Mixed scenes and generations

"Daring music between genres and away from the mainstream" - this is how the enterprising festival co-founder Fredi Bosshard once defined the focus of Taktlos. This has not changed under the new management. This year, for the second time, the event was organized by the Taktlos Association (President Tapiwa Svosve, Vice President Gregor Frei), after 34 years under the auspices of the Fabrikjazz Association. Part of the new concept is that the programmer changes from year to year. In 2018, drummer Lucas Niggli made the start. This time, the choice fell on guitarist Manuel Troller, who has made a name for himself with the post-avant-rock band Schnellertollermeier, which is known far beyond Switzerland's borders, as well as with unconventional solo works and collaborations with the writer Michael Fehr, among others. Troller says that his selection was based on the "independence and originality of the individual musical concepts": "That they move, convince and inspire me." He also made sure that the artists involved came from different scenes and generations, which he hoped would ensure a corresponding mix of audiences. "Last but not least, clear artistic attitudes were important to me. For me, this is a central requirement that I also place on my own work." 

As befits his status, Troller himself performed in the Kanzlei on Thursday to open the festival. He did so with Andi Schnellmann (bass) and David Meier (drums), who together make up the band Schnellertollermeier. "The sharply contoured grooves and minimalist guitar runs stick in your head like a pop song," you could read in the program booklet. Well, the writer of these lines wouldn't go quite that far. In any case, the intense repetitions and subtle shifts within the pieces have a hypnotic, transportive power. The brute electric volume of the trio is also pleasant. It demands dedication and concentration from the audience, but prevents them from indulging in the annoying, submissive devotion that sometimes characterizes the mood of experimental concerts.
Schnellertollermeier's opening performance was one of the highlights of the festival. He was followed by the French pianist Eve Risser. In her percussive hands, the keyboard of the grand piano is hardly more important than the sonic possibilities that arise when any objects are thrown, clamped and pushed into the sound box. I must confess that I failed to derive any pleasure from the resulting sounds. Joshua Abrams and his Natural Information Society from Chicago made access easier. They too work with repetition, scattering filigree details into the patterns that slowly unfold in flowery beauty. The instrumentation alone - gimbri, Indian harmonium, bass clarinet, percussion - is a guarantee for unusual sound experiences. The performance with all the exotic robes, instruments and beards was also pleasantly reminiscent of the old days, when the word "laptop" had not yet been invented and every sensible person wrapped themselves in patchouli from head to toe.
 

Schnellertollermeier, Eve Risser and Joshua Abrams: the stylistic range of the first Taktlos evening could hardly have been wider, perfectly fulfilling Troller's self-imposed brief. The large audience in attendance - the Kanzlei was practically sold out - also fulfilled the expectations in its age mix. The other evenings were no less varied and exciting. For example, singer Sofia Jernberg was unable to perform her planned duet with saxophonist Mette Rasmussen due to illness - but Rasmussen managed to command the stage solo without any problems. Her sometimes brilliant, sometimes tender, sometimes witty pieces were pleasantly short, focused and playful. The trio of Camille Emaille (drums), Hans Koch (sax, clarinet) and dieb13 (turntables) was billed as "a kind of summit meeting of the art of noise". I was most concerned with the question of how exactly dieb13 was able to get these sounds from his turntables. Manuel Troller set another festival highlight on Saturday at Club Zukunft with a powerful yet meditative solo performance.