Ulrike Helmholz:
Contact: Ulrike_Helmholz@gmx.net
Ulrike Helmholz, born in 1954, decided pretty early in her life to become an artist. During high school various regional newspapers published articles about her work. After having finished school she went to study free painting and art design at the school B.H. Pulley-Boyes, in Hamburg. Further on she underwent eight years of art education with Prof. Martin Schmid in Tübingen. At the same time, she took classes in Japanese, art history and philosophy. Eight years from then on, she received her education in classical tone and breathing techniques from Japanese singer Yukako Kinoya in Stuttgart. Every possibility to extend her knowledge was taken by her to go overseas for a few months. From 1975 on, various educational journeys led her to Japan, but also to India and Tunesia. She also travelled all over Europe in order to broaden her knowledge of the arts and cultures. Exhibitions brought her art to Japan. From the very beginning on, performances with bands covered music styles such as punk, rock, synthie pop, jazz and finally brought her to improvized noise music. At this point it is important to mention that she was one of the founding members of the avantgarde project "Just Music" in 1983, which was discussed in the art-forum by Prof. Dr. Meinhardt.
Ulrike Helmholz had developed performances, parallely to her exhibitions and musical work in bands, just as she had already done in the formation "Just music", in which influences of music and art were accentuated differently. Various invitations followed by the academy of arts in Stuttgart and Munich. Several video-projects followed.
A major influence of all these years has been her work, as musician and singer, with and for Japanese Butoh dancer Mitsutaka Ishii, a close companion of the founder of that form of dancing, Hijikata. In 2004 several performances were given due to exhibitions about Hijikata, which was initiated by the ifa gallery in the Kulturverein, Stuttgart in cooperation with the ifa gallery of Bonn. Right before the millenium however, she was invited guest singer on Faust’s record-release "Ravivando“, for which a release concert was given in Queen Elisabeth Hall, in London.
Other artists she worked with were Otomo Yoshihide, David Moss, Elliot Sharp, Lauren Newton, Franz Hautzinger and Hilary Jeffery. During the past years she went on to new grounds as theatre musician and composer for theatre music. Having co-founded the socio-cultural centre "Sudhaus", many years ago, she established "Something noise", improvised noise music concerts and events, which went on for 10years. As a consequence that was also the name of her radio feature in the "Freien Radio Wüste Welle", which is planned and commented by her.
For many years now, she’s been giving vocal education in her studio, and Workshops for various institutes.
Ralf Meinz:
Contact: Ralf_Meinz@gmx.de
- 1968 born in Munich, Ralf Meinz became a drummer and played in miscellaneous bands
in Munich, among other things with Freddy's Fat Bag, a prosperous funk band.
- Completed Dante Agostini Drummers School.
- 1989 moves to Stuttgart. In the sound-studio “Zucker Fabrik” (sugar-factory) he begins
an education as a sound-engineer.
- Parallel to it drama-instruction of Willi Lieverscheid and Gerald Ettwein of the”Lindenhof Theater”.
- Six years with a free theatre-group with appearances in the
entire German-language area.
- Also in this time: Composition and vocals at the band “City Center Love”.
- Miscellaneous productions, club-gigs, tours with CCL and productions out of the sugar-
factory.
- As a sound-engineer and producer responsible e.g. for “Band from Utopia” ex.
Zappa band Members, “Muffin Men” feat. Ike Willis, “Railway”, and tons of other bands.
- Established Label “Candy Records” and “Wunder” publishing house. Muffin Records became the European Label for Zappa music.
- In1990-1994 started with avant-garde and free improvised music also contemporary music as a drummer and also as a sound-engineer.
- Since 1996 resident in Tübingen, two years as sound and theatre-technician in the “Zimmertheater”.
- 1996 formation of “Chamber of Art”, a project for electronic music with
German lyric texts.
- 2000 member of “N.I.E.T”. (new improviser ensemble Tübingen), as a Drummer.
- Since 1998 in the “Theaterhaus Stuttgart” responsible for the sound department.
- Cooperation in the event-row “Something Noise” in the “Sudhaus” Tübingen.
- Musician in miscellaneous projects e.g. for “Just Music”, or with Elliott Sharp
in the framework of Something Noise.
- Since 2001 member of “Zeitkratzer” working for the formation as a sound artist.
- Together with “Zeitkratzer” and Lou Reed: ”Metal Machine Music” in Berlin, Venice
- 2004/2005 “Zeitkratzer” productions Xenakis (a) live and Metal Machine Music
mixed stereo and 5.1 surround for Asphodel Records in San Francisco MMM together with Lou Reed
- 2005 trio “Ausweis” with Ulrike Helmholz and Pit Schmidt.
- also works with ZKR/Lee Renaldo, Faust, Hilary Jeffery, Franz Hautzinger, Patrick Pulsinger, ...
- 2006/7/8 works with Berkan Karpat, Reinhold Friedl, Zeitkratzer, Marc Weiser (Rechenzentrum), Maurice de Martin, Franz Hautzinger, Hilary Jeffery
Pit Schmidt :
Contact: pit.sch@gmx.de
1958 birth in Tübingen
.i get ski goggles with orange examination, the first filter.
1970 I study classic saxophone with Karin Rusher.
.while driving through the morning traffic, I think resistance is an important topic
1981 the energy of punk and freejazz leaves obeys
.a cactus in the desert of Nevada teaches me about ambience.
1983 foundation of “Just Music” with the performance-artist Ulrike Helmholz
and the painter Koho Mori
1986 my daughter Anouk was born.
1987 I begin to work with loops, whose concatenation I call "killing tapes"
1989 I hang myself on the building of the tübinger culture-office and play saxophone, the performance is called templedome, Just Music belongs to the originator-generation of the sociocultural center “Sudhaus”, I become bookkeeper, technician, organizer and chief-manager of the gastronomy
1992 begin of “Something Noise” concert-row, that devotes itself to the improvising avant-garde.
.we play with big daddy David Moss and fail.
1994 the tübinger “Zimmertheater” looks for a technician. I read the application, reach for the phone and learn to love the theater.
1998 collaboration in the free radio “Wüste Welle”.
2000 bandwi(d)th Munich, I work together with the electronic musician Ralf Steinbrüchl.
.the local impro-heroes play together with Eliott Sharp his piece “Syndakit”, our clocks tick more slowly than in New York, it seems. The computer becomes a musical instrument.
2002 “Kopf Ab”, spoken word with the guitarist Thomas Maos and the poet Stephan Turowski.
.I shift into Stuttgarts “Theaterhaus”.
2004 Mrs. H bakes an apple-pie, Mr. S. listens, performance with Angelika Höckner.
2005 teaching-job at the state academy of fine arts of the city of Stuttgart .
.with the drummer Ralf Meinz and Ulrike Helmholz founding of the band “Ausweis”
2006 in Uganda, an exciting mono / stereo-discourse is happening.
to be updated soon...