back	December 21, 2008 RSS

Deep house from the Ruhr takes off

Deep grooves, electro trash and ultra-slow "music of silence". Anyone who thinks all the Ruhrgebiet has to offer is straight-down-the-line rock, the Love Parade and Bochum devotee Herbert Grönemeyer couldn't be wider of the mark. The music scene around here is innovative, bold and decidedly different.  In the words of Carsten Helmich, the initiator of what is arguably the region's most important music festival, the Juicy Beats in Dortmund: "There's an established independent clubbing scene here that is really taking off right now. Deep house has become the region's trademark. Acts like the Fantastische 4 are suddenly incorporating that very sound in their productions. Among the champions of deep house are Westpark Unit and Peter Gun from Dortmund, as well as the young Essen-based Manuel Tur. Näd Mika delivers electro trash like a reincarnated young Nina Hagen back from outer space, while Schwefelgelb and Freakatronic from Essen mix new wave influences with performance art, and the Mühlheim band Bohren & der Club of Gore are earning Europe-wide acclaim with their jazzy, lounge-like, slightly gloomy music played in slow motion. A plethora of different musical styles have generated their very own scene in this vast conurbation on the Ruhr. Read the whole article by Peter Liffers in the "Ruhr Metropolis" issue of MINIInternational.