Mirko Uhlig
Mirko Robert Stefan Uhlig (born 22 June 1981 in Aachen, Germany) is a German soundscape-musician and producer in the contemporary field of drone-based experimental ambient music, co-founder of Ex Ovo Records and ethnologist.
Music
He first appeared with surreal sound collages and musique concrète-techniques under the moniker Aalfang Mit Pferdekopf (catching eels with a horse's head) around 2004. After releasing four albums and some EPs (on Aal, Einzeleinheit, Taalem, Mystery Sea and Drone Records) Uhlig decided to release his now much more minimalistic and serene works under a less delusive name.
Uhlig's music is inspired by pioneers of drone and minimalistic music such as La Monte Young, early Tangerine Dream, Brian Eno, David Lynch, William Basinski and current Hafler Trio.
“Uhlig plays a form of drone music that is highly refreshing. He creates something that is beyond the ordinary! For me Mirko Uhlig is one of the better and unfortunately lesser known drone masters of Germany.” (Vital Weekly)
"Uhlig is one of the few ones able to cut the oneiric bliss of his creations right in the moment of maximum [...]." (Touching Extremes)
Beside his solo work Mirko Uhlig runs the Ex Ovo label for "drone music and dulcet atmospheres", founded the Suneaters (band) (together with Tobias Fischer of tokafi magazine) and worked with several artists, such as Dronæment, Emerge (band), Rostiges Riesenrad and Balog.
Characetristic of all his output is a particular kind of humour. Liner-notes are often more cryptical than illustrative. His own biography describes his music with the following words:
"Mirko Uhlig’s drone collages inhale the memories of the recording venue and this must be a room with high white walls, parquet floor and a tiled stove in an old vacant flat of the period of promoterism. Somewhere stands a small red bedside lamp – and in its shadow a lot of things are budging. The riddle inside is no riddle in itself. It lies on the floor – for all to see and for all to taste. It is open. It feels like wood and smells of aspiration – maybe only of burned down grass. It is no secret for secret’s sake."
Mirko Uhlig currently lives in Bonn,Germany.
Discography
(only recordings under his own name)
- 2006 VIVMMI (Album on Ex Ovo)
- 2006 ''A Total Black Morning With Machines At Sleep (contribution to Mute Scribbles)
- 2007 Storm: Outside Calm Tamed (EP on Aal)
- 2007 The Rabbit's Logbook (EP on Field Muzick)
- 2007 Farewell Fields (with Dronæment, on Nextera)
Sources cited
External links
de:Mirko Uhlig