Despite the existing potential, there are only a few local musicians and bands that manage to make the leap on international ground. Getting the top spot requires that special something, something unique that can inspire and attract music fans across the globe. One of the bands with all the necessary requirements to claim the glory is the Lower Austrian vocal combo Bauchklang.
As one of Austria’s most successful formations, the vocal groove project Bauchklang can pride itself in reviving the genre “a capella” and bringing it into the current century. With their virtuosic mix of vocal mastery, mouth percussion and human beat box, the five vocal acrobats Andi Fraenzl, Alex Böck, Gerald Huber, Christian Birawsky and Philipp Sageder generate a unique and extremely complex overall sound that excites thousands of international music fans.
Bauchklang’s history goes back seventeen years to a time when five guys in the Lower Austrian capital St. Pölten had a musical vision and started to realize the new found project Bauchklang (literally “belly sound”) solely by the power of voice, abdomen and diaphragm, so to speak a capella. On first thought this mission was rather a risky business, since the genre was almost extinct at the time. A capella was commonly associated with groups such as the Comedian Harmonists and was rather sneered at than taken seriously. However the guys from Bauchklang never strayed away from their vision or drive and began feeding the term “a capella” with an entirely new and modern interpretation. Soon the quintet started producing first tracks which combined various stylistic elements from the field of electronic music (electronic, dub, hip hop, reggae and drum’n’bass) and turned them into multi-faceted, complex and extremely groove-oriented sound structures.
These tracks were immortalized on the debut album “Jamzero”, which was released in 2001 and received huge praise from all sides. The single “Don’t Ask Me” played on heavy rotation at Austria’s national radio station FM4, which of course also added to the formation’s visibility in the shortest possible time. The road to the European stages was finally paved with a concert at the festival “Trans Musicales” in Rennes, France. This now legendary performance took the combo from an insiders’ tip to a welcome festival guest in one single blow. Soon enough Bauchklang started to play first concerts overseas, for example at the prestigious Montreal “Jazz Festival” in Canada. In 2002 Bauchklang eventually also reaped the first fruits in this country with its very unconventional musical approach and were honored with the Austrian Amadeus Music Award in the categories of “FM4 Alternative Act of the Year” and “Best Album”.
In 2005 Bauchklang released its second album “Many People”, which took the five vocal artists on an extensive tour, including three recorded concerts at the legendary “Blue Frog Club” in Mumbai, India. 2010 followed with “Signs”, the third album of the Lower Austrian vocal combo. Once again the quintet managed to take home two more Austrian Amadeus Music Awards in the categories “Best Live Act” and “Best Alternative” and surprised fans once again with a completely new and unusual song-oriented approach. A choice of direction that is also due to the collaboration with international guest musicians, such as the U.S. “spoken word” icon Ursula Rucker and the French rap poet Rouda. The fact that it is never safe to say what Bauchklang will come up with next, is proven by the EP “Le Mans” released in September 2011. Instead of playing it safe and delivering another album based on previous success recipes, the Lower Austrians took a new path. Minimal-techno was the name of the game and this in a form you rarely get to hear. Innovative, multifaceted and tremendously danceable.
Hardly a year goes by without a new Bauchklang release and so the beat boxing combo Bauchklang has just recently put its new album “Ray” on the market, which was recorded with the prestigious Austrian producer Patrick Pulsinger. Once again Bauchklang manages to take the music to the next level and impresses with superb vocal acrobatics.
To sum things up, 11 albums, 5 EPs and more than 600 concerts in more than 25 countries clearly show the qualities of this exceptional vocal combo. Over the years Bauchklang has proved to be an everlasting safe bet for excellent music and always a step ahead of the rest in vocal perfection. Now on tour with the new album “Ray”, Bauchklang will kick off the tour with a concert in India on the 7th of December 2012. The next dates include concerts in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad. As if that were not enough, dates have already been confirmed for various gigs in 2013, leading the band through almost all the major cities in Germany.
Michael Ternai
(translated from German)
Upcoming Concerts:
2012-12-07 – Goa / IND / BEAN ME UP
2012-12-09 – Goa / IND / Club Soma
2012-12-12 – Mumbai / IND / Blue Frog
2012-12-13 – Delhi / IND / Blue Frog
2012-12-14 – Delhi / IND / Blue Frog
2012-12-15 – Hyderabad / IND / Kismat, Park Hotel
2012-12-16 – Bangalore / IND / Nh7 Festival
2013-01-26 – Vienna / AUT / Arena, FM4 Geburtstagsfest
2013-01-30 – Bremen / DE / DLagerhaus (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-01-31 – Hannover / DE / Faust (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-01 – Berlin / DE / Horst (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-02 – Hamburg / DE / Markthalle (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-03 – Cologne / DE / Stadtgarten (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-04 – Mannheim / DE / Alte Feuerwache (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-07 – Münster / DE / Gleis 22 (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-08 – Aschaffenburg / DE / Colos Saal (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-09 – Nidau / CH / Kreuz (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-10 – Trier / DE / Tuchfabrik (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-11 – Karlsruhe / DE / Tollhaus (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-13 – Stuttgart / DE / Wagenhallen (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-14 – Munich / DE / Ampere (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-02-15 – Erlangen / DE / E-Werk (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-03-06 – Luxemburg / LU / Den Atelier (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-03-15 – Zürich /CH/ Moods (Ray Tour 2013)
2013-03-16 – Rubigen / CH / Mühle Hunziken (Ray Tour 2013)
[Photo Credits: P.Rauchecker]