About Tarwater

[01/07] Bernd Jestram and Ronald Lippok are Tarwater. Their story started back in 1995 when Bernd Jestram bought his first digital sampling machine. And when Ronald Lippok said something like: "Oh, let's do some music together". Since this time both - close friends since their roots in East-Berlin's sub- and avantgardeculture - have done a lot. They made soundtracks to German silent movies of the 1920s, made musical environments for drama plays from Arthur Miller to Anton Tschechow. And, first of all, they released several records under the flag of Tarwater. If one is talking about the electronic music scene Berlin was famous for in the late 1990s one has to talk about Tarwater. Bernd Jestram and Ronald Lippok share their passion for repitition, improvisation and experiments with the Punk or Krautrock movements. Both, Jestram and Lippok are sound searchers - at home in their studio, next to it a chamber full of all kind of instruments. Well, nearly all kind. Every track or song they made starts with a unique sound - or even with the unique idea of a sound. Although there are a few of nearly old-school guitar based songs on their latest releases "The Needle Was Travelling" and "Spider Smile" . Tarwater is an on-going process, sensitive about its skills, curious about its sounds, clever in its allegories. 1995 • First recordings under the name Tarwater (named after C. Tarwater who was a musician of some recordings of the psychedelic band "Love" in the late 60s) • Tape productions in minor copies • first concert at the art festival "LBRNTH" at the historical Brühlschen Terassen in Dresden 1996 • first concert in Berlin at the Rote Salon / Volksbühne • "John Donne Todes Duell" is released as talking book (editor: Galrev Verlag, Berlin, director: Thomas Martin, music: Tarwater • "11/6 12/10", the first Tarwater album is released on the Berlin based label Kitty-yo • VPRO radio session in Amsterdam • Music for the movie "Edgar" (director: Karsten Laske) 1997 • Premiere of the play "John Donne Todes Duell" at the Theater am Halleschen Ufer; Berlin (director: Thomas Martin, music: Tarwater) • "Rabbit Moon" (CD/EP) is released on Kitty-yo. Remixes and alternative versions of Tarwater tracks made by Elektronauten, Bo Kondren, Robert Lippok und Tarwater itself. 1998 • first tour through the USA • "Rabbit Moon Revisited" is released on Capstack, Chicago • Participation in the art show "Tchikago" with Brad Whang, Sarah Marrs, Robert Lippok, Ronald Lippok at the gallery Gary Marks, Chicago • "Silur" is released on Kitty-yo • 01.12. first of Tarwaters John Peel session at the Madavale studios, London • 02.12. Giles Peterson radio session, BBC Radio 1 • 05.12. Jonathan Moore radio session, Kiss FM • Music für for the Movie "14/1 Endlos" (director: Carsten Fiebeler), collaboration with the movie orchestra Babelsberg • Start of some collaborations with the video artist Lillevän 1999 • "Silur" is released in the USA, under the license of Mute records • Music for the documentary "No Ordinary Cowboy" • Music for a live performence of Karl Grunes silent movie "Die Straße"(1923) • Music for the movie "Fremde Freundin", (director: Anne H.Krohn) • "Like a Miracle" (Tarwater feat. Tikiman) is released on Soul Static, London • "Tarwater Remix EP" is released on Room Tone Records, New York with alternative mixes by Third Eye Foundation, Bundy K.Brown, Kiln u.a. • Music for the dance performance "Quai Voltaire" by Nadia Berkani, Paris • John Peel radio session, Liverpool 2000 • music for the play "Terrain! Terrain! Pull up! Pull up!" (directors: Peter and Hariette Meining) • Tour with Goldfrapp in England • Tour with Zend Avesta in France • Remixes for songs by Autours de Lucie and Goldfrapp 2001 • music for Lacoste fashion show, Poloclub Paris • musik for the movie "Brombeerchen" (directo: Oliver Rihs) • "Not the Wheel" is released on the polish label Gustaff Records 2002 • "Festival International de Performance Mexiko" : Music for a dance performance by Nadia Berkani • "Dwellers on the Threshold" is released on Kitty-yo • Premiere of the play "out of control" (after the movie "Warum läuft Herr R. Amok" made by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Michael Fengler) at Thalia theatre Hamburg. Music by Tarwater • 02.10. BBC session in collaboration with Darryl Moore • Music for the movie "Die Datsche" (director: Carsten Fiebeler) 2003 • Music for the silent movie "Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam" (director: Paul Wegener), performend at Podewil, Berlin • Musical versions of texts by the american poet Robert Lax which are released as "wake up relax" on Intermedium Records • Collaboration with Tuxedomoon for their record "cabin in the sky" (Crammed Disc Music) 2004 • Music for the installation "antimatter 3, in the negative zone" by Angela Bulloch, gallery Eva Presenhuber, Zürich • Tour in Siberia • Music for the play "Close" (director: Markus Lenz) • Premiere of the play "Onkel Wanja" by Anton Tschechow at Stadttheater Freiburg. Music by Tarwater 2005 • Music for the documentary "Suche nach Schwerelosigkeit-Vladimir Malakov.ein Portrait" (director: Carsten Fiebeler) • "The Needle Was Travelling" is released on Morr Music • 02.11.-05.11 "Klapstuk 12" International Dance Festival Leuven, Tarwater arbeiten mit Modulen die von dem französischen Künstler Nicolas Floc'h entwickelt wurden, an der Klang und Rauminstallation "Structure Multifonctions # 3" • Concerts in Sao Paulo, Lima und Caracas 2006 • Music for the play "Hexenjagd" (Crucible) by Arthur Miller at the Schauspielhaus Köln • Concerts in Mexiko City and Bogota together with Torococo Rot www.tarwater.de www.morrmusic.com www.myspace.com/morrtarwater