Author Archives: admin

HINTERLANDT: “The Stepping Stones of Life”

My first commissioned work as a composer, set to a poem by John Rantzen. It’s one long piece (17.46 minutes) describing an arch from the beginning of life to its end. Stream (free) / Download ($10) on Bandcamp.

Lyrics: John Rantzen | Music: Jochen Gutsch 

Musicians: 
Lara Goodridge – violin 
Monique Mezzatesta – viola 
Simeon Johnson – cello 
Nicole Smede – vocals 
Andy Rantzen – narrator 
Keyna Wilkins – flute 
Jochen Gutsch – guitar, trumpet, piano, vocals 

Recorded by Richard Belkner at Free Energy Device Studios in Sydney, June 2021. Mastered by Michael Lynch at Shoehorse Sound Studio. 

HINTERLANDT: The Church at Phoenix Central Park

On 25th of July 2021, Hinterlandt will present “Seven Tales” at The Church in Sydney, a new venue by the amazing Phoenix Central Park. It will be an intimate, all-acoustic chamber-style performance. Entry is free with registration. Please note the event was booked out within a few hours but there’s a waitlist.

Note: This concert was cancelled due to the current Sydney lockdown.

Photo: Ezekiel Rodofili

NO MANDATE: “Recalibrate” Album

The debut album by my power-trio with Alex O’Toole and Simeon Bartholomew is out now. Our music is energetic and progressive. The album is out on Bandcamp as well as all the other digital platforms. We also made two video clips:

Recalibrate | Nothing to Declare

Launch show: Thursday 15 April 2021 at Lazybones in Sydney. Supports from two jazz trios: Holopeak and Jodie Michael Trio.

HINTERLANDT: Welcome Lara Goodridge

We welcome the wonderful Lara Goodridge to Hinterlandt. Lara is an amazing violinist and lovely human being. She’s well-known for her work in FourPlay String Quartet, Baby et Lulu, Miriam Lieberman Trio, collaborations with author Neil Gaiman, and many other projects. We’re excited about the first shows in this new line up:

Photo: Ezekiel Rodofili

ANDY RANTZEN, JOCHEN GUTSCH, LAWRENCE ENGLISH: New Work

On the Completion of my Master Work is a new experimental voice/sound piece themed around the ideas, life and personality of philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. The 18-minute original composition is accompanied by a 14-minute digital remake.

Andy Rantzen: Voice, Concept / Jochen Gutsch: Composition, Instruments / Lawrence English: Sine Waves, Mastering

Edition of 100 hand-stamped, pro-dubbed C38 NAC super-ferric cassette tapes with recto/verso printed golden card. Made & duped in the US, printed in Indonesia. Includes download code for digital version.

50% of digital sales will be donated to forest conservation in Kalimantan & Sumatra, Indonesia via Yayasan ASRI and Pohon Asuh. The rest will be used to support the label.

HINTERLANDT: Press for “Seven Tales”

“Surprising poignancy and delightful black humour.” – Sydney Morning Herald

“Jochen Gutsch has crafted fictional lives and moments, all woven into his new song cycle to shed light on the human experience.” – in-depth interview in Tasmania’s CutCommon

“The dark humour of the seven tales is superbly captured by the musicians and arrangements. At times the strident strings punctuate and attack, other times they weep with melancholy, but invariably, they seize the mood.” – The Progressive Aspect

“An amazing, beautifully diverse and vividly eloquent album. The seven compositions move you though diverse scenes—vast landscapes or crammed rooms—with brilliant compositions and flawless execution” – Can This Even Be Called Music

“Mit einem kammermusikalischen Ensemble aus zwei Violinen, Cello sowie Gitarre beziehungsweise Trompete spielen Hinterlandt (neo-)klassische Weisen” – Betreutes Proggen

Three separate radio interviews about Seven Tales, The Tale of Vilma and The Tale of Jeff on SBS (Australian station but German language)

HINTERLANDT: New Album “Seven Tales”

The new Hinterlandt album Seven Tales is a song cycle I wrote to move the band’s progressive indie-chamber music into a more lyrical and poetic realm. Storytelling is key as seven fictional characters experience tragic anecdotes, beautifully brought to life by classically trained vocalist, Nicole Smede. The album is on Bandcamp and on all the usual digital platforms now.

Launch: Thursday 20th of August 2020 at Venue 505 in Sydney. 8.30pm show SOLD OUT. 6pm show added – some tickets left.

Musicians: Nicole Smede: Vocals, Monique Mezzatesta: Violin, Jara Stinson: Violin, Simeon Johnson: Cello, Jochen Gutsch: Trumpet, Guitar, Glockenspiel

Credits: Music and lyrics written by Jochen Gutsch. Recorded and mixed by Richard Belkner at Free Energy Device Studios in Sydney. Mastered by Michael Lynch at Shoehorse Studio. Artwork by Sam Harwood.

STILL: Audio-Visual Project

STILL: Roster 100 Days 300x300

Still is an audio-visual project I did in response to the lock-down situation in March-June 2020. For 100 consecutive days I took a photo of the same patch of Sydney sky at 8am every morning.

Meanwhile I composed a soundtrack to match the meditative atmosphere of the photographic project. Built around the fixed parameters of pace and place, Still is a quiet invitation for reflection and contemplation.

The 100 photos can be viewed in this gallery.

The soundtrack has not been published yet.

JOCHEN: New Website

Hello. It’s 2020 and I decided to set up a website under my own name, as a platform for my various creative undertakings. Current projects include Hinterlandt, No Mandate, Still, Snob Club, and several others.

The Discography page shows some 35 or so albums I’ve made, the Dates page lists upcoming shows and has an incomplete list of 500 or so gigs I’ve played. Press has snippets of reviews, About has a basic bio. If any of this interests you please don’t hesitate to Contact me.

Not listed on this website are things I organise in my capacity as programmer for the Goethe-Institut in Australia, which has its own website.