Trailer video:
youtu.be/UB2NFr_THM4
30 years ago, in 1992, Michael Brückner started on his journey as an electronic musician.
10 years ago, in 2012, he saw his first proper label release - which was his 100th album at the same time:
"100 Million Miles Under The Stars" on SynGate.
10 years ago, in 2012, he also saw my second label release:
"Eleventh Sun", which was the first ever release on SynGate's sublable "Luna" (for which he had created the logo...).
To celebrate these anniversaries, both albums are now (September 2022) being re-released in very special editions - or new versions, rather:
Each track has been remixed, reworked and re-imagined by another brilliant artist - all of them well respected and highly influential members of the vast electronic music community.
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released September 23, 2022
Many (MANY!) thanks for their wonderful contributions to this new, reformed version of "Eleventh Sun" to:
Chari Chuang (ZenSugar), Robert Rich, Mathias Grassow, Forrest Fang, Markus Reuter and J. Peter Schwalm (in order of appearance).
And extra thanks to Kilian Schloemp of SynGate for his friendship and great support all through these years - and also on this project in particular! Without him, it never would have happened!
This version of the album is dedicated to Ukranian ambient artist and label owner Vlad Sickach, who invited me in 2011 to a compilation project that provided the spark from which "Eleventh Sun" evolved.
gv-sound.bandcamp.com
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ZEN SUGAR (Track 1)
www.zensugar.com/music.html
zensugar.bandcamp.com/album/one
The music of ZenSugar is a sonic reflection of the inner beauty, mystery, and power of spirit inherent in all beings. ZenSugar is the musical alias of composer, producer, vocalist, and DJ, Chari Chuang, who previously released music under the name Hymnisphere. Drawing from a variety of influences in classical, tribal, and electronic sounds, Chari weaves a unique tapestry of auditory bliss. As a classically trained composer, Chari was one of the winning artists selected to compose original choral music for the Society for Universal Sacred Music. ZenSugar's sole objective is to resonate with the innate musician in all of us.
ROBERT RICH (Track 2)
robertrich.com
robertrich.bandcamp.com
Across four decades and over 50 albums, Robert Rich has helped define the genres of ambient music, dark-ambient, tribal and trance, yet his music remains hard to categorize. Part of his unique sound comes from using home-made acoustic and electronic instruments, microtonal harmonies, computer-based signal processing, chaotic systems and feedback networks.
Rich has performed in caves, cathedrals, planetaria, art galleries and concert halls throughout Europe and North America. His all-night Sleep Concerts, first performed in 1982, became legendary in the San Francisco area.
He also has designed sounds for television and film scores, works closely with electronic instrument manufacturers, and as mastering engineer and mixer, he has applied his ear to hundreds of albums in all styles.
MATHIAS GRASSOW (Track 3)
mathias-grassow.de/page/mathias-grassow/home
mathiasgrassow.bandcamp.com/music
Drone Ambient pioneer Mathias Grassow was born in Wiesbaden Germany in 1963. Music has always been a deep passion. He played drums and guitar in the 70's and moved on to keyboards in the early 80's. Mathias became increasingly fascinated by keyboards and electronics. Since the late 80's he has specialized in synthesizer drones and myriad forms of overtone music and explored their effect on the human psyche by using his voice, tambouras, zithers, flutes, guitars, singing bowls, and some home-built instruments.
After years of studies in Munich with Klaus Wiese and in Italy doing overtone chant, doors began to open to many CD projects with talented musicians such as Rüdiger Gleisberg and Amir Baghiri.
MARKUS REUTER (Track 4)
www.markusreuter.com
markusreuter.bandcamp.com
Markus Reuter is a multi-disciplinary musician, composer, record producer and instrument designer and creative educator.
Reuter's work as recording artist, solo performer and collaborator spans (and frequently fuses) electrophonic loop music, contemporary classical music, progressive and art rock, industrial music, world jazz, jazz fusion, pop songs and pure improvisation. Over the course of a two-decade career, he has been a member of multiple bands, ensembles and projects (including centrozoon, Stick Men, Tuner, The Crimson ProjeKct and Europa String Choir) as well as a solo artist.
Since 2011 Reuter has begun to establish himself as a contemporary classical composer.
A specialist in touch guitar playing, Reuter became known as a leading player of the Warr Guitar and Chapman Stick during the 1990s and 2000s before developing, adopting and marketing his own Touch Guitar instruments.
He is also part of an artist-owned production consortium which encompasses Iapetus Media, Unsung Productions and Unsung Records.
FORREST FANG (Track 5)
projektrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-sleepwalker-s-ocean
Fang is an ambient progressive musician who emerged from the DIY-“cassette culture” 80’s scene with a highly idiosyncratic style influenced by the traditional musics of non-Western cultures, including Javanese gamelan and the folk music of his Chinese ancestors. The rich electronic textures of his music are often complimented by Western and non-Western stringed instruments, winds and percussion. Fang has released 13 albums over the past three decades, including two ambient soundscape recordings under the project name, “Sans Serif.”
JAN PETER SCHWALM (Track 6)
www.facebook.com/jpeterschwalm
jpeterschwalm.bandcamp.com
J. Peter Schwalm (born 1970, Frankfurt am Main) is a German composer and music producer, active in the fields of electronic music, ambient, radio drama, film, theatre and ballet. He is best known for his work with musician Brian Eno. He lives and works in Frankfurt.
Schwalm studied at the Musikwerkstatt in Frankfurt am Main between 1989 and 1991. In 1993 he founded the experimental electro-jazz Projekt Slop Shop. Their first album caught the attention of a number of significant musicians such as Brian Eno, Peter Kruder and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
In 2006 Schwalm was involved in Wagner Reloaded, a project involving many different reworkings of Richard Wagner's music.
In the same year Schwalm released his first solo CD under his own name, "Musikain" with guest vocalists Kari Kleiv, Imogen Heap and Brian Eno.
Since 2008 Schwalm has worked frequently with many notable musicians, including the guitarist Eivind Aarset and more recently Markus Reuter.
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Cover photo by Tanja Rasmussen
Photo of J. Peter Schwalm by Anja Jahn (Booklet & Video)
All music by Michael Brückner (2012) and the respective collaborators (2022 - see title list)
Produced, curated and mastered by Michael Brückner.
P & C 2022 Michael Brückner & Guests
