Press
ENTRAINMENT – „ENTRAINMENT“
An extremely interesting bridge from jazz to post-rock: the Viennese trio ENTRAINMENT impressively demonstrates on their self-titled album, released on Freifeld Tonträger, how to take a seat between the chairs musically in an exciting way. [...] because basically, what they present has hardly anything to do with jazz.
Of course it is there and shimmers through again and again, but it does not play a decisive role in the trio's sound. It's more the rocking sounds that give the six numbers their note and set the direction. And this they do - and that's the beauty about it - in a very varied, playful and really beautiful way that spans different styles. [...]
Wide, calm, arcs of tension carried by gentle melodies or slowly building up over floating sound surfaces, meet quite violent and heavily riff-emphasized outbursts, which release their energy rhythmically, sometimes more, sometimes less complex, in an almost irrepressible way.
What David Gratzer, Philipp Kienberger and Valentin Duit really understand excellently is to set this diverse mixture vibrating and to transform it into an extraordinarily atmospheric affair. The band opens up spaces in which listeners can immerse themselves deeply; one feels invited to let oneself be drawn through the various chapters and to paint pictures of the events.
Entrainment show on their album that you can create something truly fascinating out of supposed opposites and tell exciting stories with music even without words. Conclusively, one can say that the Viennese band has succeeded in creating a really strong piece of music with “Entrainment”, one that grows more and more and gains in intensity from time to time. Really successful.
MICA – MUSIC information center AUSTRIA, Michael Ternai
Can music create knowledge? The music of David Gratzer (guitar), Philipp Kienberger (bass) and Valentin Duit (drums) goes into the head and from there it doesn't get out. [...] Familiar song patterns from rock and pop are contracted by sounds reminiscent of minimal techno. You can loose yourself in the soundscapes, in the meditative expanses as well as on the noisy peaks, which you approach on complex paths. Not surprisingly, these paths run in large parts of the world, for example in the Orient, the Middle East or Africa. [...] Excitement is therefore guaranteed, wherever the musical expedition of the Carinthian ensemble will lead in the future.
DIE BRÜCKE, Michael Herzog
Elements of post-rock, grunge, jazz, minimal music and noise are fused into a non-categorizable sound on “Entrainment”. David Gratzer often creates orchestral surfaces with his guitar (Zett), which, however, always have to give way to an earthy, dirty, distorted sound (Almost there). [...] The compositions seem strict and rhythmically complex, but also leave enough room for the three musicians to improvise. Repetitive patterns appear and disappear again, sometimes as a theme, sometimes as an accompaniment to improvisation by Gratzer or Duit, who spread their ideas over these sound carpets in great detail. [...] Next to the noise-riff ecstasy, there are very quiet, ambient-esque moments on this CD, for example “Bright Gloom”, which only gets a pinch of downtempo rock guitar at the very end. A record of contrasts that oscillates between full volume with a powerful sound and flat, calm, melodious passages.
CONCERTO-Magazin, Xavier Plus
Enfleurage - Around its Tail (Waschsalon Records)
[…] In this case, the organization is the musician collective Waschsalon, from whose midst generational comrades Anna Anderluh (voice, autoharp, live loops, effects), David Gratzer (guitar, live loops, effects) and Lukas Aichinger (percussion, gongs) create an aesthetic body of exciting improvisation for 70 minutes. Anderluh brings to this trio her abstract vocals, in which an often highly stretched melismatic melodic line, the phonetics of imagined languages, and a Dadaist syntax form a sparkling melange that is later developed by Gratzer's slow-building or riff-heavy electric guitar interventions and Aichinger's subtle percussion pulses and their clever use of a wide variety of distortions, extended techniques, and preparations.
CONCERTO-Magazin, dop
(Rating: 4 ½ out of 5 stars)
ENFLEURAGE – „AROUND ITS TAIL“
Music that develops into a real listening experience through its distinctly pictorial sound language - this is exactly what the Viennese trio ENFLEURAGE brings to life on a just released album "Around its Tail" (Waschsalon records). […]
Acting in the spirit of improvisation, the lustfully experimenting trio succeeds in eliciting something special from the concept of this musical form, an immensely atmospheric and immediate musicality, which is formed from jazzy approaches, post-rock expanses, noisy interjections, idiosyncratic sound work and vocal art and finds its expression in a very narrative, almost meditative sound language.
Listening through the numbers of Enfleurage one inevitably gets images planted in one's mind. The music of Anna Anderluh, David Gratzer and Lukas Aichinger is like a soundtrack to an imaginary film, which - inspired by the mysterious atmosphere - you as a listener imagine yourself and fill with life with your own imagination. "Around its Tail" is a fascinating look beyond the musical ordinary, it is a piece of music that really manages to captivate, and in a very unique way.
