Markus Popp
Oval and beyond.
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- Markus Popp’s now legendary early album releases sent shockwaves through the“electronica” landscape in the late 1990’s—introducing a unique, new sound and digitalproduction aesthetic. With an undeniable instinct for the pleasantly irritating, the drasticand the dreamy, Popp pioneered “glitch” and “clicks & cuts”, inspiring and provoking anentire generation of musicians to this day.After a long hiatus, Oval is back, changing the game all over again with a new,groundbreaking “hyperreal” style and no less than 150+ compelling tracks, spanning twoEPs (Oh EP and Oval/Liturgy split EP), two double CDs/DVDs (O and OvalDNA) as well as abrand new, surprise collaboration album (Calidostópia!) - proving him as one of the prolific and influential forces in contemporary electronic music, a true visionary of digital audio and beyond.PAST ACHIEVEMENTSThe distinctive, organic appeal of Popp’s 1990s tracks, remixes and albums are regarded aswatershed moments for the genre: timeless, haunting classics, earning him critical acclaimall over the world and an occasional media/art award here and there.Popp has continuously refined his instantly recognizable, signature style in numerousmusical collaborations, most notably with the long-running projects MICROSTORIA (duowith Mouse On Mars’ Jan St. Werner) and SO (with Japanese songwriter extraordinaireEriko Toyoda). Popp has also worked for/with: Björk, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Apparat,Tortoise, Mouse on Mars, Warren Suicide, Squarepusher, Jim O’Rourke, Pizzicato 5, GastrDel Sol etc.Newer additions to Popp’s portfolio are audio for film, installation art, dance andinteractive media. He designed his own music software (Ovalprocess, his interactiveaudio installation platform, won Prix Ars Electronica), contributed a secret bonus stage toTetsuya Mitsuguchi’s visionary video game REZ (Sega/Sony) as well as original sound trackwork for contemporary dance pieces and for several art house movies and TV commercials(Armani, Comme Des Garcons, Prada, Harmony Korine, Amberley Productions and MasakoTanaka).Over the course of many lectures, workshops and presentations, Popp has shared hiscreative vision with topics ranging from today’s digital audio workflow and open source tointeractive design and video games.A NEW OVAL SOUND—HE ONLY CHANGED EVERYTHINGIn 2010, the Oh EP and the subsequent Double-CD O (both on Chicago-based Thrill JockeyRecords) opened an exciting new chapter in Popp’s ongoing critical dialog with music. Thisstriking, 101-track extravaganza was a radical departure: as before, Oval was challengingmusic-as-we-know-it, but now things were happening on music’s own turf.Out of nowhere, Popp debuted as a studio producer of unexpected versatility beyond theelectronic music arena. O—which received a honorary mention by the Prix Ars Electronica2011—is a wild ride: exploring a wide spectrum from delicate, sophisticated pop vignettesto brutally torn, electro-acoustic riffing full of angular, colliding guitar work accompaniedby “free”, yet ultra-precise acoustic “live” drumming.This new, post-2010 Oval sound is a celebration of the next level of skill and sensibilityin contemporary music: handcrafted polyrhythmic phrases, riffs and structures, bristlingwith tiny resonances and detail—adding up to fluid, timeless tunes that are effortlesslytraversing rhythms, scales and harmonies while always remaining compact and catchy.And despite its picturesque, accessible “songwriter 2.0” trappings, O is by no means arevisionist, kitschy “love letter to music”.OvalDNA (2012), Popp’s 35-track, opus magnum-esque, two-disc (CD + DVD-ROM)multimedia release is taking things to the next level: OvalDNA is part rarities-compilation(featuring previously unreleased and hard-to-find tracks from 1993–2010), part open sourcemanifesto (the DVD-ROM contains a sound file library of 2000+ original source clips)—plusOval’s “lost” 2007 album, a professional video documentary, music videos, liner notes,ten bonus tracks and a new piece of music productivity software. OvalDNA has instantlyreceived very favorable reviews worldwide, has been proclaimed “best new reissue” byPitchfork.com and has won the prestigious 2013 QWARTZ-Award.Popp’s newest work, Calidostópia!, supported by Goethe Institutes and cultural foundationof the state of Bahia, is the result of a 10-day, blind-date-esque studio session withseven young, talented singers from all over South America and was recorded in SalvadorDe Bahia/Brazil. Rapid prototyping + unlimited enthusiasm + working in three shifts =metamelomusical supermerger. Popp came to Brazil with tons of released as well asunreleased material—and returned home with dozens of all-new, beautiful songs. Best ofall, Calidostópia! is a free, legal download from www.markuspopp.me.In an age of fiddling with frequencies, Markus Popp keeps on reinventing music—merginguncompromising high tech with compelling musicality: distinctly doing his own thing, yetalways enthusiastically dealing with the “now”.
