Martin Kippenberger, Ohne Titel, 1982

Hey kids, I’m back in Istanbul after last week’s trip to Vienna. I won’t be able to say that it’s a nice city to live in, if you’re not a) old & rich b) poor & addicted to alcohol c) have a family history that goes up to the Habsburgs.

Of course there are some nice points as well, especially the MuseumsQuarter area which is bustling with artistic activity. The offices for monochrom, net.culture.space, Play.fm and lots of art collectives and 2 modern art museums occupy the space. One of the exhibitions I saw at MUMOK was called “Bad Painting – Good Art“, paintings which challenge the aesthetics of good painting and good art. Notable stuff from Picabia, Asger Jorn, Lisa Yuskavage along with real bad painting and bad art.

MUMOK curators have also created an official free download compilation to accompany the exhibition. I’ve sacrificed myself to stroll through the compilation which as you can anticipate has some abysmal music alongside some interesting ones. Here are my 3 picks, you can check the rest for yourself if you have the guts!

On a side note; tracks from neodadaist Ergo Phizmiz new album “Handmade in the Monasteries of Nepal” on Gagarin Records can be previewed down below as well.

One of Austria’s finest nujazz/downtempo artists and a member of the original Vienna sound alongside Kruder & Dorfmeister. Klaus Waldeck has released a new album after 2001’s The Night Garden. The opener track “Make my day” was released last year as a single and was drafted for a Mercedes ad, so it might be familiar to you. “Ballroom Stories” satisfies the building anticipation with a topnotch album that has many unnoticable influences like 20’s jazz & swing, tango, noir films, electro, waltzes. Armed with the singing & songwriting power of Zeebee and Joy Malcolm and with strings & rhodes abound, Waldeck’s easy listening nujazz sound will turn your living room into a hip pseudojazz cafe instantly. For fans of European nujazz & triphop.

Waldeck – Addicted
Waldeck – Jerry Weintraub

The amount of music (and the signal to noise ratio) is growing exponentially in todays world, and it’s getting more and more important who you ask for remixes today! Fortunately, it’s not a problem for Tosca boys. First they are the coolest guys from Vienna. I mean, who would refuse Mr. Dorfmeister or Mr. Huber? Second, they have an exquisite taste in music and this CD is the final proof for me!.

These gentlemen asked Bernd Friedman, Senor Coconut, DSL, Rodney Hunter, Stereotyp, AGF, Plantlife, Henrik Schwarz, Lindstrom & Prins Thomas and more.. and guess what it’s a great CD. I knew it would be a great CD when I saw the artists, but still I was amazed at the quality of music after the first listen. All of the tracks on this CD has their own character, no fillers, no mediocre jobs and once more another big wow at the choice of artists!