Bospop

Moby

Berlin’s Paul Kalkbrenner has charted a career path like no other. A techno talent, who over the course of two decades has emerged from the underground, to top charts, act in and soundtrack a movie, headline festivals and amass millions of fans, all while refusing to compromise his grand techno sound.

Kalkbrenner is synonymous with dance music, he came of age in a golden era for techno, turning twelve when the Berlin Wall fell, and spending his teenage years raving, before starting to DJing and collect records as electronic dance music’s first tidal wave spilled throughout the city. He realized early that DJing wasn’t for him, and has focused on producing and playing his own music live ever since.

Though he rose to popularity in the peak of techno’s ‘Berlin era’, and his early career was associated with Bpitch Control, his fan base was never confined to this scene. By the time he played the lead in the seminal movie ‘Berlin Calling’ and its soundtrack smashed records across Europe he had already released multiple albums (Superimpose, Zeit, Self) and built a significant following globally.

With a catalog that now includes eight albums, over 137 individual tracks and numerous remixes, Paul is one of the unique electronic artists who can deliver the ebb and flow of a dancefloor journey using only his own music. His transcendent live performances have seen Paul break down traditional electronic music barriers, headlining festival and
arena stages typically reserved for rockstars. He was the first techno artist to play Tomorrowland’s typically commercial main stage, and was invited by the German Federal Government to perform to 400,000 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

After creating his own label in 2009 and releasing two albums and a live documentary, Kalkbrenner signed to Columbia Records in 2015. He was the first artist to be given unfettered access to the Sony Legacy vault, enabling him to rework previously-unsampled icons like Luther Vandross and Jefferson Airplane on his album ‘7’. In 2022, after leaving Sony, Paul will again release music independently.

Traditionally known as an album artist for much of his career, releasing eight LPs, registering 3 No.1 overall records and entering the Top 10 overall charts in 10 countries and selling 1.5 million units, Kalkbrenner has experimented with other formats including a viral mixtape compilation (Back To The Future - downloaded upwards of 3 million times), and more recently a spate of singles, No Goodbye, Speak Up and Parachute.

His seminal single Sky & Sand continues to hold the German singles record for most weeks at #1 (121 weeks). Despite the major releases and mainstage performances, Paul’s career remains intertwined with techno. He is a figurehead and pioneer in the electronic music scene, an uncompromising artist who has endured despite dance music’s fickle trends and obsession with the new.

ZZ Top

Clouseau needs no introduction. The band of brothers Koen and Kris Wauters has been undiminished in popularity for decades and in the meantime has become a national musical heritage. Their oeuvre includes several benchmarks of Dutch-language pop music that have even influenced our language - from 'Hoeders van de wet' via 'Het zit vanbinnen' to the unique pronunciation of 'Nobelprijs'.

Kaiser Chiefs

Kaiser Chiefs are an indie rock band from Leeds, England. They formed in 2002 and have enjoyed enormous global success since.

Kensington

Clouseau

Clouseau needs no introduction. The band of brothers Koen and Kris Wauters has been undiminished in popularity for decades and in the meantime has become a national musical heritage. Their oeuvre includes several benchmarks of Dutch-language pop music that have even influenced our language - from 'Hoeders van de wet' via 'Het zit vanbinnen' to the unique pronunciation of 'Nobelprijs'.

Razorlight

Razorlight are a band hailing from London, England who formed in 2002. Since their debut, they have released three studio albums and are famous in the U.K for being one of the most successful bands of the mid-2000's post-punk revival.

Triggerfinger

Belgium has given the world some fantastic music, including this band “Triggerfinger” who were formed in 1998, in the city of Lier. They are fronted by Ruben Block on guitar and vocals, Paul Van Bruystegem on bass guitar and Mario Goossens on the drums.

Henrik Freischlader

JAIMI FAULKNER - BACK ROAD

By the time that he relocated to Europe from his native Melbourne in 2010, Jaimi Faulkner had already racked up an impressive list of credits as a powerful, soulful singer, exceptional guitarist and songwriter of great potential. His debut album “Last Light” (2004) garnered rave reviews in Australia and received considerable airplay there. Faulkner devoted the next years to extensive live performance, both as a solo artist and as support with touring acts such as Chris Whitley and Chris Isaak, as well as being nominated to represent Australia at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. His next full length album “Kiss and Ride” (2009) underlined his growing abilities as a songwriter, producer and arranger and brought Jaimi to the attention of European audiences for the first time. The chemistry was right and after a couple of successful tours in Germany and the Netherlands he made the decision to move to Berlin and explore what life there had to offer.

Fast forward to 2017: Jaimi Faulkner releases “Back Road”, his fourth European album and the first to be completely self produced and engineered. Following the more pop-oriented “Up All Night” (2015), it marks a return to the rootsy rock’n’roll and Americana that characterized his earlier work and for the first time does proper justice to his long-time backing band, featuring Leon Den Engelsen on piano and Hammond organ, Judith Renkema on bass and Luuk Adams on drums.

In November 2016, Jaimi and the band moved into an old farmhouse near Bremen with their equipment plus Jaimi’s portable studio, set up their gear and started work on the new album. All songs were recorded live, before adding a few overdubs, and the entire production came together within two weeks. Its tight, live feel reflects both the relaxed studio environment and the band’s command of the material. Later, backing vocals were recorded in the Netherlands and during an Australian tour. Though the focus is firmly on the songs, Faulkner’s superb guitar playing really comes into its own on “Back Road”, providing the perfect foil to his vocals as well as delivering a string of great solos. And speaking of vocals, Jaimi Faulkner has a voice to die for, an effortlessly warm, throaty tenor which packs a real emotional punch while never seeming contrived. It lends his self penned songs the rare quality of total conviction and puts him right up there with today’s finest singers.

Which brings us to the songs. Ranging from autobiographical reflections to world-weary observations on the current political environment, the 11 all new compositions on “Back Road” run the gamut from catchy acoustic ballads to straight up rockers, framed by Faulkner’s guitar and Engelsen’s keyboards and underpinned by the punchy rhythm section of Renkema and Adams. These performances underline the fact that Jaimi and his band have been working and playing together for years and they exude that easy assurance born of total familiarity, running together like a well oiled machine. From the evocative atmosphere of 9929 Miles to the dark gospel tinged blues of All My Hope Is Gone, the catchy country pop of Like You Did Back Then to the classic rock’n’roll of I Can’t Hold On or the duelling guitars of the title track, the songs on Back Road show Jaimi Faulkner coming to grips with maturity and pulling all the elements together to realize his potential as a writer, singer, musician and arranger. They represent his most coherent and convincing work to date.