lsbTV@674FM
Broadcasted live from the Studios of 674FM in Cologne
Focusing on audio and visual live sets in front of audience and supplemented by artist interviews.
30.11.2023 / 20h CET
Concert: Pondskater
Live-Visuals: Tasso Treis
Hosted by Bob Humid
31.10.2023 / 20h CET
Concert: GRAY
Live-Visuals: GRAY
Hosted by Kai Niggemann
30.05.2023 / 20h CET
Concert: Luis Reich
Live-Visuals: VJ Dioptrien
Hosted by Numinos
29.04.2023 / 20h CET
Concert: The Rorschach Garden
Live-Visuals: AJ Polonia
Hosted by Moogulator
about
artists &
hosts
30.11.2023
Foto by Heike Kurth
Pondskater
The music scene is rich with experiments that expand and redefine the soundscape. In this world of constant creative flow, the Düsseldorf musician Axel Ganz, known as Pondskater, attracts special attention. Since 2019, he has been delving into the realms of live coding, where writing source code does not happen behind the scenes but in the spotlight – a practice that unites performance, music, and programming in a unique dialogue.
Pondskater stands out from the crowd by bringing the creative process of coding onto the stage and offering the audience a direct insight by projecting his monitor. This transparency is an elemental part of his performance and creates a connection between the artist and the audience that is unparalleled in electronic music. In collaboration with Düsseldorf artist Katja Stuke, additional visual layers are created, enriching the experience by adding another dimension.
Pondskater’s current program is a kaleidoscope of electronic music that ranges from downbeat to rhythmically complex structures. His compositions, sometimes drifting into dark realms, are characterized by a deep groove. Melodic elements, on the other hand, cite African and Asian influences and weave a net of overlaid patterns that ensnare the listener without ever touching the dance floor.
Ganz, born in 1965 in Gelsenkirchen, has a rich musical past dating back to the 1980s when he was active in various music projects and bands. His artistic journey has led him through the world of film music for short and experimental films and to renowned theaters like the Düsseldorf Schauspielhaus and the Theaterhaus Gessnerallee in Zurich.
Since 2009, he has been navigating the world of algorithmic music production and releases music under the name Pondskater that explores the experimental and electronic horizon. In 2018, he co-founded „Toplap Düsseldorf,“ a local network dedicated to generative art and algorithmic music. Here, he creates a framework for artists to connect and further develop the art form through concerts and workshops.
Axel Ganz, who lives between Düsseldorf and Telavi in Georgia, is more than just a musician. He is a pioneer, a sound researcher who bridges the digital and musical worlds. His work is an impressive testament to how music and code can form a new language that speaks to both the mind and the soul. Pondskater is not just a name on a poster but a promise for an experience where the boundaries between the creator and the receiver of music blur and where every tone, every line of code becomes part of a larger, pulsating narrative.
Foto by Unknown
Tasso Treis
In the throbbing corridors of Cologne’s club scene, where visuals and music merge in harmonious symbiosis, a name has established itself as synonymous with visual avant-garde: Okinawa69. With a solid education in graphic and motion design at the prestigious Ecosign Academy in Cologne, Tasso Treis has developed an aesthetic vision that goes far beyond the ordinary.
His art, a fusion of graphic precision and kinetic poetry, quickly found its way to creating iconic visuals for the Cologne music label Kompakt. This collaboration spawned a unique visual vocabulary that translates the minimalist essence of techno and ambient into pulsating imagery.
Tasso Treis, a visionary in the world of moving images, also became a founding member of Bandbreite e.V. Here, he created a VJ festival in collaboration with c/o pop, supported by the Kulturstiftung NRW and the Federal Cultural Foundation. This platform became a catalyst for visual artists to explore innovative connections between graphic design, motion pictures, and music.
