SOUND OF AUSTRIA

SOUND OF AUSTRIA
Creative pulse in the heart of Europe
w w w. a u s t r i a . i n f o
Music and culture in Austria ...
... have always blended in an inspiring way. The fertile ground for the unfolding
of art and culture is provided by the country’s towns, mountains and lakes.
Here, the stage is everywhere. The nation and its way of life have been shaped
by diverse cultures and influences from all directions. Owing to its location in
the very heart of Europe, Austria has frequently played a leading role as builder
of bridges and meeting place.
The Eurovision Song Contest 2015 turns Austria once again into the musical hotspot of Europe. Its music
scene is as varied as the country is as a holiday destination. In the different regions, local and individual
influences are combined with modern world music sounds, lending this new music style an incomparable
note. Let yourself be enchanted by the diversity of Austria’s musical landscape!
I wish you lots of fun and exciting discoveries.
Yours,
Petra Stolba
CEO, Austrian National Tourist Office
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Editor & Publisher: Austrian National Tourist Office, Vordere Zollamtsstraße 13, 1030 Vienna
Content: Sebastian Fasthuber, Graphics: Karin Trenkler, Print: Druckerei Grasl
Project Management: Julia Holzer
© Österreich Werbung/Jungwirth
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Vorarlberg I 1
Upbeat Felix Bergleiter
Felix Bergleiter made his mark on the Austrian music
scene as part of Waxolutionists. When he discovered
hip hop in his youth it was still relatively unknown.
“I grew up in Vorarlberg’s Oberland,” explains Bergleiter. “Before 1993 we didn’t really have musical
subcultures there.” Until 1995 he tried himself as
a Vorarlberg hip hop pioneer with friends. “We
organized the first jams, hoping to raise awareness
in the Oberland. But hip hop only had a few followers
in Austria back then, with the exception of Vienna.”
This is what drew Bergleiter to the capital, where
he soon worked the turntables as DJ Bionic Kid or
BNCKD. It was here he met the fellow Waxolutionists
– their new album due out in 2016. Over the past ten
years Felix Bergleiter has become a versatile DJ and
producer, his focus shifting towards upbeat house
and techno. Under his own label Praterei he has also
released a series of tracks as 7 Citizens.
Although his DJ sets are mainly in the capital and
abroad, Bergleiter says most of his contacts are
from Vorarlberg, living in Vienna as he does.
“But my parents still live in the Oberland, so I get
to enjoy the countryside there every so often.”
© Roland Grand
His love of hip hop took Felix Bergleiter from
Vorarlberg to Vienna, where he is now a key
figure of the club scene.
Tirol I 2
M a n u D e l a g o F u l l C i r c l e
The musician from Tirol now lives in London,
from where he has launched an impressive
career embracing practically every style of
music.
Manu Delago discovered music early. As a teenager he played the drums in bands across Austria.
His musical influence came from events he visited
as a pupil and student at Innsbruck’s Treibhaus.
“But soon I craved a wider cultural offering, one
of the main reasons I decided to go to London.”
Manu Delago combines everything a young musician needs – from talent and diversity to diligence,
determination and a bit of luck. “It’s definitely of
advantage playing an unusual instrument,” he says.
“But it’s not like they’re sitting around waiting for
you either. When I started out I was playing in pubs
and bars where hardly anyone was listening.”
He doesn’t get to spend much time in London,
as he tours for nine months a year with various
groups and his own solo project. When he gets to
visit family in Tirol it is the nature that draws him
nowadays. “I appreciate the mountains more than
ever. My favourite places in Tirol are those at least
1500m above sea level.”
© Daniel Shaked
He moved to the British capital in his early 20s
to make it big as a professional musician with
his new instrument the Hang. Since then he has
created a name for himself as an artist who has
mastered practically every style of music, from pop
to world music and jazz. The highlight of his career
so far: When the Icelandic pop-eccentric Björk
made him a permanent member of her tour group.
Salzburg I 3
Spending so much time in the studio, it’s no
wonder the drum’n’bass producers find their
minds drifting towards Salzburg’s great
outdoors.
Their international audience has grown even
bigger than that at home, and their hard, contorted
basslines and dreamy melodies are especially
popular in the UK.
