Amanar & Thomas Ankersmit

Kiezsalon

At the end of August, Kiezsalon will present three concerts at MaHalla in Oberschöneweide (Treptow-Köpenick). These will be held in the vast, 3000 qm former turbine hall, once part of the AEG (General Electricity Company). The colossal turbine hall is located in the historic industrial landscape southeast of Berlin that inspired Fritz Lang's iconic masterpiece ‘Metropolis’.

• Amanar: Based in Kidal in the extreme Northeast of Mali, the heart of Azawad, Amanar plays a contemporary version of the classic Tuareg guitar. Often referred to as the “desert blues” sound, Amanar is at the forefront of the modern avant-garde interpretation. Moving from the wistful nostalgia of their predecessors, their fast interpretation of desert blues draws from a menagerie of influences. Their guitars are mixed with percussion and flute, with an introduction of drum kits, electric piano, and elements of rap. Yet above all, it is a sound that remains rooted in Kidal. As other local favorites Tinariwen and Terakaft have moved on to international careers, Amanar have emerged as a favorite of the Tuareg youth, sought after in local marriages, political campaigns, and soirees.
• Thomas Ankersmit: Thomas Ankersmit is a musician and sound artist based in Berlin and Amsterdam. He plays the Serge Modular synthesizer, both live and in the studio, and collaborates with artists like Phill Niblock and Valerio Tricoli. His music is released on the Shelter Press, PAN, and Touch labels, and combines intricate sonic detail and raw electric power, with a very physical and spatial experience of sound. Acoustic phenomena such as infrasound and otoacoustic emissions (sounds emanating from inside the head, generated by the ears themselves) play an important role in his work, as does a deliberate, creative misuse of the equipment.

The Kiezsalon has offered a forum for innovative musical activity beyond genre boundaries. As an interface between avant-garde, advanced pop music and interdisciplinary art, the series presents compact shows of 30 minutes by artists of diverse genres, origin and status.