Nichts Muss

Format: Album (CD, Vinyl & digital)
ICPN: 07243 580945 2 7
Label: Monika Enterprise M33 / Labels
Distribution: Morr Music
Distribution US: Forced Exposure

Since 1998, and the release of her debut album „Vermona ET 6-1“, people have been struggling to describe Barbara Morgenstern's music accurately. Especially people like you and me, because here we are writing about this fine album, and there you are reading about it for one reason or another. But, really, why bother when you could just let the music do the talking? And talk it does. Even if the majority is in German, the music stands on its very own wonderful feet, lives, breathes and needs no more explanation.

It`s Barbara’s third album (besides various EP`s, singles and remixes), though her first through the Labels network. It's utterly beautiful and, modestly put, her music shines brighter and more majestically than ever. Produced with Berlin's own dubmeister Pole, with a little help from Thomas Fehlmann (who has previously produced artists as diverse as The Orb and Erasure), "Nichts Muss" is a prime cut of teutonic electronic beauty; exquisite German pop music which will catapult Barbara into her own orbit, way beyond Indietronics or other typical electronic vocal music.

With dreamy confidence, Ms. Morgenstern combines the charisma of her voice with inspiration and even more songwriting talent, and the result is an amazing mixture, unique in today`s electronic scene. The adjectives we thought of while listening to this record were endless but, as mentioned, anyone with a pair of ears and a heart will discover those for himself. Instead of showing off, though, let`s allow the musician herself to get a word in edgeways:

More …

Aus Heiterem Himmel (translates as: “Out Of The Blue”) (first single w/ remixes by Lawrence, Ellen Allien, Jimmy Tamborello [DNTEL, Figurine] and Tarwater)
“This was a straight piano song at the beginning. But it sounded too bluesy so – snip snip – the piano has been cut into pieces.”

Nichts Und Niemand (translates as: “Nothing And Noone”)
“A dream I always had when I was a kid - one of those anoying reoccuring dreams.”

Ohne Abstand (translates as: “Without Any Distance“)
“There is a gallery right by my studio where a London artist had an exhibition called “You See More Of The Mountain From Further Away“. Actually this should have been the name of the album, but I was unsuccessful in finding a shorter form of the title, so the only thing remaining was this song title (and the content of the song).”

Nichts Muss (translates as: “Nothing Has To...“)
“A good motto while working on the record and also the current highlight of my live set.”

Merci (Dass Es Dich Gibt) (translates as: “Merci (That You Are Around)”)
“You can apply this to anyone you like...”

Kleiner Ausschnitt (translates as: “Little Cutout“)
“This is the oldest track and it took the longest time for the groove programming, believe it or not!”

Move
“This is actually a guitar track, but during mixing it became a groove song. But the guitar version is not bad at all...
Pay attention! Philosophical Discussion: isn`t life just a chain of yes/no decisions!? “

We´Re All Gonna Fucking Die
“This is a quote from Alec Empire, who once welcomed his audience with this sentence. Oh man, this guy was really fucking right! Actually To Rococo Rot wanted to use the title for an album, but they kiindly allowed me to use it for this song. Many thanks! Long live Alec Empire, but we all gotta go sometime, for sure! “

Is
“This is my boyfriend’s favourite song so it has his initials.”

Gute Nacht (translates as: “Good Night”)
“One of the few songs where my lyrics came first and the music followed.”

Reset
“This was the track I started with after my summer vacation 2001, still in that special summer mood. Great vacations!!”

With "Nichts Muss, Barbara has become a first class technoid chanteuse, and brings us an album that will fast become your friend and a companion in all circumstances and during every season.

Tracklist

1. Aus heiterem Himmel
2. Nichts und Niemand
3. Ohne Abstand
4. Nichts muss
5. Merci (daß es Dich gibt)6.
6. Kleiner Ausschnitt
7. Move
8. We're all gonna fucking die
9. IS
10. Gute Nacht
11. Reset

