NEWS
Ken Vandermark, Klaus Kugel, Christian Ramond, AMR, Ginevra, 2 aprile 2022
Black Holes Are Hard to Find · Frank Paul Schubert · Kazuhisa Uchihashi · Klaus Kugel
Nemu Records celebrated its 30th release in 2023 . We hope for more productions, whereby Nemu Records as a platform for interesting music of different styles does not look for commercial success. The spectrum from 001 to 030 shows a wide range of music, which is not only "located" in one category or spies itself from one source. The players are in the foreground and with them a common spirit. This spirit emerges from improvisation, which can travel through various musical styles in a short time through communicative processes and methamorphic developments. This integrative approach is the common ground of our productions.
Nemu Records feierte im Jahr 2023 seine 30ste Veröffentlichung. Wir hoffen auf weitere Produktionen, wobei Nemu Records als Plattform für interessante Musik verschiedener Stilrichtungen nicht auf kommerziellen Erfolg aus ist. Das Spektrum von 001 bis 030 zeigt eine große Bandbreite an Musik, die nicht nur in einer Kategorie "verortet" ist oder sich aus einer Quelle speist. Die Spieler stehen im Vordergrund und mit ihnen ein gemeinsamer Geist. Dieser Geist entspringt der Improvisation, die durch kommunikative Prozesse und metamorphe Entwicklungen in kurzer Zeit durch verschiedene Musikstile reisen kann. Dieser integrative Ansatz ist die gemeinsame Basis unserer Produktionen.
A European label like Nemu has the flexibility to present performers based both close by and across the pond. The only requirement, crucial for a new label, is a shared aesthetic. Not music that all sounds the same, but accomplishes similar things.
by Andrey Henkin, All About Jazz NY, USA 2006
Ein europäisches Label wie Nemu hat die Flexibilität, Künstler zu präsentieren, die sowohl in der Nähe als auch über dem Teich angesiedelt sind. Die einzige Anforderung, die für ein neues Label entscheidend ist, ist eine gemeinsame Ästhetik. Nicht Musik, die immer gleich klingt, sondern Musik, der die gleiche Idee zu Grunde liegt.
von Andrey Henkin, All About Jazz NY, USA 2006
NEMU an abbreviation for NEUE MUSIK...
"...whereby New Music here encompasses much more than the usual definition of contemporary serious music of the 20th and 21st centuries. The two founders see NEMU RECORDS as a platform for contemporary music with a focus on jazz, new music and improvised music. Maurer is particularly interested in new, delightful fusions of all these elements, preferably something that eludes clear classification."
by Michael Scheiner, Jazzzeitung 01/2010
NEMU eine Abkürzung für NEUE MUSIK...
„...wobei Neue Musik hier deutlich mehr umfasst, als in der gebräuchlichen Definition als zeitgenössische ernste Musik des 20. und 21. Jahrhunderts. Die beiden Macher verstehen NEMU RECORDS als eine Plattform für aktuelle Musik mit den Schwerpunkten Jazz, Neue Musik und Improvisierte Musik. Maurers Interesse gilt speziell neuen reizvollen Fusionen aus all diesen Elementen, am liebsten etwas, was sich einer klaren Einordnung entzieht.“
von Michael Scheiner, Jazzzeitung 01/2010
Sadly, our dear friend and label manager Jimi Wunderlich passed away in early December 2021.
Jimi, we will all miss you very much !!!
This website is not responsive. it contains too much text and should be read on a desktop or a notebook. On the overview page of the CATALOGUE we named different styles as category. They should give orientation, but should not exclude anything.
Diese Webseite ist nicht responsive. sie enthält zu viel Text und sollte auf einem Desktop oder Notebook gelesen werden. Wir haben auf der Überblickseite unseres CATALOGUEs unter „category“ verschiedene musikalische Schwerpunkte genannt, sie sollen Orientierung geben, jedoch nichts ausschließen.
