Thomas Brinkmann

MUTEK is thrilled to be hosting Cologne's unique and deserving representative of the minimal scene for his second visit. Last year's performance left his audience feeling shaken (from dancing!), humbled and euphoric. A talented performer, Brinkmann is also a prolific composer who knows to vary his approach. A devoted fan of R&B and funk, he reworks these references into crisp cuts where worlds collide. He has developed a technique of physically cutting into vinyl to create different frequencies of skips at varying rhythms, allowing him to create new pieces with the material already pressed on his labels Max, Ernst and Max Ernst and friends. This technique has recently forged new paths in Brinkmann's career with his work Clicks, where the method is showcased in its purest and most ingenious form. While some of his pieces require the use of 3-4 turntables along with engraved vinyl and dosed-up effects, others are as basic as the spinning of one record as it releases its rhythmic force in all of its simplicity. Whatever enlightened scenic route Brinkmann chooses he'll always have a knack for 'funking' up the arrangements enough so that the place can get DOWN!