The reputation of his expertise and artistic expression has brought Tasso Treis to some of the world’s trendiest festivals – from DGTL to melt! and Lighthouse, to sound:frame, Coachella, and Straf∆Werk. His role as a Resident VJ has given these events a distinctive visual identity that remains etched in the memory of festival-goers.
His international presence was further strengthened through cooperation with the Goethe Institute, which brought him to global platforms and enabled intercultural dialogue through the universal language of visuals. Tasso Treis has not only left a lasting impression at festivals but also in the prestigious context of the New National Gallery Berlin with the live visuals installation „mp7 live media club“ and as Artist in Residence at the MuseumsQuartier Vienna.
In the vibrant nightlife of Cologne, Tasso Treis is a staple at Club Gewölbe, where as a Resident VJ, he transforms nights into an immersive journey through light and shadow. His contributions to visual culture have been recognized by de:bug music magazine, which listed him among the top 20 VJs.
Not only on dance floors but also on tours, Tasso Treis has created customized visuals for acts such as SuperMayer, Robin Schulz, and Boys Noize, turning the music into a visual spectacle. His visual DVD releases on the VMS label demonstrate his ability to weave narrative strands into moving images.
Recognition of his work and influence is also felt in academia, where he serves as a guest lecturer at Alanus University, passing on his experiences and insights to a new generation of creatives. Thanks to the scholarship program 2020-22 of the Ministry for Culture and Science of the state of NRW, Tasso Treis can continue to advance his research and practice, redefining the limits of what is visually possible.
Foto by Mick Irmer
Bob Humid
As a producer, DJ, sound designer, and lecturer, he is dedicated to Electro and Techno – danceable, experimental, and always with a finger on the pulse of the UK Bass & Breaks, Dubstep, and Drum ’n‘ Bass scenes. In his role as a mastering engineer, he also shares his profound knowledge with peers, most recently at the Tonmeistertagung 2021 in Düsseldorf.
Robert Edwin Feuchtl Mato, the civic name of Bob Humid, bears in his name the traces of his origin – Montevideo. It is this South American root that perhaps gave him the restlessness that, spurred by the heat of his hometown, drives him through the world of sounds and beats.
In Cologne, a city known for its musical diversity, Humid is celebrated as „the good conscience of the Cologne electronic scene“ or even as an „Electro-Dandy.“ His style, which shines both in the studio and on stage, blurs the boundaries between genres. With his distinctive edge and an eye for the extraordinary, he has made a name for himself not only in clubs and on stages but also behind the scenes as a co-organizer of the event „Lights! Lights!“
Humid’s creative impulses are not confined to local events. Through the LSB-TV-Cologne sessions, he has exported his talent and vision to the Berlin TV landscape. His latest musical releases show the range of his work: „Fresh From The Fight“ and „Der schreiende Ast,“ both released in 2021, are testimonies to his artistic aspiration and experimental nature.
His remix E.P. „The Material – DE RE MIXES“ is an audiovisual statement that critically engages with contemporary issues – a tour de force in terms of sound and concept. Humid is an artist who understands how to combine political awareness with musical innovation.
His musical journey began in 1989 with Synthpop and Industrial influences, and soon his song „Rosehead“ became a cult classic. The turning point came with the „Second Summer of Love,“ when Bob was inspired by the breakbeats of DJ Bleed. What followed was an ode to rave – a triumphal procession through the underground clubs, which are unimaginable without him.
His label Serve & Destroy Records, founded as a counterpoint to Cologne’s 4/4 dominance, solidified his reputation as an innovator. His debut „Twisted Repairs/Despairs“ was a departure to new shores in Drum’n’Bass, and with „Second Wind Phenomenon“ he set new standards in electronic music production. Celebrities like John Peel and Mary Anne Hobbs paid him tribute by playing his tracks on BBC Radio One.
The Corona pandemic may have slowed many artists down, but for Bob Humid it was a time of focus and creation. His upcoming album „GRAVITY IS YOUR FRIEND“ is eagerly awaited, and he is already offering glimpses into this promising project on tour. Live, he interweaves the traces of his best productions into new electronic dance music genres, always with respect for the experiment, without disrupting the flow of the dance.
