H♥RTZ

H♥RTZ is project that combines new and popular music, which are often considered to be opposites. However, some artists have sought a compromise by creating a musical hybrid that lies somewhere on the subjective border between the two genres. This hybrid music leads to novel, contrasting, and often surprising results with harmonic ambiguities, complex gestures, riffs, beats, or loops ad infinitum.

The genre-bending nature of this project extends beyond the music itself. It is evident in the unusual instrumentation, as some instruments are typically more common in one musical style than another, such as the Rhodes piano in popular music or the cello in contemporary classical music. The project title contains allusions to both pop and avant-garde culture. It refers to “heart” or “hurts” in English, two buzzwords that are common in pop music. It also refers to Hape Kerkeling’s famous sketch in which he parodies a concert for modern music. The genre-bending is also reflected in the location. Unlike a typical contemporary music concert, the audience is free to move around, for example to get a drink at the bar or to listen more closely. The conclusion of the concert leads into an evening of dance with DJ sets featuring deep techno, ambient and experimental music.

Graphic design by Denise Kurkowski.