KATHODIK LA WEBZINE DI MUSICA LIBRI FUMETTI 2023
Interview with Klaus Kugel, co-founder and co-director of the label Nemu Records
Nemu Records is a German music label that sails with its interesting productions in the digital seas of Kathodik. His releases, refined editions ranging from Free Jazz to Minimal Improvisation, always published with an “adventurous” attitude, are well received on Kathodik. Also for Nemu Records, as for the other interviews, I realized that the time had come for a deepening of knowledge of the label and the philosophy that animates it and I spoke about it with Klaus Kugel, co-founder and co-director of Nemu Records. Klaus talked about the hows and whys of making improvised music in the Gernany today, providing an interesting take on Music.
What are the origins of the Nemu Records? How did the idea come about? What were your inspirations? What models, if any, have you referred to?
More than twenty years ago I had already had cd releases on various labels, including HatHut, and I was disappointed that little was actually done for the promotion of the cds and the bands associated with them. I decided to take matters into my own hands. My friend, the violonist Albrecht Maurer, was enthusiastic to join me, and so we started Nemu Records with our first recording ‘MARS’ (nemu 001). Nemu is the short form for NEw MUsic. Our model was and is simple: Nemu Records is a platform for musicians who play avantgarde music and who don’t want to run after any labels anymore who, if they really release a recording, don’t really care about it after all. Financially, the system is very simple. The musicians abide by the graphic rules, pay all expenses, and own the entire production. The music has to be avant garde / new music. We would not agree to a mainstream music release. Everything started very well, we had a very good response with our cd releases, found an excellent label manager (Jimi Wunderlich) and a good distribution (qualiton.com) right away.
Where is the labels based?
The label is based in Germany; that’s because both of our laptops are in Germany . We do not have an office. And we’re just now starting to sell the CDs through Bandcamp.
How do you choose the releases?
We are releasing recordings from ourself, and from friends or collegues. The music has to be first rate, avantgarde / new music / improv / composed – no mainstream. When friends or colleagues release a CD on Nemu, we coach them through the entire process.
Why is it mostly Cd releases?
We started when LPs was already out. CDs are the best for us as we send many copies to radios, reviewers etc.. Our format is digifile, no plastic, and easy to send by post.
Do you plan for future vinyl releases?
If musicians on our platform want to do that, they’re welcome to do it. I myself am not interested in doing it with my own releases. But who knows how it will be in the future.
What do you think about co-productions between record labels? Do you think it is a viable option for your labels?
Nowadays the tendency is rather that there are more and more independent small musician labels. I think it only makes sense for small labels to collaborate on distribution.
Do you think it is important to use social media to promote improvised music?
Yes, for sure. That’s the only reason why I use facebook. It was realy very useful so far.
How do you see the national and international improvised music scene? Artists, clubs, etc.?
There have never been so many super trained and talented musicians as there are today, even in the avant-garde field. Our scene will probably always be a marginal phenomenon. Honestly, I can’t predict where things are going to go from here.
Could you tell us something about some of your future projects?
The next upcoming cd is a trio recording that we did in Bonn in June 2022, with trio GLOD RAMOND KUGEL, Roby Glod – alto & soprano saxophone, Christian Ramond – double bass, Klaus Kugel – drums, https://glod.ramond.kugel-trio.com, It will be released in September 2023.
About Jimi in his own words:
"I was born in Dresden in the middle of the 20th century and grew up in East Berlin. After my apprenticeship as an electronics technician I worked at the Institute for Cosmos Research at the Academy of Sciences of the GDR. In this context I was involved in many space projects within the framework of Interkosmos. Devices built by me are located on Venus as well as on Mars or fly out of our solar system. After the fall of the Berlin Wall I exchanged hobby and profession and started a new career in the music business. Today I am an international agent for jazz and improvised music.
Some of my current favorite authors: Terry Pratchett, Simon Haynes, Kurt Vonnegut Jr, H. P. Lovecraft, Douglas Adams, Frank Herbert....
In early October 2017 I published my first SciFi eBook 'The Atlantis Protocols'.