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- Huge Oval Bandcamp b-day sale...just a few more hours left - 50% off everything, including vinyl! Ovalprocess LP: 5€, VOA premium 180g vinyl edition: 6.50€! Just enter "ovalbday" at checkout - enjoy! https://oval.bandcamp.com/
- Thank you so much for all the birthday wishes! Here's a 50% discount on *everything* in my Bandcamp store for the next 48 hours. Just enter "ovalbday" at checkout - enjoy! https://oval.bandcamp.com/
- Alright, so what did I do with the long, grey Berlin winter? Two album masters are on their way to labels. Plus a new, completely different 60-minute live set (90s glitch-era Oval revisited + beats!?!, WIP). Not bad for a guy who was, like, almost dead a year ago.
- In the last 3 months, I delivered remixes for Mouse On Mars (DE), Spartak (AU), Kukangendai (JP), CYLS (CH, x2) and Aunt Dracula (US). That was really fun. Now, give me something to do for the long, grey Berlin winter!
- Check out "ARC", my brand new, 8-channel sound installation piece at SA))_gallery in Moscow until Nov 16th! http://soundartist.ru/shows-gallery-ovalarc-2014/
- Very happy to announce that I will open "SA))_gallery" in Moscow (the 1st of its kind in Russia) on Oct 22nd with a brand new, 36-minute, 8-channel installation piece. http://gallery.soundartist.ru/
- Fukuoka was fun: fantastic venue (the local opera house's "studio space") plus a very nice bill and turnout. And that monster typhoon turned out to be a total non-issue. Wait - the bullet train was seven minutes late (announced by a devastated train conductor over the train PA in a panic-stricken voice). Now, there is a disaster. Also, two abandoned, shattered umbrellas were spotted, left/lying *in the middle of the street*, imagine that.
- Sometimes the most bizarrely chaotic circumstances produce some true musical magic. Big props to Mr. Ametsub for this duo set last night in Tokyo - an amazing crash course in impromtu awesomeness and keeping calm in all this mayhem. http://www.drizzlecat.org
- Thank you, Kyoto! You guys made me run out of tracks to play. OK, I just checked into the venue of tonight's Tokyo show (Oval vs. Ametsub). On the plus side: Club SEGA Akihabara is around the corner. A little less exciting: it's a...high school rave?
- Fantastic audience last night in Tokyo, especially when considering the all-new sound/live set. And those tapes sold out in minutes. Talking about taking Japan by...erm...storm...and I thought playing Kiev this December would be my biggest adventure this year.
- Great, these arrived just in time for my first show: "September", a Japan-/tour-exclusive, 8-track *tape*. (For all you others, I might have a little something on Bandcamp soon).
- TONIGHT Oval@Tokyo, Tsutaya O-nest, Doors 7 PM, Oval 8:30 PM. So I got a few more hours to steer my live set away from "Massive Attack reunion tour 2021 warm-up tape"...
- OK, Tokyo, let's talk. (At DOMMUNE@ 3331 Arts Chiyoda at 9 PM, I'll play some music, too).