31.10.2023
Foto by Wolfgang Hansen
GRAY
GRAY is a project by Cologne-based electronic music producer and designer Stefanie Grawe, who works at the intersection of design, music and technology. She produces me-lancholic electronica and uses somber melodic pads and broken drum rhythms to create atmospheric soundscapes that trigger or engage a sensory experience beyond pure music.
Her Debut EP »Dialogue Systems« is available since February 2022. For her first single »Fractal« a remix collaboration between GRAY and unique electronic music producer Jerrilynn Patton, better known as Jlin, came to light as well as a collaboration with producer, drummer and synth enthusiast Frieder Vogel for her EP title track.
GRAY produced the song »540°« (2020) for the exhibition »Design Group Pentagon« at the Museum of Applied Arts Cologne, which was released on a limited vinyl edition in collabo-ration with the museum and the Kompakt Records label, along with the work of producers Thomas Fehlmann, Justus Köhncke and The Bionaut. She has also already released the remix »Light Is Winning« for Natalie TBA Beridze (2016) on the Monika Enterprise label. She played at festivals like Timcheh Electronic Music Festival, c/o Pop festival, Cologne Music Week, KI Biennale, Not Human Art Week and was also the opening act for the band Battles. GRAY continues to be active in the »female:pressure« network and studies at the Folkwang Institute for Pop Music.
Foto by Klaus Homan
Kai Niggemann
Kai Niggemann (he/him) is a versatile composer, producer, and sound designer from Cologne. He composes and creates using both analog and digital means, primarily with the Buchla 200e synthesizer. His focus in music is on developing a language of timbre and the movement of sound in space, for example, through the use of multi-speaker setups.
Kai performs solo and in bands and projects, composes music for musical theater, dance, and other performing arts, as well as radio plays and radio. He is part of the label for New Music Theater Paradeiser Productions, a member of the Jazz/Kraut/Noise collective The Dorf, and one half of the duo „Dunkelwellen.“ He produces „Radio Oracle“ (on 674FM), a show about radio plays, features, music theater, and sound art. He tours and performs in Germany, Europe, the USA, and Japan. His productions are released on labels such as eMergency hEarts (USA), Ante Rasa (Belgium), Kalakuta Soul (DE), Component Recordings (USA), as well as his own label WAF80music (DE).
30.05.2023
Foto by Franzi Schardt
Luis Reich
The Cologne-based ambient artist Luis Reich gives a whole new meaning to the concept of „space“. The focus of his artistic creation is his fascination for generous sound and time spaces, which he explores and expresses through innovative music techniques such as echo and reverb effects, loop sequences, and the impressive imperfection of analog sound recording.
His current program „Dort“ embodies these fascinating soundscapes in an impressive way. By employing his live played flugelhorn, Reich breaks through the flowing space-time axes of his performances, anchoring them impressively in the here and now.
Reich has a preference for playing in large halls, where he demonstrates a deep commitment to sound beauty and reduction with his music. Characteristic of his unique ambient sound are the flugelhorn, a Seaboard, and a carefully selected chain of effects.
Foto by Unknown
VJ Dioptrien
Markus Becker, also known as VJ Dioptrien, is especially known for his visual performances featuring unconventional picture contexts. Since 2013, he has been a staple of the „Basswerk“ crew, an event series by Heiner „Greenmann“ Kruse. Following that, VJ Dioptrien began appearing as a VJ at notable events in the Drum’n’Bass scene such as Quake, Pathfinder, Coma Breaks, and Dfrnt. This was followed by numerous performances at various events by Flex Records, at the London club „The Cube Project“, Zugvögel Festival in Tenerife, Zugvögel Festival Nord in Eifel, the Open-air Short Film Festival, Syneasthesia Festival in Cologne, and on Open Day at the Düsseldorf Academy of Art. In 2019, he worked with the photographer Elliot Landy to performatively design the „Elliott Landy’s Woodstock Exhibition“ in the Nuremberg St. Edigien Church.
