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PRICE:
$18.00
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Epitaph for John
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
KP 3016 KP 3016
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
11/28/2005

Compilation with Asmus Tietchens, RLW, Merzbow, Freiband and John Watermann. "Over the course of his life John Watermann worked with almost every conceivable artistic medium. In many ways, he was the epitome of the 'total artist'; almost every element of his life being in some way his own artistic project. As a young man in his native Germany he worked as a photographer and documentary filmmaker, also etching, painting and writing. His experience as a youth in Germany in the Second World War influencing his work from then right through until his death. He first released his music in 1989 in the form of the album Warmth is the Fifth Room. Over the next 10 years he released numerous albums and contributed to a number of compilations, both under his own name as a solo artist, in collaboration with others (such as Merzbow) and under a number of pseudonyms (including Radio Mull, Spinal Machine and Total Disease). Sadly, on April 2nd 2002 John Watermann died suddenly of an infection resulting from his ongoing treatment for cancer. Having in the final year of his life returned to painting and writing (alongside a burgeoning interest in cooking), he still had vast plans for future projects. Among these unfulfilled projects were plans to collaborate with Frans de Waard on a new release. Although only preliminary discussions on the collaboration took place and Watermann never completed any work towards the project, Watermann's source material that was to be the basis of the work now serves as a basis for this tribute release. Despite his vast artistic output, Watermann has been known almost exclusively for his music and even then his work remains largely undiscovered, perhaps for no other reason than its sheer unavailability. In many ways Watermann could be considered a classic example of the artists' artist, his work influencing many far more prominent sonic alchemists. And perhaps then this release serves as a record of Watermann and his influence, documenting the respect he reserved from his peers and, hopefully, introducing his work to a new audience."