Conjoint • Earprints

The sophomore album from Conjoint charts many of the same vibes as 1997's self-titled album for KM20, though that's hardly a drawback. Moufang and Hodge wrap Berger's laid back vibraphone lines and Ruit's sparse guitar pickings -- plus a variety of guests on reeds and organ -- with a fabric of similarly gentle (but often free-form) atmospherics and electronics. The beats range from crackly trip-hop ("Strange Ideas," "Four Nine") to more precise electro programming ("Walk On!"), even while the surface music remains surprisingly similar. Most of the songs are bookended by short interludes termed "earprints" -- unfortunately, the large number of different pieces often gives the experimentation a slight meandering quality. Though it may not survive a full listen, Earprints includes a lot of intriguing music.
John Bush

1. Earprint Nr1
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Breath Noise • Anna-Lena Fiedler
   
2. Strange Ideas
Vibraphone, Melodica, Conversation • Karl Berger
Shaker, Drum Programming, Conversation • Jamie Hodge
Juno 106, Pro-one • David Moufang
    
3. Earprint Nr2
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Fender Fretless • Jamie Hodge
   
4. Walk On!
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Guitar •  Gunter Ruit Kraus
Human Beatbox • Andrew Pekler
Programming • Jonas Grossmann
    
5. Earprint Nr3
Vibraphone • David Moufang
Oboe, Breath Loop • Anna-Lena Fiedler
    
6. Four.Nine
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Bass, Slit Drums • David Moufang
Ms-20, Drum Programming • Jamie Hodge
Clarinet • Christoph Reimann
Oboe • Anna-Lena Fiedler
    
7. Earprint Nr4
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Guitar •  Gunter Ruit Kraus

8. La Pluie Et La Seine
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Organ, Guitar • David Moufang
Clarinet • Christoph Reimann
   
9. Earprint Nr5
Slit Drums • David Moufang
Saxophone • D.D.
   
10. The Joint
Organ • Jamie Hodge
Juno 106, Micro Modular, Electric Piano • David Moufang
Sh-101 • Kai Kroker
   
11. New York Mary Disaster
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Fender Fretless, Drum Programming • Jamie Hodge
Guitar •  Gunter Ruit Kraus
Juno 106, Organ, Drum Programming • David Moufang
Saxophone, Voice • D.D.

   
12. Born Under A Rhyming Planet At The Foot Of The Odenwald
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Guitar •  Gunter Ruit Kraus
Programming • Jonas Grossmann
   
13. Earprint Nr6
Slit Drums • David Moufang
Guitar •  Gunter Ruit Kraus
Saxophone • D.D.

14. Bar Rock
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Vibraphone, Talkbox, Guitar, Drum Programming • David Moufang
   
15. Earprint Nr7
Vibraphone • David Moufang
Oboe • Anna-Lena Fiedler
    
16. Instructions
Vibraphone, Instructions • Karl Berger
Drum Programming • David Moufang
Instructions • Jamie Hodge
Guitar •  Gunter Ruit Kraus
Additional Drum Programming • Burkhard Höfler


17. Deductions (Who Can Get Me The Phone# For Mark Hollis Or Tim Friese Greene?)
Melodica • Karl Berger
Clarinet • Christoph Reimann
Oboe • Anna-Lena Fiedler

18. Earprint Nr8
Vibraphone • David Moufang
   
19. Die Implosion Des Sterns (... Und Das Absolute Nichts Danach)
Conductor, Guitar • Gunter Ruit Kraus
Drum Programming • David Moufang
Bass • Ralf Keydel
Drums • Alex Wormit
Tenor Horn • Stefan
Organ • Holger Selig
Tenor Saxophone • Constanze Krauß
Tenor Saxophone • Dorit Schradi
Tenor Saxophone • Elmar Lehmann
Tenor Saxophone • Tilmann Westhäuser
Trumpet • DJ B
    
20. No Balls
Vibraphone • Karl Berger
Guitar • Gunter Ruit Kraus
Rhythm Guitar, Drum Programming • David Moufang
Clarinet • Christoph Reimann

Recorded and mixed at reSource Studio, Heidelberg
Produced by Conjoint

Buy Here

Label: Source Records ‎– 991234
Format: 320
Country: Germany
Released: 2000
Genre: Electronic
Style: Abstract, Future Jazz, Downtempo

Berger | Hodge | Moufang | Ruit • Conjoint

Fusion. Electronics and soloists. Bridging generations.
Vibraphonist Karl Berger born In Heidelberg/Germany, started his career in the late fifties. In the early sixties he moved to Paris where he met Don Cherry. After touring europe with Don Cherry in '65 he moved to New York where he established himself as one of the top vibraphonists in the Avantgarde Jazz scene.
He recorded with musicians like Ornette Coleman ("Symphony for improvisers", Blue Note ) and Lee Konitz ("Duets" , Milestone ) aswell as releasing several albums as bandleader for Milestone (with Ed Blackwell, Dave Holand, Jim Hall......) and other labels.
Later he worked with Bill Laswell and George Clinton (including string arrangements for "Material" albums (axiom).

Guitarist Gunther Ruit Kraus from Ruit/Germany is living in Heidelberg. With his bands he played most of the major jazz festivals in Europe like Moers, Holland and Frankfurt, Germany as well as countless concerts in clubs throughout Germany.

Jamie Hodge from Chicago released his first record as "Born under a rhyming planet" 1994 on Richie Hawtins legendary "+8" label (Detroit). It became a straight classic.Other releases on "+8" and "Plug Research" followed to make Jamie Hodge one of the most respected artists in the electronic music scene.

David Moufang aka Move D, co-founder of Source Records, released several solo projects like the electronic-listening classic "Kunststoff" on Source Records, a 12" on Warp Records and"Solitaire" on Fax Records.
He also worked in several colaboration projects such as "Reagenz" (with Jonah Sharp aka Spacetime Continuum), "View to View" (with Robert Gordon), "Koolfang"/"Move D & Namlook" (with Pete Namlook) and "Deep Space Network" (with Jonas Grossmann).
He is the grandmaster of smooth and groovy techno.

Source Records

1. The Catch
2. Neue Serie
3. Mountaineer
4. Ruit Valley
5. Tee Dum
6. Schokoladenmilch
7. Walk!
8. Deta
9. Concessions

Karl Berger • Vibraphone 

Jamie Hodge • Synthesizer, Organ, Guitar, Bass, Vocals, Programming
David Moufang • Synthesizer, Organ, Guitar, Piano, Vocals, Percussion, Programming
Gunter "Ruit" Kraus • Guitar

Produced by
David Moufang & Jonas Grossmann

Label: KM 20 – km2003
Format: 320
Country: Europe
Released: 1997
Genre: Electronic
Style: Abstract, Jazztronica