KLING KLONG
Postmodern Jazz from Hamburg and Barcelona

 

Okay, Kling Klong was never the greatest band in the world. The Beatles were a little more successful, the Sex Pistols more aggressive, Miles Davis was cooler. But KLING KLONG has nevertheless found its way through the pop and jazz world.

And just by the way: The Beatles, the Sex Pistols, Miles Davis – none of them exist anymore. KLING KLONG, on the other hand, is alive. And how!

KLING KLONG was founded in the early 80s in Marburg, Germany. Helmut Kohl has just become Federal Chancellor and Michael Jackson published “Thriller”. The five musicians from KLING KLONG began to experiment with rhythms, melodies and sounds. They were heavily influenced by the New York no-wave scene around Lounge Lizzards and Arto Lindsay, as well as by the British band Rip Ric and Panic by singer Neneh Cherry.

But KLING KLONG also took on influences from foreign musical cultures, for example from the Arab and Latin American world. The KLING KLONG mix of alternative rock and freely improvised jazz was enthusiastically celebrated in clubs and at festivals. In 1983 the band finally released their first album: „Love Your Fridge“ (Schneeball Records) and toured extensively through Germany, Italy and London.

This is where the first chapter of KLING KLONG ends: The band members pursued other professions, such as jazz critic, film musician, internet entrepreneur and documentary filmmaker. Three members moved to Hamburg, one musician now lives in southern Germany (Richard Peter /drums), another near Barcelona (Sascha Siebenmorgen). Hubl Greiner, who is now a permanent member of the band, also played drums in the band from time to time.

 

 

Since 2018, after more than three decades, KLING KLONG has been reunited. The world has continued to turn – and with it the musical direction of the band. Today KLING KLONG is reinforced by the drummer Dirk Dhonau and the percussionist Yogi Jockusch. The band plays more rhythmically than before, with bold melodies and improvisations. There is also a new element: the voice of the writer and author Alexander Kluge. The band uses fragments of interviews that Stephan Lamby conducted with him in a rhythmic manner – like another instrument.

KLING KLONG has produced a new album with a new sound at the Syrinx Studio in Hamburg: „Everyone is a transmitter“. The album was released in May 2022 on Enja Records (Enja 9781).

Current line-up

Roland Musolff (keyboards)
Stefan Hentz (guitar)
Stephan Lamby (saxophone)
Sascha Siebenmorgen (bass, vocals)
Hubl Greiner (Schlagzeug)
Dirk Dhonau (drums)
Yogi Jockusch (percussion)

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Contact us

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Phone: +49 151 173 833 396

 

Videoclip „Jeder Mensch ein Sender“ (Everybody is a radio)

 

Press extracts

… it’s a crazy, inspiring mixture. Because it’s raw and tender, private and political, cheeky,
strong, from the gut and quite clever at the same time. That’s exactly what we’ve been
missing.“
Petra Rieß, NDR Kultur CD of the week – Zum Podcast!
www.ndr.de

„There’s something gleefully subversive about this, the spirit of the 1980s reanimated by
socially humorous musicians.“
Jazzthing (rd)

„Lyrics and music come off like old friends. They mix and bond without puffing themselves
up meaningfully.“
Jazzthetik (Hans-Jürgen Linke)

… influenced by the New York no-wave scene …“
Welt am Sonntag

„Everything has its own mischievous charm. We are thrilled!“
Jazzfun (Jacek Brun)

Are we talking about funk or jazz? Are we talking about hip hop or punk? „Jeder Mensch ein Sender“ („Everyone is a radio“), the new album of the German band KLING KLONG, assembles elements of many genres to musical ready-mades.
Piped

„KLING KLONG plays with voices as if they were instruments.“
Tip Berlin

„The band transforms words into unencumbered sounds, turns them into playing material,
enigmatic and freely available.“
Field Notes Berlin

… a rather unconventional approach to traditional jazz styles and other stylistic elements
from funk to hiphop.“
Der Maulbär

„Their music relies on powerful grooves, in the new album they are spiced with meaty
chunks of words by writer Alexander Kluge.“
Zeit

EUROPE JAZZ NETWORK 2022 Best List KLING KLONG
„Everyone is a Radio“