Salzburg is a city of high culture, marked by the
annual Salzburg Festival. Those who take a closer
look, however, will also find concert venues and
clubs in Mozart’s hometown, where loud guitars
and electronic beats set the tone. Numerous musicians have launched their careers from Salzburg
including Reinhard Rietsch, better known as one
half of drum’n’bass duo Camo & Krooked.
Rietsch doesn’t make it to Salzburg often anymore,
much to his regret. “The nature really is one of a
kind. And it’s great to see the old faces.” He even
knows where he would head first: “The Argekultur
and the Rockhouse. They are the classics when
it comes to Salzburg’s youth culture and I always
loved hanging out there.”
“In Salzburg, the culture of the past might be more
present than that of today,” he says. “But when I
started making music in 2000 a decent scene was
evolving with D’n’B parties where you could exchange ideas. I got most of my inspiration from the
internet, although I equally appreciated the lakes
and mountains, the perfect antidote to the studio.”
Camo & Krooked have been living and working in
Vienna for many years now, building a large fan
base in Austria with the help of radio station FM4.
© Samuel Colombo
Camo & Krooked Think Alps
Carinthia I 4
E l to Ly r i c s o f t h e L a k e
© Elto
The Austrian-Egyptian singer who grew up in
Carinthia draws his inspiration from nature.
“I am a real nature child,” says Elto, having spent
the majority of his childhood outdoors with friends
in Carinthia. Nature never fails to fascinate him as
a musician, thus the video to his track “Melody”
celebrates the beauty of the Irish coast. But Elto
does not have to travel far to find inspiration and
some of his songs were composed by Lake Millstatt.
“I wrote ‘Lakeside’ as a tribute to a beautiful country,”
he explains. “It’s what you feel when absorbing
Austria’s great outdoors.”
Elto’s real name is Manuel El-Tohamy and he
grew up with Austrian-Egyptian roots in Carinthia.
Inspired by his surroundings, he started composing
on guitar when he was 14. His reflective pieces
remind of Mumford & Sons or Coldplay, which Elto
has an explanation for: “It is impossible not to get
lost in thought when you are sitting by the water.”
Now in his mid-twenties, Elto lives in Salzburg,
where he enjoys the city as well as the nearby
countryside. In between work on his debut album
he hopes to spend one or two weeks in Carinthia
this summer. “I live for the lakes and the summer,”
he gushes. “I especially love the Goldeck, our local
mountain, and Lake Millstatt of course.”
Upper Austria I 5
Alma featuring Julia and Marlene Lacherstorfer
combines classical music with folk.
“As far as the imagination listens”, is Alma’s motto,
which really is far when it comes to these four
young women and their male bandmate. The aptly
titled new album “Transalpin” (transalpine) travels
from Zillertal to the Traisental, encompassing
intimate parlour music and concert hall splendour
from Alpine meadows to the steps of a waltz.
All five members grew up in musical families,
learning everything from traditional folk to Alpine
yodeling and later gaining academic qualifications
with their instruments. “Our granddad played
the accordion every evening,” recollects Julia
Lacherstorfer, who forms the Upper Austrian part
of Alma with her sister Marlene. “Our dad had his
own folk music group and our mum contributed to
our musical development by sending us to music
lessons.”
The sisters from the spa town of Bad Hall effectively
had their paths laid out for them. Alma is the
outlet for their numerous influences, upholding
Austria’s musical traditions and keeping them on
their toes. “We only make it home for holy occasions
now: Christmas, Easter and All Saints,” Julia jokes.
When the family celebrations are over the sisters
are usually drawn to their local, the friendly PubCafé Caprice.
© Alma
A l m a’s A l p i n e E n c o r e s
Styria I 6
Sondercombo Head Out
The Styrian quartet makes Austropop with
regional influence, and loves working where
others go on holiday.
Unlike other Austrian musicians the quartet was
never drawn to the capital, according to lead
singer Thomas Pfeifenberger. “We got to know
Vienna making our album and had a great time,
but were glad to leave. We live where others go on
holiday, and that’s worth a lot.” If musicians are
at home where their audience is, then Sondercombo’s roots have grown, although their most
devoted fans remain in Ennstal. “The region backs
us,” raves the singer. “Our songs are played at the
locals and home concerts always sell out.”
On top of performances across Austria, however,
Sondercombo also had gigs in Germany last year.
