Bernhard Wöstheinrich – Materiaal 080 – Studio Session 20250817 (self-release, 2025)
German electronic music innovator Bernhard Wöstheinrich has released Materiaal 080 – Studio Session 20250817, a one-take performance captured live in Berlin-Kreuzberg on August 17, 2025. True to his exploratory spirit, the recording does not include overdubs or pre-programmed scaffolding. Instead, it is pure immediacy, a slow evolving, serpentine and deeply mesmerizing ambient electronic music piece.
During the session’s conception, Wöstheinrich found himself drawn back to a relic from his late father’s past: an old scythe, hidden deep in the barn and unearthed with the help of his brother. That weathered blade sparked an unexpected transformation. Artist Christine reimagined Wöstheinrich in a tarot-inspired portrait as the Death card’s reaper.
Yet this grim reaper defies convention. Instead of looming shadows, he reclines casually on a couch, flowers at his feet. It is a gentle counterpoint to the card’s ominous archetype. Where tarot speaks of endings, transformation, and renewal, Wöstheinrich reframes the symbol into something softer, suggesting that change, though daunting, might carry more grace than grief.
The scythe, now retired, hangs in his kitchen, part relic, part provocation. It gleams silently, an emblem of mortality and memory, but also a private joke. Should a neighbor’s grass grow too wild, Wöstheinrich notes, he is available for hire.
The main synth here is the Sonicware Liven Ambient Synthesizer, generously lent by Volker Lankow. Wöstheinrich coaxes the instrument into expansive electronic worlds, guiding sequencers and keyboards with his signature intuition.
Bernhard Wöstheinrich plays keyboards, synthesizers (Sonicware Liven Ambient), sequencers.
Editing, mixing and mastering: Markus Reuter.
Artwork: Christine Kriegerowski (kriegerowski.org)