ARTIST FOCUS: HENRIK SCHWARZ
Henrik Schwarz… what to say other than it genuinely does not get any more credible than this in the current crop of relevant electronic music producers. Henrik Schwarz runs his own record label, Sunday Music, which releases his own productions as well as the work of musician and producer friends.
He is in great demand as an innovator when it comes to the invention and development of music software and new technology for musical instruments, hence his release of the compositional patch, the SCHWARZONATOR. He works closely with companies like Yamaha Music, Ableton, Native Instruments etc.
Often electronic musicians like to cite experience within classical and live instrumentation within their repertoire… and then there is Henrik Schwartz. DJ’s also often like to name a couple of big commercial names they have remixed for… and then there is Henrik Schwarz’ discography.
Electronic artists also like to reel off the venues at which they have played, and then there is Henrik Schwarz’ resumé!
You get the picture, well in case you don’t let, allow us to break it down for you:
Let’s kick off with some of the names he has remixed for first of all. Henrik is one of the most sought after producers on the planet, before we name some of the artists, this guy has been commissioned by the likes of international giants such as Nike and Apple… you starting to get the picture now we guess. Artists he has worked with range from Boy George to Coldplay, Unkle to Underworld, James Brown to London Grammar… oh, and how could we forget Omar and Stevie Wonder!
Now looking at his credibility within the classical world lets take a look at a couple of the projects that Henrik Schwarz has been integral in putting together.
First off, Plunderphonia where Henrik Schwarz having listened to over 700 different string quartet compositions, took the best parts from what he heard including masters such as Bach, Bartok, Brahms, Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Jonny Greenwood, Mozart, Schubert, and Terry Riley He then went on to reconstruct them with the Alma Quartet using his ear, equipment and some incredibly talented musicians, re wrote the transcripts and went on to perform their modern twist on a classical creation live…
Or how about his opening set at the ADE in 2016 where he performed with the incredible Metropole Orchestra with a guest slot from Ben Westbeech (1:05) where the entire composition was written by Henrik Schwarz himself…
But if you are more into his more established dance-floor centric masterpieces despite the obvious talent and dexterity of the man working with orchestras and the like, then here is a selection of some of his most popular foot tapping, soul inducing work:
Henrik Schwarz & Kuniyuki – Once Again (Henrik Schwarz Version)
Eye Nyam Nam ‘A’ Mensuro (Henrik Schwarz Blend)
Carl Craig – The Melody (Henrik Schwarz Remix) feat. Francesco Tristano, Les Siècles & FX Roth
And last but not least, whilst it goes without saying that someone with this level of understanding of music is bound to be able to walk his way through a DJ set with consummate ease, the proof is definitely in the pudding, so sit back, hit play and enjoy dessert as it is served up by one of the most incredible musical cooks on the Electronic scene…
Henrik Schwarz at Cathédrale de Chartres for Cercle
We implore you make the most of having someone of this calibre on the island when he plays at Potato Head this coming weekend and enjoy what will undoubtedly be one of the most talked about sets to be played over high season!