“Aussi in die Wöt” (out into the world) is their latest
track, about leaving familiar surroundings and
trying something new. You can always return home,
like the four from Ennstal. “We love performing at
home,” says Pfeifenberger. “You have to prove yourself to a local audience and we like the challenge.”
© Sondercombo
Ennstal is a particularly unspoilt part of Austria.
Before forming Sondercombo here in 2011, the
musicians’ influences ranged from folk to jazz,
funk, metal and Austropop. As a band they bring
these together, resulting in rustic dialect tracks
that still manage to rock!
Burgenland I 7
Garish Get Luck y
Founded in 1997, Garish and lead singer Thomas
Jarmer count amongst Austria’s most experienced
indie bands. It was the luck of the draw that they came
together just as radio station FM4 was starting out. Even
in the small province of Burgenland there was plenty
going on at the time. “There were lots of bands knocking about,” Thomas Jarmer recollects. “Bands with a
desire to experiment and well-visited concerts.”
Those looking for tranquility will find it in Austria’s
easternmost province. Garish attribute their individuality to the solitude they seek when making music.
“We have recorded various albums and still rehearse
in Burgenland, even though most of us don’t live
there anymore,” says Jarmer. “Things become easier
and more serene in Burgenland.“
“Serene” is a good way to describe Garish, who grew
with each album and reinvented themselves time and
again. The 2014 album “Trumpf” (trump) is the current
climax of this development. It could be renamed
“Triumph”, if Garish weren’t so modest that is.
What Jarmer and his colleagues love most about
Burgenland is its diversity across a small space.
“Lake Neusiedl offers plenty throughout the seasons,
as do the forests and hills in the centre.”
© Julia Grandegger
The indie band from Burgenland unites poetry
with pop and rural reflection with urban openness.
Lower Austria I 8
Charmed by Birgit Denk
The versatile musician often sings in Viennese dialect, but her Lower Austrian roots remain within.
“I grew up in a musical family,” says Birgit Denk.
Records were always playing at their home in
Hainburg - often dialect tracks, from the 50s to
Wolfgang Ambros and Ludwig Hirsch – and her
parents took her to see Austrian legends at the
Stand Up Club Fischamend.
Nowadays the singer lives in Burgenland, but her
music continues to take her to Lower Austria. She
recommends visiting the Schrammel.Klang.Festival
in Litschau, the Musikfest in Waidhofen an der
Thaya, and of course the Stand Up Club Fischamend
where it all began for her, which celebrates its
40th anniversary this year.
Despite singing in Viennese dialect, Denk still feels
a connection to her home province. “My second
home is in Schwechat,“ she says. „I’m actively
involved with local musicians, establishments and
initiatives.” Denk appreciates regional structures,
but also plays a role on the national stage. Since
2014 she has been hosting a popular talk show
“Denk mit Kultur” (Denk with culture).
© Denk
This early influence comes across in Denk’s music.
For 15 years she has been touring with her band,
covering everything from rock to the modern Wiener­
lied (Viennese song), and charming audiences with
her witty lyrics.
Vienna I 9
5/8e r l in Eh r ’n Soul of V ie n na
The 5/8erl is one of the Wienerlied movement’s
driving forces, yet only one member is from
Vienna.
5/8erl in Ehr‘n are pioneers of the movement. Ironically, Miki Liebermann is the only Viennese member.
The four gentlemen by her side are “new arrivals”
from Lower and Upper Austria. “Vienna is Austria’s
most creative city and first point of call for those
feeling cramped in the remaining provinces,” says
contrabass player Hannibal Scheutz. “It lets you be
the way you are with a large helping of soul.”
The band likes to play with clichés, evident in its
name referring to the old toast “Ein Achterl in Ehren
kann niemand verwehren” (An eighth of wine in
honor can do no harm). The 8erl, as fans call
them, describe their music as “Viennese Soul”,
blending dialect with acoustic ballads and smooth
grooves that transport humour, emotion and
depth. Their success speaks for itself, filling ever
bigger concert halls across Austria and now also
Germany.
© Klaus Pichler
The Wienerlied (traditional Viennese song) is as
much a part of the Austrian capital as is the waltz,
the wine and the schnitzel. For some time now
it has not just been heard from rustic taverns,
but also from concert halls and clubs, as young
musicians have looked towards their heritage for
inspiration, radically modernizing it.
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