Releases – Press clippings – Media

The Greatest Hits
superpolar Taïps, June 2022, cassette tape + digital 

„Die gesammelten Werke des Duos Klaus C. Niebuhr & Wilfried Schmitz aus den Jahren 2002 bis 2004, nicht ganz ernst als „The Greatest Hits“ veröffentlicht, liefern einen wunderbaren akustischen Einblick in eine Zeit, als sich abseits des Berliner Indie-Mainstreams überall in der BRD seltsame kleine Zellen bildeten, die eigenwillige, geniale Homerecording-Musik realisierten.“
— Lars Fleischmann, taz Musik, 23. September 2022

„There are thirteen pieces of music on this cassette, and they are all, one way or another, inspired by the world of pop music and techno, but they arrive at crossroads of that and meet some more abstract sounds. Spacious dream pop, if you will, but with a lot more happening in the rhythm department. Each song (I am sure they’d prefer that over ‚piece‘) has a couple of lovely melodies and hooks, but also elements from the world of electro-acoustic, with goofy samples and loops. A most enjoyable release! The music is very laid back, and only ‚Plukatan‘ has vocals. They give another dimension to the music; I imagine this sort of vocals would bring the music to a broader audience. It may not do that when it’s all instrumental. But as someone who is never too fond of vocals, I love this all the same (and more!)“
— F. De Waard, Vital Weekly 1340, 14 June 2022

„Mongo gushing sophistipop nuggets for the hi-fi. An unexpected delight from the geniuses of superpolar Taïps.“
— Tabs Out Cassette Podcast, 23 January 2023Top 200 Tapes Of 2022 (Pos. 65)

Die Lehre vom Großen Rad (nach Dr. Borst)
Learning by Listening Vol. 8, Strategic Tape Reserve, June 2022, cassette tape + digital

Eine Audioproduktion des Hörbuch-Verlags Schmitz & Niebuhr, 2022.
Musik und Text: Schmitz & Niebuhr 
Sprecher: Lothringer 
Produktion: Schmitz & Niebuhr 
Label: Strategic Tape Reserve

Orgelqualität
self-released, Der kleine grüne Würfel, CD + digital, released 2005/2008

„Schmitz & Niebuhr are interested in ambitious, large pop music as well as in minimal music, soundtracks, lo-fi sounddesign and cheesy 80ies presets. The production of their album ‘Orgelqualität’ took almost two years – in an almost evolutionary process they recorded the musical pieces by constantly recording, remixing, deleting and re-recording basic audio tracks as well as sample fragments.“ (Label info)

You will listen to a variety sounds ranging from Glockenspiel, Saxophone, Field recordings and phone voices to Cello, Stylophon, Kalimba, cross flute, short wave radio chatter to elaborated analogue and digital Electronica. Musical elements that which are disparate but get together well and form extraordinary tracks.“ (Label info)
— Editor’s note: Most tracks are to be found in a remastered version on ‚The Greatest Hits“.

Xirnos (Edit)
Various Artists: Blackbox, Autopilot Music Publishing/Emphase Records, 2005, CD
Autopilot Music - Blackbox compilation

„This well balanced mix of timeless instrumental pieces and songs is the first autopilot compilation that was available in record stores. It works like a good mixtape and was made for both usage in film, tv, radio and internet and for home listening.“
Autopilot Music Publishing, Berlin

Geheime Reise
Various Artists: Edition Blechluft 3. 2005, CD

Eine Kompilation des Blecheimer & Luftpumpe Magazins mit Schmitz & Niebuhr, Kajak, Einen Sommer, Die Rote Gerda, Die Busfahrer, Krank, Ullip, Van Zoyd und Rockformation Diskokugel.

Gute Unterhaltung! / Pops
Various Artists: Klingende Blechluft in Siedlungsgebieten. Ein Blechluft/Frische Ernte Produkt, June 2003

Ein Sampler des Blecheimer & Luftpumpe / Blechluft Magazins mit Geräuschen, Sprache und Musik von Terminus B, Schmitz & Niebuhr, Brandstifter, Suetterlin, Felix Kubin & Guenter Reznicek, Gassenhauer, Blockflötenterroristen, Ullip, The Sounds Of Bamberg, The Ernst Neger Revival Band (from Chicago), Reisefön, Ullip vs. Gaukeli, A.K.Economo, Butzmann/Putsch/Crash/Gaukeli.

Obskure Geräuschmusik trifft auf Elektropop, ambiente Elektronika, Field Recordings, Punk, New Wave … mit teils neuen, teils noch aus der 80er-Jahre-Tapeszene oder den Neunzigern stammenden Tracks so illustrer Gestalten wie Kubin & Reznicek (Radio Gagarin), Alexander Kunz aka A.K. Economo (Booksports, Entenpfuhl), Ulli Putsch aka Ullip (S.Y.P.H., Bit’s), Terminus B (Alterflow), Gassenhauer (Hirsch Rec.) uvm. Zeitlose Musik.