- Oval Japanese tour dates 2014: Oct 9th Tokyo, DOMMUNE @ 3331 Arts Chiyoda ("Oval Talk") Oct 10th Tokyo, Tsutaya O-nest Oct 11th Kyoto, Club Metro Oct 12th Tokyo, DOMMUNE @ 3331 Arts Chiyoda (Collaborative concert w. Ametsub) Oct 13th Fukuoka, Acros Fukuoka Arena Hall
- Brand new live set. Bringing my A game for this one. Check out my next two albums as WIP. Themes I kept on my drive for years for "this special occasion" + stuff that I made on the train to the venue = my 2014 take on musical tropes like the guitar improvisation, the 27 Hz sub bass, the ghost snare, the...Schubert Lied?!?
- About that "cinematic sound"...as we all know, something's never great when you know that it's great, so all I'll say is: imagine Oval playing Yann Thiersen & Massive Attack? Sounds like David Brent's "I fused Flashdance with MC Hammer sh*t", doesn't it? And yet...Anyway, I'll bring it to a stage near you pretty soon, for example to Essen. Germany on October 3rd: http://denovali.com/swingfest/essen/
- Remember Oval, the musical act? Yeah, it's been a while. OK, THIS OCTOBER: all-new, "cinematic" sound, all-new, 18+ track live set, Japanese tour + limited edition 8-track tour-exclusive tape. Also, an album that will finally manage to confuse everyone...in a nice way. Dates, specs, tracks, download links soon.
- TONIGHT Oval@vs.interpretation Festival in Prague, Czech Republic. Workshop 3PM, live set 9 PM.
- Cool! VOA is now also officially distributed in the US (via Thrill Jockey Records). Order now, very limited quantities! http://www.thrilljockey.com/thrill/Oval/VOA
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Albums
- 18 tracks
Buy*BANDCAMP EXCLUSIVE* - digital version includes "Voa" music video (720p, mp4), directed by Darko Dragičević! After its critically acclaimed (and massively downloaded) sister album Calidostópia! (released in March 2013), VOA is the true next step for the collaboration of electronic music legend Markus Popp aka Oval with several wonderful singers/musicians from all over South America. VOA offers the previously unreleased “A“-selection of recordings from those legendary Salvador da Bahia sessions plus brand new Oval material - adding up to an 18-track metamelomusical supermerger, chock full of genre-defying, mesmerizing songs and haunting, sensual melodies that does not cease to surprise. From the chilling vocals and multilayered guitar excursions of Agustín Albrieu to Aiace’s sensual, radiant folklore style, from Hana Kobayashi’s inventive pop sensibilities to Maité Gadea’s earthy, soulful interpretations of two classics from the Oval guitar songbook of the future. Also, the pleasantly unpredictable avant-pop quirkyness of Laptop songwriter Andrés Gualdrón. All this adds up to a pretty wild ride - and in a seemingly effortless, strangely organic way. And what Dandara does to these two songs can only be described as magical. They are also featured in an enchanting music video with breathtaking performances by actresses Ursula Doll and Daniela Lucato, directed by filmmaker/visual artist Darko Dragičević (of Oval’s “Ah!” music video fame). This album is a true next-gen experience, a celebration of musicality evolved - it takes the hyperreal, hi-impact songwriting of the new Oval sound to a new level, resulting in a unique, intensely emotional style that none of both parties involved would have ever come up with on their own…VOA is like a sky with two suns, a musical asterisk that points straight into the unknown.-
Drift (feat. Agustín Albrieu)04:23
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01:21
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01:30
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02:16
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01:28
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-dor02:12
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01:34
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Credit Line (feat. Andrés Gualdrón)02:08
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01:48
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Heroic (feat. Dandara)02:34
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Oslo (feat. Hana Kobayashi)01:18
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-eza01:42
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03:52
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Flageo (feat. Aiace)01:36
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-ismo01:54
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01:00
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Habitat (feat. Maité Gadea)01:55
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02:04
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