Biographie

2018	Release "Unschuld & Verwüstung" @Staatsakt/ Oct. 2018 + shows, theater work: composition for children´s choir "Do´s & Dont´s" - Rimini Protokoll, HAU Berlin, Essen Pact, Kamnagel Hamburg, Shottish National Theater Glasgow/ Paisley, Venedig Biennale
2017	Recording of "Unschuld & Verwüstung", theater work "Truck Tracks/ Essen/ Ruhrtriennale"/ Rimini Protokoll
2016	Choir work "Lautarchiv" with A.Benjamin Meyers & Hauschka/ HKW, thater composition "brain projects" by Rimini Protokoll, Schauspielhaus Hamburg
2015	Finishing "Doppelstern", Choir Work "Fragen an das Licht" for the Zero retrospective/ Martin Gropius Bau + Atonal Festival Berlin
2014	Recordings for "Doppelstern", Musical Direction Radioplay "Qualitätskonrolle" by Rimini Protokoll, Production of "Stille Vann" - female Bandproject by barner 16
2013	Musical direction for "Qualitätskontrolle" by Rimini Protokoll, Staatstheater Stuttgart
2013	Choir work ("California"/HKW, "Virtuosity"/Kammermusiksaal Berliner Philharmonie, etc.)
2012	Release of the album "Sweet Silence" and live shows
2012	Musical direction and choir work for "Lagos Business Angels" by Rimini Protokoll, HAU 1, Theater Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin

More …

2011	Project "only my pen tolerates my choices"; live performance of poems written by afghan women, published at the "Afghan Women Writing Project" (http://awwproject.org) in Amsterdam, directed by Krystian Lada (Visuals: Lida Wilkosz) Choir work for "Das Bergwerk", by Michal Walczak, at the Grillo Theater in Essen, Germany
2010	Release of my "best-of" album "Fan No. 2" on Monika Enterprise & touring
2008	Release of "bm" on Monika Enterprise & live shows
2007	Choir conductor at the "Haus der Kulturen der Welt" (House of World Cultures), Berlin Recording of "Paper of Pins" and concerts with Bill Wells, Annie Whitehead and Stefan Schneider
2006	USA Tour with The Mountain Goats
2005-2006	More releases on Monika, e.g. with Robert Lippok and September Collective
2003-2004	World Tour with Maximilian Hecker - organized by the German Goethe Institut, 34 concerts worldwide (Journal 1, Journal 2)
2002	Recording with Robert Lippok (To Rococo Rot) Foundation of September Collective - an electronic improvisation project with Stefan Schneider (To Rococo Rot) and Paul Wirkus
1999-2002	Touring in Europe, partially with To Rococo Rot and Blumfeld More releases on Monika (s. discography)
1998	Release of "Vermona ET6-1" - my first record on Monika Enterprise, Berlin
1996	First solo recordings
1994	Move to Berlin, first solo performances in the so called Berlin "livingroom-scene", founded by Joe Tabu. The concerts took place in his living room in Prenzlauer Berg, which was the beginning of a whole "livingroom-movement"
1992	Formation of my first band Ooze Formation of Nautic United - a network of 9 musicians, where everyone played in at least two different bands; release of a selfdistributed compilation; various shows in Germany
1991-1992	Founder of the Hamburg based Accapella-Band Just 4
1991	Popmusic-Course at the University for Music and Fine Arts in Hamburg
1971	born on the 19th of March in Hagen/Westfalen, Germany

Albums

In anderem Licht 2024	Unschuld und Verwüstung 2018	Doppelstern 2015
Sweet Silence 2012	Fan No. 2 2010	BM 2008
The Grass Is Always Greener 2006	Fjorden 2000	Vermona ET6-1 1998

Singles & EP's

In anderem Licht 2023	Beide 2015	Silence Sweater EP 2012
Fan No. 3 Remixes 2011	Come To Berlin Mixes 2008	The Operator 2006
Fan No. 1 Remixes 2004	Himmel Mixe 2003	Eine Verabredung 2001
Malaria! vs. Chicks on Speed & Barbara Morgenstern Remixes 2000	Plastikreport 1997

Collaborations

Monika Werkstatt (AGF, Beate Bartel, Danielle De Picciotto, Gudrun Gut, Islaja, Lucrecia Dalt, Natalie Beridze, Pilocka Krach, Sonae, BM) 2017	Paper Of Pins (Wells & Schneider & Whitehead & Morgenstern) 2009	All The Birds Were Anarchists (September Collective) 2007
Goldstein Variationen #1 (Station17 & BM) 2007	Tesri (Robert Lippok & BM) 2005	September Collective (September Collective) 2004
Pick Up Sticks (Wells & Schneider & Whitehead & Morgenstern) 2004	Seasons (Robert Lippok & BM) 2002

Nichts Muss

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