Benjamin Geyer
Benjamin Geyer
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music

 
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bernsteinzimmer

Despite or because of the bandwidth and creativity of the Berlin music scene, the feeling of stagnation and the realization that I need new impulses for my musical development arose at the end of 2018. Searching for myself and my own musical inspirations, I locked myself in at home and tackled my first solo project: “Bernstein Zimmer”. Every day in December 2018, a composition was created that I published in an online “advent calendar”. In Summer 2019 I did a road trip (8.000 miles) through the USA with my car were I met different musicians form techno to electro and noise music.

BernsteinZimmer was re.producing / re.writing Songs from Luise Volkmann and appears on her Album Rites De Passage released in April 2023

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flying cakes

The Berlin quartet by pianist Benjamin Geyer operates under the beautiful name Flying Cakes.
"19 Ways To Rain" (Double Moon / in-akustik) is the name of his debut CD, and No. 77 in the "Jazz thing Next Generation" series is characterized by a very special band feeling.

Pianist Benjamin Geyer of the young Berlin Flying Cakes has a soft spot for traditions. He is interested in modern electronics as well as acoustic jazz, which includes Flying Cakes. The band fits in the list of contemporary jazz bands in which it's all about group sound and band members are not in the service of certain celebrities. This is often expressed in the group name: GoGo Penguin, Phronesis, Mammal Hands or Rymden. Geyer once saw the name Flying Cakes on a wall in India. The horizontal, democratic set-up makes these groups extremely sympathetic. 19 Ways To Rain' appears in the Next Generation series of the German magazine Jazz Thing with promising young bands.

19 Ways to Rain (Jazz Thing Next Generation Vol. 77), an album by Flying Cakes on Spotify

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mononoke

Mononoke is a Berlin based duo. Founded in 2015, Benjamin Geyer (Keys) and Fabian Rösch (Drums) are playing flourishing, one-set electronic music. The debut album „The Foreign Loomers“ captures some of their strongest musical and sound ideas that are formed into a virtuously flourishing and forward moving piece of art. 

During the last two years, Mononoke continuously refined their sounds, set up and concept. The two jazz musicians gained experiences while playing in different bands and touring throughout Europe to now be well prepared and join forces for their upcoming journey. In summer 2018 they started recording and created the unique and complex sound of „The Foreign Loomers“. Mononoke’s song dynamic and progressive development is reminiscent of Floating Points, Flying Lotus and the dirt of Gaslamp Killer. The duo also got very inspired by the interplay and live character of Taylor McFerrin / Marcus Gilmore duo and the modern virtuosity of BADBADNOTGOOD.

Mononoke - Breakthrough Into A New Maze Benjamin Geyer - Rhodes, Prophet08, Pro2, Vocoder, Electronics Fabian Rösch - Drums, Sensory Percussion, Bass Live recording at former GDR Loom Factory Steina / Dresden July 2018 Many thanks to: Renate, Eduard und Marie Westreicher, Lion Sphere, Gisela Schäfer, Neighbors Video by Mononoke, Marie Westreicher, Karim Hegazy Mixed and Mastered by Fabian Rösch, Winter 2018 booking: mononoke.band@gmail.com Instagram: mononokemusic Facebook: facebook.com/mononokemusic/ All right reserved by © Mononokemusic Berlin June 2019

 

Flora Sophi is a singer and composer from Amsterdam. In 2016 she completed her BA in Voice at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, after which she spent three years in Berlin, where she recorded her eponymous first EP together with multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Geyer and producer Jethro Cooke. Shaped in the scenes of these two creative cities, her music brings together influences from jazz, pop and electronica, combining a storytelling sensibility with an instinct for atmosphere and mood to create worlds that feel both immediate and eternal – each of her songs is a small cosmos that you can dive into and explore.

LIVE 

 

2024

  • 27.01. Holly Schlott 2 Spirits @Jazzclub Eisenach

  • 18.02. Jazz Encounters @ ZigZag Jazzclub Berlin

  • 09.03. Flora Sophi @ Glasnapolsky (NL)

  • 31.05. Tanz mit der Orgel & DJ Set @ Dreifaltigkeitskirche Lankwitz

  • 21.06. Orgelnacht @ Dreifaltigkeitskirche Lankwitz

2023

 

2022

 
 
 

 Detroit

 

The song Door # 1 was created during my stay in Detroit. I think I was quite intrigued by Detroit's homes especially with their front facades. When you enter a house, you usually have to go through the front door. It grants you the inside of the building. The smell.

My time in Detroit was the highlight of my trip to the USA. When I arrived on September 20th, 2019 with my 1997 Saab 900s which I bought in San Diego, I was relieved. Actually right from the start Saabi (that's how the car was called) had problems with the cooling water pumps. Nevertheless, we were able to run proudly 7.500 miles (12.000km) until interesting noises arose from the engine compartment at our accommodation on Hague Street. Saabi took me to my destination before (she) was given to other hands: Detroit.
I arrived slowly at Café 1923 in Hamtramck and sipped an iced coffee to cool down. I was looking forward to see what would happen to me in the next weeks.
I stayed with Jeff and Zac for almost three weeks, two wonderful people and musicians who took a lot of time to show me around.

