SCHULZ, THOMAS - NOT HERE BUT UNDER THE SEA (LP)

"Thomas Schulz (1950-2021), predominantly perceived as a visual artist, has continuously been as much a sound researcher and sound designer and a musical improvisor as well. He performs with Marino Zappelini (Sax) and opera singer Jane Smith at J.J.Donguy (Paris 1982) and meets Shelley Hirsch, with whom he shares a longtime friendship, at Büro Berlin. Listening to John Cage and attending an early concert of the Seesselberg brothers awakes his interest in sound and composition, but he claims, that he has had no interest in using electronic instruments "as long as we haven't explored the endless possibilities the acoustic sounds of the materials offer when you put your efforts into listening and into treating them. Thomas Schulz's most significant project, "The European Sculpture," reflects on the emerging European unity, which he explored through a two-year accreditation with the European Parliament and visits to the Eurotunnel construction site from 1989 to 1996. At the Eurotunnel, Schulz, guided by William Coleman on the French side, documented the construction with a field recorder and a 6x6 camera. His work, "The European Sculpture .not here but under the sea," highlights the story of the workers and machinery involved in connecting England and France underwater. Schulz's extensive library of unusual sounds, including field recordings, performances, and experimental language pieces, forms the basis for many of his compositions, often commissioned by German public radio stations. As a composer and performer, he has been featured three times at Musiktage Donau-Eschingen, Germany's premier festival for contemporary classical music. One notable work, "Die Vier Seiten in 23 Sätzen," produced in 1990, exemplifies Schulz's approach to capturing the audible world. It combines acoustic landscapes, material interactions, and human elements, culminating in an unexpected transition to a light pop song composed of samples from his sound collection." (label info)