Produced in 2010 for a radio broadcast on Germany’s hr2-kultur radio, “20 Zonen” (20 Zones) is Marc Behrens’ homage to Darmstadt, Germany, his hometown, and in particular the city’s Kranichstein district, where he grew up and learned to listen. Behrens made recordings in such locations like an equestrian club, a heavy ion research unit, a railway museum, and of trains and airplanes noisily cutting through the supposed serenity of the industrially planted forests around Darmstadt. From time to time the subjective microphone goes underwater and dips into the area’s various ponds, among them the world famous Messel Pit Fossil site, which used to be a rainforest millions of years ago, not unlike the Amazon still is today. The intricately edited material is arranged into zones that “form themselves into cells, into blocks, into a topophonic cross vein” (Stefan Fricke, hr2-Kultur), set in a grey area between musique concrète and phonography.
Originally released by aufabwegen® in 2011. aatp 35 CD. Edition limited to 300.
credits
released September 4, 2014
00:00 Zone 1
Bläserkorps Kreisjägervereinigung Böblingen (I)
Brass band of the district hunters’ association of Böblingen (I)
00:18 Zone 2
Verschiebebahnhof Darmstadt-Kranichstein und angrenzende Felder Darmstadt-Kranichstein marshalling yard and adjoining fields
02:56 Zone 3
Eisenbahnmuseum Darmstadt-Kranichstein (I)
Railway museum Darmstadt-Kranichstein (I)
06:19 Zone 4
GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Wixhausen
GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH, Wixhausen
09:31 Zone 5
Bürgerparkteich, Erich-Kästner-Teich, Ruthsenbach
(local ponds and creek)
11:23 Zone 6
Kirche St. Ludwig, Park Rosenhöhe
St. Ludwig church, Rosenhöhe park
13:15 Zone 7
TU Lichtwiese, „Lineares Haus“
Technical University, Lichtwiese campus, “Linear House”
16:53 Zone 8
Weltnaturerbe Grube Messel
Messel Pit World Heritage Site
19:31 Zone 9+Zone 12
Historische Straßenbahnen der HEAG mobilo GmbH, Frühjahrsmesse Darmstadt
Historic trams of HEAG mobilo GmbH, spring fun fair Darmstadt
22:42 Zone 11
Grube Prinz von Hessen
Prince von Hessen pit
25:43 Zone 10
Gelände des Darmstädter Reitervereins e.V., Kranichsteiner Straße
Premises of the Darmstadt equestrian club, Kranichsteiner Straße
27:10 Zone 13
Backhausteich
(a local pond)
29:25 Zone 14
Herrngarten, Prinz-Georgs-Palais
Herrngarten park, Prince Georg palace
31:30 Zone 15
Strohhauerteich
(a local pond)
33:36 Zone 16
Eisenbahnmuseum Darmstadt-Kranichstein (II)
Railway museum Darmstadt-Kranichstein (II)
36:30 Zone 17
Steinbrückerteich, Oberwaldhaus
(a local pond), Oberwaldhaus park
38:29 Zone 18
Bläserkorps Kreisjägervereinigung Böblingen (II)
Brass band of the district hunters’ association of Böblingen (II)
00:00–40:00 Zone 19
Fluglärm der Abflugschneise des Frankfurter Flughafens über Darmstadt-Kranichstein
Aircraft noise from the take-off lane of Frankfurt International Airport above Darmstadt-Kranichstein
00:00–40:00 Zone 20
Zugdurchfahrten am Bahnhof Darmstadt-Kranichstein
Train passages at the Darmstadt-Kranichstein train station
20 ZONEN entstand 2010 als Auftragskomposition für den Hessischen Rundfunk und wurde erstmals – als 8. Stück in der Sendereihe „Hessen hören“, über Darmstadt und im Besonderen den Ortsteil Kranichstein – am 27.11.2010 in hr2-kultur gesendet. Produzent: Stefan Fricke (Redaktion Neue Musik/Klangkunst) ··· 20 ZONEN was conceived 2010, commissioned by the Hessian Broadcasting Company and premiered in broadcast—as 8th piece in the program series “Hessen hören”, about Darmstadt and in particular about the Kranichstein district—on November 27, 2010 in the hr2-kultur radio. Producer: Stefan Fricke (Department of Contemporary Music/Sound Art).
Danksagungen/Acknowledgements: hr2-kultur: Stefan Fricke, Christine Liese; Kreisjägervereinigung Böblingen/district hunters’ association of Böblingen, namentlich/notably Norbert Zundl; Eisenbahnmuseum Darmstadt-Kranichstein/railway museum Darmstadt-Kranichstein, namentlich/notably Rainer Balzer; GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH/GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH, namentlich/notably Jutta Leroudier, Dr. Ingo Peter; Kirche St. Ludwig/St. Ludwig church: Dr. Thomas Krenski; Weltnaturerbe Grube Messel/Messel Pit World Heritage Site, namentlich/notably Dr. Marie-Luise Frey; HEAG mobilo GmbH, namentlich/notably Frau Rautenberg und die Belegschaft des Depots Frankenstein/and the staff of Depot Frankenstein.
Marc Behrens works with electronic and concrete music, installation, performance, photography, text and video. He exhibited
artworks or performed in many European countries, in South Africa, Chile, USA, Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Australia, Israel and Palestine. Since 1989 Behrens has released more than 30 music albums. He founded Availabel in 2014....more
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