Ernst Bier/Gunnar Geisse/Ignaz Schick — Hawking Extended

Hawking Extended is a recent(ish) ten-track album from highly creative German Turntablist & saxophonist Ignaz Schick. For the album, he’s joined by two other names from the German jazz/ improv scene- guitarist Gunnar Geisse & drummer Ernst Bier. And boy it’s another dense, darting, and often deranged release that I guess is grounded in jazz/ improv- but it really goes way more places.

The CD comes presented in a simple- yet -impactful three-panel card sleeve- this takes in white texts set against a bright orange backdrop. The album is released on Schick’s own Zarek label, and can be purchased directly from here 

The album was jointly composed/ improvised by the three- been recorded over two days in May of 2018, all in real time with no overdubs. The lineup was- Ignaz Schick -alto saxophone, turntables, sampler. Gunnar Geisse- laptop guitar, virtual instruments, and Ernst Bier -drums, wave drum, electronics.

Things kick off with “Flat Earth” which brings together wailing & haunting Eastern chants, tip-tap to ringing & cascading percussion, dartingly angular piano keys, and smoky to fiery horn playing. By track four “Music With The Letter X” we find a mixture of brooding ‘n’ dramatic soundtrack flow- edged with wavering ‘n’ watery percussion, passioned horn playing, and abstract midi textures.

Moving into the second half of the album we get mangled ‘n’ bopping “Neither Picture Nor Frame” with its cut-up piano keys layers coming in at all angles & manic horn weaves- making for a track that is both wonderful chaotic & cheekily playful too. We have “The Darkening” which starts off low key- with off-beat percussion ‘n’ bass pulse- with the horn and secondary bass fumbles work slowly drifting into. With slurred warbling electronics and distant speed-up turntable elements just heard. The album plays out with “System Of Units” which is all smashing ‘n’ crashing percussion, wayward to piping horn work, mangled electro muzak, and spinning-to-buzzing electronic sub-tone detail.

Hawking Extended truly is a wonderfully manic and often totally overwhelming experience. Yet through all the layers & chaos, there is always rewarding detail to be mined & found- which makes it such a pleasure to revisit again & again.