see it through: the music seems to tell us ‘if you can’t devote yourself to this, you’re lost; but if you can, you’re bound to experience this ride fully.’

A musical deluge of incredible breadth and depth, the title “Vula,” taken from the Tumbuka language (spoken in the northern region of Malawi), indeed translates to tempest or thunderstorm: “Compared to what we get in Germany, rainstorms in Malawi are actually a lot heavier – they really shake your senses,” says Glatzel, a frequent visitor of the area. “The storms in Malawi are announced by playful winds that arrive in the sweltering heat, and the giant clouds soon erupt into downpours that can last hours. The sky is utterly black, as the loud rain keeps hitting the earth incessantly. Plus, there’s the loud cracks of thunder, of course…”

Ranging from softly trickling melodies (“Lakta Makta Ha”) and hazy interludes, the mood, vibe, and pace change faster than cloud formations come flying across the screens nowadays (e.g. “qwetoipntv vjadfklvjieop” with its arrangement à la Helmut Lachenmann). In fact, even the flight of swallows is often misleading: head-nod bliss, motion picture soundtrack vibes, and even J.B. licks aren’t mutually exclusive in these compositions, as AMEO showcase with “J Schleia,” a track that nods both to Dilla/Grandmaster Flash and to Bach-era counterpoint techniques. Elsewhere, a pounding surf-rock beat metamorphoses over the course of 14 minutes (“In Light Of Turmoil”), only to see them return to patches that are surprisingly catchy and calm. The final applause turns out just as thunderous though, after the album ends with the vibrant and colorfully orchestrated “Papaya Flyers IX Epsylon,” a live recording that already foreshadows the group’s later collaboration with Hermeto Pascoal.

A work that’s “born out of turbulent times – both internally and externally,” Glatzel says that AMEO’s fourth album is “generally driven by an urgent search for some kind of truth, a feeling that pushes its way through countless layers.” In fact, one can actually hear that the entire process, from writing to intricate post-production, took almost five years: “The album’s somewhat vintage, almost dreamlike and unrealistic sound is due to the fact that a full year lies between recording and mixing”, Glatzel explains. “It resembles the feeling of looking back and experiencing the past all over again. There was an element of detachment, but at the same time I was able to see things in a clearer light.” And it’s true: These puddles, rippled and ripped open by an onslaught of raindrops, do look even more magical in that sepia-hued light.

About Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra:
A self-organized, independent group of likeminded individuals, AMEO is unlike any other orchestra: It’s a steadily working ensemble with a steady focus on experimentation. Comprised of 18 young, in-demand musicians hailing from various countries and musical backgrounds, its members have previously worked in constellations that couldn’t be more diverse – including Ensemble Intercontemporain, Tony Allen’s Afrobeat, Jazz-Legend Kenny Wheeler, Camerata Bern, The Notwist and post-conceptual artist Cory Arcangel. Daniel Glatzel, the orchestra’s leader and saxophonist, has been the main composer over the last decade since it's inception in 2006, overseeing the groups three previous releases “Live on Planet Earth” (2014), “Bum Bum” (2012) and “Take Off” (2009).
Besides playing concerts in internationally renown venues around the world, AMEO also hosts and curates its own genre-defying events such as their music festival “Kosmostage”, concert series and special projects with artists like Hermeto Pascoal from Brazil, tribal musicians from Malawi or the Latvian chamber orchestra “Sinfonietta Riga”.

released July 7, 2017

~ bandcamp.com

Musicians:
Arranged By, Composed By, Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Artwork By - Henning Wagenbreth
Conductor - Miguel Perez-Inesta (# 4)
Baritone Saxophone, Flute - Johannes Schleiermacher
Bass - Matthias Pichler
Bassoon - Sebastian Hägele
Trumpet - Magnus Schriefl, Richard Koch
Flute, Alto Flute - Oliver Roth
Flute, Piccolo Flute - Laure Mourot
Piano, Synthesizer, Sampler - Jörg Hochapfel
Vibraphone, Percussion - Julius Heise (# 7), Maria Schneider (# 3)
Harp - Anna Viechtl
Guitar - Kalle Zeier
Cello - Isabelle Klemt
Viola, Recorder - Johannes Pennetzdorfer, Martin Stupka
Violin - Gregoire Simon, Matthew Lonson
Drums - Andreas Haberl

Composed, recorded and produced 2012 - 2016
Recorded at HAU Hebbel am Ufer and Studio 4, Nalepastraße
Track # 7 recorded live at Göttinger Jazztage

Track List:
1. Vula (Soloist - Daniel Glatzel)
2. In The Light Of Turmoil (Soloist - Jörg Hochapfel)
3. Lakta Mata Ha (Soloist - Magnus Schriefl)
4. qwetoipntv vjadfklvjieop (Soloist - Johannes Schleiermacher)
5. Interlude
6. J. Schleia (Soloist - Daniel Glatzel)
7. Papaya Flyers IX Epsylon (Soloist - Matthias Pichler, Richard Koch)



All thanks go to the nostromo, 6060842, evensteven, gnomby

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