Handwerke

»Handwerke – Songs for My Fathers« deals with the personal story of the artist. Simon’s biological father, Robert, was a Jazz musician and died before his birth. Simon was raised by his father Christian. This album is therefore a vividly emotional way for him to explore topics like death, fatherhood, family, identity and belonging. The story is told using audio-samples taken from the Wim Wenders movie »Paris, Texas«, which are positioned as a loose story line in between the songs. This layer is the first connection to the visual – to film in particular – which is then expanded through accompanying images and video-works. (continued below).

 

Recording: Michael Kamm, Lovebox Studios, Pas de Deux, Augsburg
Edit: Karim Weth, Simon Lovermann, The Grand Post, Vienna
Mixing: Sam Irl, Vienna

 

 

Simon invited 16 artists to contribute an image that reflects their own personal (artistic) identity, with the intention of bringing together a variety of different, deeply individual explorations of the self.

Contributing artists:

• Laia Abril
• Thomas Albdorf
• Gita Cooper-van Ingen
• Adji Dieye
• Anna Ehrenstein
• Saskia Groneberg
• Balarama Heller
• Tommy Kha
• Gabby Laurent
• Fiona Ones
• Nicolas Polli
• Maximilian Prüfer
• Silvia Rosi
• Pacifico Silano
• Susanne Steinmaßl
• Dustin Thierry

The videos are collaborations with choreographer Dustin Klein and visual artist Maximilian Prüfer. They also reflect on notions of identity and the construction of the self.

The album »Handwerke – Songs for My Fathers« brings together different core aspects of the artistic practice of Simon Lovermann – music, video, photography – as well as loop, remix and sample-based concepts. Composed between 2012 and 2015 and influenced by Jazz, Electronica, Hip Hop and Minimal Music, the album is focused around the piano, both as a harmonic and a percussive instrument.

The beats are created with the piano and are enriched with body-percussion and beatbox to create an idiosyncratic atmosphere and distinctive sound.