Full review: www.musicaustria.at/enfleurage-around-its-tail
MICA – MUSIC information center AUSTRIA, Michael Ternai
Enfleurage - »Around its Tail« (Waschsalon Records)
When Anna Anderluh, Lukas Aichinger and David Gratzer meet in the laundromat, nasty stains don't stand a chance! "Enfleurage", the spin program between ambient runoff and Holly Herndon bounce, circles around pieces that sound as innocent as freshly washed laundry smells. Give it a soft rinse, please!
skug – Musikkultur, Christoph Benkeser
Another statement of the busy drummer and composer Lukas Aichinger: With the new project Enfleurage he goes a completely new way with the proven comrades-in-arms Anderluh and Gratzer. Anderluh, the great singer, interpreter, performer, is of course a fine partner for this experimentation between electronics and songwriting. Gratzer brings in earthy basic material on guitar and with his loops, makes the sound groove and skillfully mediates between the nerdy drumming and the withdrawn, quiet vocals of Anna Anderluh. I particularly enjoyed the composition Wren's Nest. Maybe you'll hear the trio live sometime. It would be a pleasure to be there!
FreiStil – Magazin für Musik und Umgebung, ernst
Enfleurage: Around its Tail (Waschsalon Rec.)
[…] The album starts almost meditative, Anderluh's voice seems to sound from far away, it increases and then Gratzer sets in with his guitar riffs that etch themselves into the brain until Aichinger rings in the musical exit with gongs. It is improvised music, recorded in 2 days, which means that the trio already knows each other from other formations or intuitively coordinates so perfectly. Beautiful, not so simple music that really requires attentive listening.
Film Sound & Media, Irene Schwingenschlögl
[…] death [...] He bundles what runs through the whole piece: Music is part of its essence. [...] partly atmospheric, when David Gratzer lets the sounds of his electric guitar wander through bleak landscapes at the edge of the stage.
Die Presse, Thomas Kramar
[…] The premiere was accompanied musically by David Gratzer, who successfully supported the respective atmosphere with a stage piano as well as an electric guitar. […]
European Cultural News, Aurelia Gruber
[...] In addition to the precise acting, which again and again lets us look into mental abysses and the shadow-like existence of death over long stretches, the live electric guitar playing including loop station by David Gratzer provides a discreet but atmospheric enrichment.
KiJUKU Magazin, Heinz KiJuKu
Gruber goes and takes us with him
[…] 69% grelle forelle /// 33% self-destruction /// 100% understanding and feeling
[…] live music David Gratzer atmospherically underscores the scenes with such precision that every note hits the exact kind of emotional spark being exuded in the game.
[…] Staging and acting show themselves from their best side. It is an enriching experience to see how the same material can work here on the stage of Werk X-Petersplatz, but also in the form of different art forms. And moves to tears, if you ask my companion of the evening.
Bohema /// das junge kulturmagazin, Alisa Grubermann
“Gruber Geht” – Werk X Petersplatz, Vienna
After two cancellations in April 2020 and March 2021, the long-awaited Vienna premiere of Gruber geht (Gruber Is Leaving) at Werk X-Petersplatz in a co-production with Theater KuKuKK finally saw the light of day. […]
The story comes with a lot of ups and downs. These are manifested musically with the help of a live musician. While the techno sound obviously comes from pre-recorded music, guitarist David Gratzer delivers a solid soundtrack and gives the sense of spontaneous responses to the atmosphere of the story. […]
Plays International & Europe, Ludovico Lucchesi Palli
#guiltypleasure i admit it, even i was moved to tears - rarely has the most beautiful thing in the world been brought to the stage with such sensitivity and realism great cinema. […] supported by the great sounds and music surfaces of David Gratzer - really awesome live-set included, so to speak! #GrosseEmpfehlung only today and tomorrow at WERK X-Petersplatz to see: GRUBER GOES based on a novel by Doris Knecht.
Werk X-Petersplatz, Cornelia Anhaus
[...] Thanks to the live music by David Gratzer, "Gruber geht" is a well-rounded event.
Klagenfurter Leben, Stephan Fugger
Brought their own compositions: the Carinthian guitarists Primus Sitter and David Gratzer
Requiem & dunkler Sepp
Bold contrasts in the Kultur.raum.kirche: The vocal ensemble “Cinquecento” met two guitarists in the Tanzenberg seminary church.
[...] The six gentlemen specializing in Renaissance music from five different nations, including former Sparkasse laureate, countertenor Terry Wey, who sings with a crystal clear voice, knew how to fascinate from the very beginning: With the greatest possible homogeneity and stylistically perfect interpretation, the lupine tones merged to a floating, lofty beautiful sound that allowed time and again to immerse oneself in meditative moods. This too applied to homophonic Gregorian chant and with pieces by Master Desprez himself. As in the previous year, the concert initiated by kultur.raum.kirche thrived on contrasts. For once again Carinthian artists were invited to carefully contribute to early music. This time two guitarists, the experienced Primus Sitter and the young David Gratzer brought discreet jazzy original compositions for two guitarists including highly virtuoso improvisations, among which Sitter's “Dunkler Sepp” and Gratzer's “Two Hours To Go” were particularly pleasing.
As highlight, everyone played together in a commissioned work specially written for this concert: “Oct opus” by Sitter is an innovative, refined mix of old and new with bold harmonies and high technical demands. Standing ovations!