Schabau (Stylo) 
Various Artists: ononone. Emphase Records, March 2003, CD

Superuser
Self released, CD+MP3, 2001

„Es ist wie immer ganz einfach. Das schöne Leben ergibt sich aus der Abkehr vom Ergebnis und der Hinwendung zum Prozess: Künstlerische Wertsteigerung durch Konzentration auf das Wesentliche statt maximaler Effektorientierung und verspielter Digitalität. Formanz reduziert sich unter dieser Maßgabe selbst; das Wesentliche kommt leicht zum Ausdruck, weil sich alle tragenden Teile ihrer selbst bewusst sind. Kein Minimal-Gedanke, trotzdem nicht, weil ein weiter Raum verkündet wird – aber eben nur mit leise instrumentiertem Atem. Dieses Atmen des Pultes ist warm und umfassend, der Beat bleibt ruhig bei seinen Leisten und im Zentrum verstrahlt ein zirkulierender Fünf-Töner das Wissen von einem kommenden Morgen. Wäre es gegen die Abmachung, mehr davon zu fordern?“ — Christian Weisz

Soloprojekte

bleed Air

bleed Air / Hualun (花伦) split- GhostEP / Dead Man. Cassette & Digital, 2023

“The music is both atmospheric and aggressive, although the bleeping strikes me as more ambient than kosmische. Either way, a cool tape.” 
Byron Coley in The Wire 475, September 2023 

“These two sides are, then, inextricably and umbilically linked. They both occupy a contemporary vantage point overlooking some of 1970s German electronic music’s finest moments, completely in tune with the sonic adventuring that the likes of Conrad Schnitzler and a select pioneering few bravely undertook.”
Mat Smith, Further. / Electronic Sound Mag

V.A.: Noise of Cologne 3

120 DEN / 7000 Eichen / Achim Mohné / Andreas O. Hirsch / Andreas Wagner / Andrés Quezada / Annie Bloch / Beate & Dietmar Bonnen / Bernd Härpfer / Bettina Wenzel / Bidisha Das / bleed Air / Bob Humid / C.C. Herman / chirp.crush / Claudia Robles-Angel / Clusterhead / COMBUSTION CONSTRUCTION / Croute / DANGOLOID / dennis aycicek / Echo Ho / Elisa Kühnl / Elisa Metz / Elisabeth Coudoux / EZB / Florian Zwißler / Frank Dommert / Friday Dunard / funfon / hans w. koch / Harald Sack Ziegler / Hye Young Sin / jeandado / Joel Jaffe / Julia Bünnagel / Justin / Kai Niggemann / Luís Antunes Pena / Marcus Schmickler / Martin Schmitz / Martin Weinreich / Menelaos Tomasides / Merzouga / Michael Peters / Mik Quantius / Miyake / MME dUO / Monoteur / Nathalie Brum / Neozaïre / Nils Quak / Numinos / Pedro A. Ramírez / Peter Simon / PVNCTVM / Ralf Schreiber / Roland Schappert / Roman Jungblut / Schlammpeitziger / Sebastian von der Heide / Shuoxin Tan / Siegfried Koepf / Simon Rummel / Stefan Haagen / TBZ / That Night / Therapeutische Hörgruppe / Titanoboa / Tobias Hartmann / Viola Klein / Volker Zander / Wolfram Wire

Supported by City of Cologne
Format: CD, Audio / Mastered by Picapau / Produced & Compiled by Dirk Specht and Frank Dommert / Liner Notes: Theresa Nink / Translation: Tom Asforth / Photography: Frank Dommert / Liner Notes: Theresa Nink.
Source: reihe-m.de

Various Artists: Athenian Truckstop Issue #4, Songs for Dreaming: Full Two-Body Problem

Abstruse Theories in Occult Christian Science (Learning by Listening Vol. 4), cassette EP & digital, 2021, Strategic Tape Reserve

five Bubble criteria ( a bleed Air side project) – VI (cassette EP & digital 2022)

„Five Bubble criteria deal in a kind of dissolving fantasy Americana built on twanging guitar lines that melt into broken AM radio white noise chatter. On „Reservoir“, the addition of a spoken narrative by Chip Perkins moves the sound away from abstract, doomy ambience towards denatured horror commentary, like a video game that has swapped the living dead for the citizens of Twin Peaks. As the record closes, its style changes again, „Vays-Rays“ concocting a wobbly jangle that sounds a bit like if Nouvelle Vague had covered the Smashing Pumpkins. If it’s completely odd, it’s also completely brilliant.“ 

(Spenser Tomson in The Wire, November 2022) 
www.instagram.com/p/CjTpuUzNfSB

bleed Air – time, ferocious (cassette album & digital, 2021)

bleed Air – Ogehiko (Cassette single & digital, 2021)

bleed Air – s/t (Cassette album & digital, 2020)

Ball Geographie

Hotline / Weltempfanger (Cassette single & digital)

Live at Budokan (Cassette & digital album, 2020)

Habuk (CD-R album, self-released, 2000)

Wilberg

Wilberg / Yref (Rainer Frey) split – Professor Stabroth Macht ein Nickerchen im Zug nach Bamberg) / La Salida (Split 7″ Single, Emphase Records, Emphasolo series, 2000)

http://www.emphaserecords.com/emphase.htm

Trovatello

Not at all

I had to let God in control of ALL things