After setting up and going to the first house party (where I saw John Collins the first time) I also unpacked my mobile studio at my new place. In addition to Ableton Live, I brought my little exciting Mutable Instruments Ambika, the MakeNoise O-Coast and the Analog Rytm MK1, which I always stored in my silver TK.Maxx case and hid well in the car during the road trip.
The song Door # 1 was created. I think I was quite intrigued by Detroit’s homes especially with their front facades. When you enter a house, you usually have to go through the front door. It grants you the inside of the building. The smell. The colours. The soul.
The only Detroit producer and DJ I knew before (actually from Windsor) was Richie Hawtin. When I rummaged a bit in “the” record store >Threads <, I met DJs who should inspire me in the future: Robert Hood, Juan Atkins, Jeff Mills, Theo Parrish, Derrick May, and actually the important Underground Resistance and Detroit Techno Militia (to name a few).
Door #1 is a result of several ideas, concepts, melodies and field recordings.
During my stay in Detroit, but also during my entire trip to the USA, I created a lot of “drafts”, a library of ideas I took back home to continue to work with.

 

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 BIO



Benjamin Geyer studied Jazz Piano and Composition at the UdK (Berlin)/ Jazz Institut Berlin/ Trondheim Jazz NTNU with Tino Derado, Prof. John Hollenbeck and Prof. Greg Cohen, Eirik Hegdal, Espen Berg (among others).

Writing his own music and arrangements has been an essential part of his work since the beginning of playing the piano and making music.
He is a flourishing part of the Berlin Jazz / Electronic and Improvisation Scene and contributes actively to it with his projects such as Flying Cakes, Mononoke, Phonophobia, Olympic Orchestra, Out Of Nations or the Mia Knop Jacobsen Band.

Since 2010 Benjamin was touring throughout Europe with different Bands like Tom Schilling and the Jazz Kids, Out Of Nations, Flying Cakes, Mononoke and Olympic Orchestra, to name a few. He considers Germany's Capital Berlin as his home base and source of creativity.
In 2015 he studied for a semester in Trondheim, Norway. Dealing with his own biography, his own very personal understanding of sound and character should have a lasting impact on him.

In 2018 Benjamin started his solo project under the name Bernstein Zimmer and will promote this in the upcoming stay in the USA in 2019 with the vision to collaborate with likeminded artists of different genres and to create a progressive network.
His Jazz Quartett the Flying Cakes released their debut-album „19 Ways To Rain“ in spring 2019 with Jazzthing Next Generation / Double Moon Records.

The vibrating electronic duo Mononoke (Fabian Rösch on drums/electronics, Benjamin Geyer on Synth) released their debut-album „The Foreign Loomers“ in November 2019 on all streaming platforms.

Benjamin has been working with the first transgender saxophonist in Germany, Holly Schlott, since 2018 as a keyboardist and on electronics. They played together in different bands and performed as a duo too f.e. at the Teddy Award 2020 at Volksbühne Berlin.
The collaboration with Laure Boer (experimental noise electronic) started in 2019 when he invited her to a concert at the well known Donau115, Berlin. This resulted of this encounter were two other concerts and a live album, which will be released on the label LAN in spring 2020.

Since 2019 Benjamin has been working mainly on his solo appearance known as BernsteinZimmer. BernsteinZimmer’s music can be described as partly wild but driving, confusing, mysterious but also direct and uncompromising. A mixture that might be defined as experimental dark techno.

Der in Berlin lebende Pianist Benjamin Geyer begann seine musikalische Laufbahn mit 5 Jahren am Klavier. E-Gitarre und elektronische Klangerzeuger waren ebenfalls schon in jungen Jahren ein wichtiger Ausgangspunkt seines kreativen Schaffens.

Er ist ein aktiver Bestandteil der Berliner Jazz- und Improvisationsszene. Durch seine verschiedenen Projekte zwischen Jazz, Improvisation und elektronischer Musik (u.a. Flying Cakes, Mononoke, Loarbaire, Phonophobia oder die Mia Knop Jacobsen Band) blickt Benjamin auf Konzerttourneen in Deutschland, Polen, Schweiz, die Niederlanden und Norwegen zurück. Die Mia Knop Jacobsen Band konnte den 1.Platz des Sparda Jazz Preises (Klaus Doldinger) 2017 für sich gewinnen.

2015 verbachte Benjamin Geyer einen vier monatigen Aufenthalt in Trondheim. Inspiration fand er durch die aktive und interessante Musikszene und bei seinen Lehrern Espen Berg, Eirik Hegdal oder Erling Aksdal.

2019 wurde das Solo Projekt „Bernstein Zimmer“  gegründet, welches er im Rahmen seiner USA Reise im Sommer 2019 weiter entwickelte. Dort tauschte er sich mit verschiedensten Künstler*Innen über Musik, Kultur und Herkunft aus, um  Aufnahmen und Kollaborationen entstehen zu lassen. 

Die Flying Cakes veröffentlichten ihr Debüt-Album im Frühling 2019 „19 Ways To Rain“ bei der Jazzthing Next Generation.

Das Duo Mononoke (Fabian Rösch dr/electronics) brachte unter eigener Regie das Debüt-Album „The Foreign Loomers“ im November 2019 heraus und war anschließend auf einer kleinen Deutschland Tour.

Pictures by: Annika Krüger, Daniel Fuchs, Angelika Kubinski 

Liner Notes Flying Cakes - Stefan Weigand

CONTACT

 

Benjamin Geyer

beni.geyer@googlemail.com