Meute

Elbphilharmonie Sessions: Meute

The Hamburg »techno marching band« plays a hot set on the roof of the Elbphilharmonie.

The Artists

In their red uniforms, the Meute musicians look like a marching band from 1920s New Orleans. But their sound comes directly from modern Germany’s techno clubs – except that it’s analogue, not digital. Meute call themselves a »techno marching band«: a dozen percussionists and brass players from Hamburg play deep house and techno on drums, marimbas, trumpets and trombones. As a marching band they have their instruments hanging round their necks, so that they can move freely and perform just like a conventional brass band. They appear in concert halls, at clubs and festivals – or simply on the street. »Our aim is to bring electronic music back to its roots,« explains trumpeter and Meute founder Thomas Burhorn. That means getting away from the DJ’s desk and getting right to the audience with a full brass sound and percussion.

»Hard, fast, rhythmic, rousing. A Hamburg marching band makes the world dance.«

Stern

Performers

Marco Möller bass drum
Timon Fenner snare drum
Onkel snare drum
André Wittmann marimba
Philipp Westermann sousaphone
Philip Morton Andernach bass saxophone
Adrian Hanack bariton saxophone
Johnny Johnson trombone
Sebastian Borkowski tenor saxophone
Hans-Christian Stephan trumpet
Thomas Burhorn trumpet

Elbphilharmonie Sessions: Meute on the rooftop
None © Sophie Wolter
None © Sophie Wolter
None © Sophie Wolter
None © Sophie Wolter
Meute Meute © Sophie Wolter
None © Sophie Wolter
Meute Meute © Sophie Wolter
None © Sophie Wolter
Meute Meute © Sophie Wolter
None
Meute Meute © Sophie Wolter
Meute Meute © Sophie Wolter

The set list :... with two premieres!

Meute’s hypnotic sound combines brass-band music with pulsating techno by rearranging house, deep house and techno tracks by well-known DJs for brass instruments and percussion. At their Elbphilharmonie session, the Hamburg band also presents two new songs: »Intentional Dweeb« by Australian DJ Eddie and their own composition »Expanse«.

Intentional Dweeb
Slip
(03:45)
Kerberos (10:53)
Mental Help (16:30)
Panda (21:55)
Expanse (25:37)
Raw (32:52)

The Location

On the 20th floor of the Elbphilharmonie lies the Kühne Sky Lounge with access to the roof terrace. From here you have a view looking north of Hamburg’s city centre, and looking south and east to the River Elbe and the gigantic docklands. A 700-ton roof construction with curved steel girders gives the roof its undulating form. Nearly 6,000 perforated, shiny metal discs are mounted on the roof that shimmer like an expanse of water when seen from afar. At its highest point, the Elbphilharmonie measures 110 metres, making it the tallest inhabited building in Hamburg.

Elbphilharmonie Sessions: Meute auf dem Dach
Elbphilharmonie Sessions: Meute auf dem Dach © Sophie Wolter

A big team of cameras, drones, sound recording and lighting equipment accompanied the Meute musicians as sunset approached. Everything was recorded live – including the sound!

About the series

Artists record exclusive music videos at the Elbphilharmonie and the Laeiszhalle for Elbphilharmonie Sessions – sometimes in unusual locations offstage. Discover the concert halls from the inside. Discover what they sound like.

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