Kleine Zeitung, Helmut Christian
Carinthian of the day
Musical border crosser
[…] What do jazz and traditional Persian music have in common? […] … David Gratzer: “In both styles of music, it is important to improvise and be spontaneous.” The 26-year-old from Klagenfurt spent August as “Artist in Residence” at the “Austrian Cultural Forum” in Tehran. [...] Oriental music has always held a fascination for the 26-year-old from Klagenfurt. “It is profound and comforting. Often the lyrics speak about continuing fight despite defeat."
Despite the difficult political situation in Iran, the cosmopolitan from Klagenfurt experienced a warm-hearted and accommodating civil society. "I was overwhelmed by the generosity and helpfulness of the people." [...] Music means everything to the talented musician. “I am fascinated by the energy that emanates from it. It is like a door to another world." And it is boundless.
Kleine Zeitung, Julia Braunecker
Wordless speechlessness
Theater Waltzwerk brings Köhlmeier Text to the stage: an experiment.
There is nothing fairy-tale-like about this story by Michael Köhlmeier, whose title brings to mind Hans Christian Andersen and Co: “The girl with the thimble” is anything but sentimental. [...] The images that arise in the mind are cold and sometimes nightmarish. […] Director Valerie Voigt-Firon together with designer Thomas Garvie, place the two childlike anti-heroes in a cold stage world with styrofoam snow and neon light, dominated by oversized Russian matryoshka dolls. [...] The eleven-member girls' choir JAMzi and David Gratzer's music set coherent emotional accents in an ambitious staging, ... [...]
Kleine Zeitung, KP
"Girl with the thimble": hard and pitiless like sad reality
The cry for human dignity
Three refugee children: abandoned in a foreign land, defenseless and alone. For the Austrian premiere, WalTzwerk accompanies “The Girl with the thimble” in her struggle for survival: a disturbing experience worth seeing, hard and pitiless like the sad reality.
Based on the grandiose novel by Michael Köhlmeier, Sarah Rebecca Kühl and Markus Achatz are so intense and haunting at Wednesday's acclaimed premiere in Klagenfurt's Künstlerhaus that the 90-minute odyssey of the refugee children on the fringes of a European isolationist society often scrapes hard against the edge of the bearable. Good thing! For the normal madness that takes place in front of affluent eyes unfolds a coldness that leads into a merciless parallel world in the polyphonic location-free narrative space to David Gratzer's bitter-melodic live music. […] …, wonderful the swan song of the JAMzi girls' choir under Eduard Oraže. An absolute must! [...]
Kronen Zeitung, Irina Lino
Klagenfurt: Theater KuKuKK brings cinema film to the stage
Full speed through life
[…] … Sarah Rebecca Kühl … […] With live guitar sound by David Gratzer, as well as the skilful use of microphones and sound collages, she perfectly captures the drive that a film can generate and picks up speed with precisely set suspense arcs only to let off the gas at the right moment. [...]
Kronen Zeitung, Tina Perisutti
[…] World premiere: Theater KuKuKK brings a novel by Doris Knecht to the stage
[…] Director Sarah Rebecca Kühl relies on black and white aesthetics, the (electric and acoustic guitar) soundtrack by David Gratzer and sophisticated stage lighting . [...] Abstractly choreographed, partly synchronous, partly in slow motion and with frequent repetitions of gestures and movements, the stage action seems almost dreamlike, associative, unreal - entirely different from the film. Conclusion: tough material, simple plot, imaginatively implemented for the stage.
Kleine Zeitung, Karin Waldner-Petutschnig
[...] Sarah Rebecca Kühl created a theatrical version of Doris Knecht's “Gruber geht”.
[...] Her “mixture of narrative and dialogue” intends to maintain Doris Knecht's humor and rhythm of speech. The play is given an additional dimension by the stage music composed by David Gratzer, which the 28-year-old from Klagenfurt will play live: “It will be a very spherical soundtrack. In some parts the music lays the carpet for the plot, then again the music tells the story, ” explains the Vienna-based musician.
The role of John Gruber will be played by Philipp Stix, known among other things from the ORF series "Vorstadtweiber" ... [...]
Kleine Zeitung, Marianne Fischer
[…] The 26-year-old jazz guitarist from Klagenfurt spent a few months this year as artist in residence in Iran, where he combined modern jazz with ancient Persian music. He is fascinated by repetitive, meditative sound carpets. "For me, the sound is right at the top," says Gratzer.
Die Brücke, WRO
[...] Architect of calm soundscapes
[...] Pentecost Mass
[...] Elisabeth Wolf will be heard on the harp. “There are a number of jazz elements and some improvisations in the composition. From the dialogue between harp and guitar, which interweave wonderfully, emerge very meditative soundscapes,” says Gratzer.
Kleine Zeitung, Bettina Auer
[…]… Pentecost. […] … a lot of space for meditation; therefore, he leans his composition on Gregorian chants: "I use techniques such as loops, that is, repeating musical passages."
Kronen Zeitung, Serina Babka