Hautzinger, Schick, Johansson - Rotations+ (Trost, 2025)

By Nick Ostrum

Recorded live at KM28 in Berlin’s Neukölln neighborhood, Rotations+ captures the trio of Franz Hautzinger (trumpet, electronics), Ignaz Schick (turntable, electronics), and Sven-Åke Johansson (percussion, accordion). Itsounds very much of the electro-acoustic corner of the contemporary echtzeit scene and, in that respect, quite different from what Johansson, the elder of the group, is known for. (I will not take this too far, but this album is also an intergenerational meeting of representatives from the first and second generations of Euro improv, and the contemporary Berlin experimental scene. Maybe that is what “rotations” refers to, the changing of the guard, or the persistent presence of that old guard amongst the new. Or the spinning of Schick’s turntables and Johansson’s brushes and cymbals, and the circular path of Hautzinger’s breath.) There are passages where Hautzinger plays cleanly or Johansson decides to pound out drum signals or squeeze a march or melody out of his accordion. And, frequently enough, Schick leans into a record, allowing some faded vocal track or other discernible tune to break through. Just as often, however, Rotations+ leans toward lowercase acousmatic environs. The apparently wide use of electronics feeds into that confusion and textures. If nothing else, this music is finely textured. Even the static plays to the tactility of these pieces.

Together, Hautzinger, Schick and Johansson make an impressive trio that is eminently current in its blend of abstractions and full tones. It is also, in a sense, very much Berlin. It fits into an aesthetic – disjointed, coarse, ghostly, puckish - and in that it is a wonderful realization – or rather seven realizations - of its surroundings. It is a testament to the fact that Berlin, or at least this pocket of its music scene, is still gritty, despite the city’s increasingly shiny veneer. If you need proof, just listen to these guys roil and whirl.

Rotations+ is available as a download and CD on Bandcamp.

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