Description
The Circle Music proudly announces the release of Angizia’s
”Kokon. Ein Schaurig-Schönes Schachtelstück” for first time on LP.
Release Date: 24.10.2022
Style: Musical Theater, Avantgarde Black Metal, Prog Rock
New Mastering by Thomas Tannenberger (Abigor).
Printed Inserts (12 pages)
First time on vinyl.
180 gr vinyls.
Format: Limited Double Black Gatefold (250 copies) with printed inserts.
Code:TCM015LP
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“The title KOKON paraphrases the main essence of the plot and contemporaneously it’s an allegory of one of this play’s messages: Being put in prison in his own body, in a very small and reduced world. The idea behind KOKON was to make a play, which acts in a common box. Very elementary. Just a box without fixtures and colours. Just a monochrome box. This gave me the possibility to concentrate on very strong theatrical figures and characters. My main intention was to underline the gloomy drama of the story. Thus we had neglected all kind of comical and ambiguous elements, which for example had been part in some former Angizia plays. I didn’t want to make something consciously “unfunny”. No, every moment in KOKON is full of drama and all we did, all we wished to do and all we have played, spoken, elegized and shouted in the microphones was a drama, nothing else.
I wished to have an intensive & gloomy drama, a dramatic plot, dramatic scenes and a dramatic final scenario. Every step we did was done with the intention to work on a drama. Of course in Angizia’s works a listener will always find sweet and morbid scenes, some irony, sarcastic love, sympathetic antiheros and many bizarre elements. But KOKON is a grim and gloomy drama.
The plot is based on three important characters. The main protagonist, which most probably I represented as mature “anti hero”, is the HOMUNCULUS and thus a creature, which is caged in an arcane cocoon, dangling and moaning on the box’ ceiling. The Homunculus is drugged up to the eyeballs with poison, knob and pain. He is the creation of FRAU JANSEN, a grotesque spinstress and her cruel husband (HERR JANSEN), a curious captain with an awe-inspiring pistol. All the JANSENS wished to have is their own magnum opus, which should be their permanent fixture in this common box. A work of pain, agony, love, hate and passion, which they adore day for day. It was the perfect scaffolding for our musical ideas.
The remaining characters (in supporting roles) are:
HERR EISMANN, minion of HERR JANSEN and narrator of the story
A BOHEMIAN with contra guitar and a drake
A CELLIST in a side room
JANÓS FLIER, a blind piano player…
and…an enchanting VIOLIST
For KOKON we have neglected any sort of comic and comical moments. We have forced the pure drama instead of comic, irony and cheerful sounds and for example have disclaimed klezmer or in general jewish elements and some instruments which have shaped former Angizia albums such as accordion and clarinet. I wished to power KOKON with a warm & melancholic cello, a crazy viola, a virtuoso and present grand piano, intensive spoken word passages and special instruments such as a “singing saw” and a “contra guitar”. I think, KOKON is more dark and gloomy than previous Angizia albums, very emotional and immediate.
Regarding to the performance itself we consciously recorded some special parts, voices and instruments of KOKON “live”, together on a stunning stage in an awesome music hall. We wished to have the perfect entity of grand piano, cello and theatrical voices for certain chapters of KOKON. In this way we have put very expressive theatrical moments on record. Furthermore we made some “live”-recordings of contra guitar, viola and my voice in our main studio. The mix of these different “live”-recordings (on the stage of a music hall, in the intimate studio ambience…) and classical step-by-step recorded songs with Angizia’s typical perfection of details is kind of exciting. So we have created varying sounds and can offer very authentic moods. That was my imagination of music and theatre.
On the one hand KOKON has a typical Angizia sound (dramatic, bizarre, grotesque, emotional, theatrical, virtuoso…). On the other hand it’s really different to former albums such as “Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel” and “39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann”, more coming to a certain point, upholding a very curious ambience and pointing out what “music” and “theatre” for Angizia is and was. We have focussed to demonstrate how to keep our very own style while growing and battening in certain directions and new dimensions. That’s our aim, when making music. Of course Angizia on KOKON is still not music for shallow masses, casual listeners, for a background amusement or for special moments of distraction and callousness. It’s passionate music for passionate people.
A main message of KOKON is the power of vengeance. In the main we have set the gradual development of ones creature’s pure vengeance to music. The tormented and agonized creature strikes back. He – the Homunculus – was afflicted and embittered. His flesh was burnt up and disgraced. But the Homunculus is an underestimated genius, a master of staging; he arranges his own plot with himself as cruel protagonist. The perfect vengeance, planned in small steps. All the Jansens have perpetrated on the Homunculus’ body and soul, he gives them back in pure violence and massive resolution.
What KOKON has in common with nearly all Angizia albums is the exposure of the protagonist’s dramatic “break-up”, his dramatic decay. The “death” is a basic theme in all Angizia plots. More than that KOKON is a very symbolical play.
To say it with more words: KOKON is passionate music for passionate people!
To describe it with just one word: KOKON is PASSION.”
Michael Haas, Angizia
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Track-list:
LP01 - Side A
01 Borstig. schaurig. flackernd.
02 Spindelgroll
03 Ein Quäntchen Gift
04 Graues Meer
05 Es ist Leidenschaft.
LP01 - Side B
01 Nichts an mir weckt Begehr
02 Ich
03 Die Bratsche klingt nach klammer Luft.
04 Leiser Feuer brennt in Brunst
05 Sack und Asche
LP02 - Side C
01 Aus Traum und Tanz. Ein Walzer.
02 Maß für Maß
03 Der Verfall
LP02 - Side D
01 Flammen flüstern
02 Neigung zum Nichts
03 Bühne, still
Lay-out: Bernd Grünwald
Musicians:
Voices
MICHAEL HAAS
Homunkulus/Erzähler/Hauptmann
IRENE DENNER
Frau Jansen
JOCHEN STOCK
Homunkulus/Erzähler
RAINER GUGGENBERGER
Choir in „Maß für Maß“
Instruments
EMMERICH HAIMER guitars, musical saw
DAVID SIX piano
NADJA MILFAIT cello
MARTINA ENGEL viola
ALEX DOSTAL drums
HARALD HAUSER e-bass
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Codice Prodotto: NDR-SHOP 00128
The Circle Music - Credits released 2022