Foto by Katja Ruge
Numinos
Numinos serves as a lecturer at the Institute for Pop Music at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Bochum. As a producer, live artist, DJ, mastering engineer, equipment tester, and author for various publications (including Groove, Bonedo, Kopfhoerer.de), he has nearly 35 years of overview on technological and stylistic developments and knows all the steps of production in detail.
30.05.2023
Foto by Unknown
The Rorschach Garden
The musical project of the talented artist Philipp Münch, The Rorschach Garden, has undergone an astonishing musical evolution since its inception in 1987. Starting without a fixed style, the project has developed over the years into an important representative of Minimal Synth Pop music.
In the 90s, The Rorschach Garden deeply rooted itself in the emerging tape scene and developed its distinctive style. Since the early 2000s, the project has been a direct member of the Ant-Zen label and has released several singles and CD albums. Even today, Münch continues to release digitally on Bandcamp and reissues old tapes in new formats.
Live performances are an essential part of the project, with Münch being accompanied by his impressive groove box. The blend of modern and classic melodies he presents offers the audience the bittersweet pleasure of his unique music. The Rorschach Garden stands out through its artistic vision and distinctive style in the ever-growing world of electronic music.
The Rorschach Garden is a shining example of how musical ideas can evolve and transform over time, and remains an important contribution to the musical landscape.
The Rorschach Garden has taken an amazing musical journey through space and time throughout its career. The project has evolved from its humble beginnings into an important representative of Minimal Synth Pop music and remains a solid fixture in the electronic music scene.
Foto by Uli Sigg
AJ Polonia
AJ Polonia is an artist who uses a unique combination of street art and traditional media to create impressive artworks. With her distinctive blend of freehand drawings, stencils, and spray paint, she has developed a style characterized by vibrant colors, playful shapes, and a touch of humor.
The inspiration for AJ Polonia’s art comes from a variety of sources, including comic books, cartoons, and graffiti culture.
AJ Polonia’s works have been featured in various art exhibitions, galleries, and events throughout Germany and Europe. She has also collaborated with other artists, musicians, and authors to create stunning performances. Her works have been showcased in various media and even used for commercial purposes such as advertising campaigns.
In addition to her street art, AJ Polonia has also produced a series of digital paintings, animated web art, site-specific installations, and live performances in collaboration with Uli Sigg. Together, they form the artist duo Catag and create artworks that blur the boundaries between traditional media and digital art.
Foto by Unknown
Moogulator
Moogulator (formerly known as Consequence) is not only a writer and expert in synthesizer technology and music but also a gifted live performer. He co-founded the live and film soundtrack group dAdA-iNN and has also performed solo on stage under the name Moogulator.
With his fascinating sounds and beats, Moogulator manages to stand out from other performers in the genre. His live performances are anything but traditional and create an atmosphere that captivates the audience. With his flashing electronic instruments, each performance is designed differently and everything is genuinely created live. One can see nimble hands and a guy as if thousands of nano-robots were working inside him. Bleep! Pling! Brittle! Daredevil men like Gerd Fröbe at the sizzling boxes.
Moogulator was musically influenced in the 70s and 80s and is a self-taught musician with a side entry in piano, the first affordable computers, and electronics. His musical repertoire includes art, film sound, club, and concert performances of various kinds, from strictly composed to freely improvised.
As the operator of a musician/synthesizer web community and a paper magazine, Moogulator is also a synthesizer specialist and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. He often plays with others, shaping his live dates with solo and collaborative performances.
His ability to compose and perform music in various ways is impressive and makes him an essential contribution to the electronic music scene.
With his passion for synthesizer technology and music, Moogulator has made an impressive career as a writer, performer, and synthesizer specialist.
