LARS BARTKUHN

In 2016, Lars Bartkuhn embarked on a musical odyssey driven by a desire to broaden his artistic vistas. Enthralled by the transformative allure of the desert—a realm of boundless expanse and haunting beauty—he armed his sampler with sub-Saharan sounds, birthing two 12” singles, ‘Nomad’ and ‘Massai’, which found their home on Utopia Records. Having wrapped up his immersive ambient album, "Dystopia," in 2023—a sonic tapestry woven from electronic and acoustic improvisations—the German maestro felt compelled to revisit the foundational concepts that birthed his earlier singles. Yearning once more for artistic challenge and exploration, he sought to traverse the musical desert, emerging as a more refined musician, producer, and composer. The fruit of this expedition is "Nomad," an album that intricately weaves together disparate facets of Bartkuhn’s oeuvre—the contemplative ambient journeys of "Dystopia" and the rhythmic cadence of his deep house roots. Drawing from an eclectic array of influences—Latin jazz-fusion, the avant-garde jazz ethos of ECM Records, the 'fourth world' musings of Jon Hassell, and the African rhythms that sparked his initial singles—Bartkuhn endeavors to create a sonic oasis amidst the arid expanse. Striving for a more ‘analog’ resonance, Bartkuhn blends traditional instrumentation—hand percussion, kalimba, piano, vocals, bass guitar, and guitars—with the modular synth motifs that defined "Dystopia." Through a meticulous fusion of improvisation and composition, coupled with relentless editing and refinement, he sculpts each track over an extended gestation period. With a keen focus on impeccable sound design—tailoring even the dancefloor-oriented cuts for intimate headphone listening—Bartkuhn elevates the sonic landscape to new heights. The album boasts reimagined renditions of prior singles—such as the sun-drenched, Brazilian jazz-infused makeover of ‘Transcend’ and the expansive, solo-laden reinterpretation of ‘Nomad’—alongside a tapestry of previously unheard delights. Among these treasures lie the 6/8 time signature, Latin-tinged euphoria of ‘Back To My Innerself’, crafted through spontaneous, organic performances captured directly into the sequencer; the labyrinthine, multi-textured soundscape of ‘Flame’, paying homage to the ethereal recordings of ECM in the 1970s; the techno-tinged, fourth-world futurism of ‘Ghibliman’; the organic, deep house reverie of ‘African Skies’, where Bartkuhn’s vocals take center stage; and the languid, ambient house groove of ‘First Kalimba’. "Nomad" emerges as a testament to Bartkuhn’s inimitable musical persona—an opus brimming with vibrant, evocative soundscapes, both rhythmic and ethereal, evading easy categorization. It stands as perhaps his most potent and intimate artistic statement yet.