Die deutsch-britische Klangkünstlerin Claudia Molitor bringt dieser Tage ein neues Solalbum heraus. “Have You Ever”, das nach eigenen Angaben von Techno ebenso beeinflusst ist wie von Jazz, Ivor Cutler und Nico, ist ein Soloalbum im engsten Sinne, denn alle Sounds wurden von Molitor selbst eingespielt, aufgenommen und bearbeitet. Umso mehr beeindruckt die Bandbreite an Klanquellen – Stimme, Cello, Accordeon, Piano, diverse bisweilen verzerrte Elektronik, z.T. mit dem Smartphone aufgenommene Field Recordings (besonders beeindruckend der Regen auf einem Blechdach und die Geräusche der Themse) – und Stilrichtungen, bei denen oft eine reizvoll-verquere Balance zwischen Songcharakter und Experiment gewahrt bleibt. “Each little song is like a world in itself”, so die Musikerin zu den insgesamt 14 Tracks. “I thought it was really fun making these short little ideas, and to try and encapsulate something in just three or four minutes”. Das Album erscheint auf CD bei Nonclassical.

“Finding a freedom in creating for herself rather than for a brief or commission, Molitor began creating songs and miniatures in early 2020. Her process began with a simple element – a field recording, some words, a fragment of melody – which would then go through an organic transformation of collage and manipulation before arriving at the resulting track. The result is a diverse collection of tracks showcasing the breadth of the composers’ practice. Molitor has recorded everything on the album, collaging self-made sounds with field recordings and electronic manipulation – she sings and plays piano, cello and accordion. Poet Brian Patten is the only other collaborator who can be heard on the album, reading his poem ‘I caught a Train’ in the track of the same name. The 14 tracks on this album encompass a diverse range of styles: dark brooding electronics lie in stark contrast with simple piano chords, Molitor’s delicate untrained voice sitting atop and amid each song.

The composer moves from delicate and simple textures to a complex haze of electronic manipulation. Although these tracks were not originally conceived as an album, Molitor’s unconventional style and distinctive vocals are present throughout and binds together the unusual collection. Many of the field recordings which feature on the album were taken spontaneously using basic equipment or even just a smartphone – in the title track ‘Have you ever’, sounds of the Thames can be heard, recorded during a walk with her daughter. The composer highlights accidental sound blemishes rather than hide them, charmed by their authentic quality and the way they capture the unplanned nature of the field recordings. Molitor sings poetry and words by Graham Mackenzie (writer and director of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival) and Brian Patten (poet) as well as her own words in German and English.” (Nonclassical)