Biography
Germany's Bohren & Der Club of Gore have regularly been tagged with descriptors such as dark jazz, doom jazz, and ambient jazz noir. The musicians, who had previously played in hardcore punk and metal groups in the late 1980s, shifted toward an aesthetic defined by unhurried lethargy, persistently sedate pacing, modal execution, and harmonic minimalism. Their chief reference points encompassed film noir soundtracks, Lustmord's bleak sonic landscapes, Angelo Badalamenti's scores, Ben Webster's languid sax and soul ballads, and the bleak, perverse, violent imagery found in the novels of Big Jim Thompson. The band's opening pair of releases featured guitar-driven pieces that evoked imaginary midnight soundtracks, among them the monolithic two-hour Midnight Radio from 1995. When saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Christoph Clöser replaced founding guitarist Reiner Henseleit in 1998, the group entered a second stage marked by the widely praised Sunset Mission in 2000. Working at a plodding, syrupy tempo, Bohren & Der Club of Gore cultivated a beguiling, beautiful yet ominous stasis; their pieces appeared to begin already in progress and conclude in similar fashion. Later works such as 2008's Dolores placed Clöser's vibraphone and Fender Rhodes at the forefront, modestly softening the late-night dread and bringing that phase to an end. A fresh chapter opened decisively with 2011's Beileid, which included Mike Patton's guest vocal on an unrecognizable cover of "Catch My Heart" by the 1980s German doom metal act Warlock. On 2014's Piano Nights, B&DCOG dropped the Rhodes in favor of a Yamaha digital piano whose timbre closely resembled an acoustic grand, while Clöser's breathy saxophone vibratos added a hollow tonal quality behind it. A study in contradictions, Piano Nights stood as the band's most "upbeat" recording yet also its coldest and thinnest-sounding.
Longtime friends Thorsten Benning on drums, Robin Rodenberg on bass, Reiner Henseleit on guitar, and Morten Gass on guitar and piano formed the all-instrumental quartet in 1992. The four musicians, who described themselves as a German "doom-ridden jazz music" outfit, drew from shared affinities for grindcore, hardcore, death metal, and doom metal. Originally known simply as Bohren, the German word for drilling, the group lengthened its name in 1993 to honor the Dutch instrumental band GORE. Following a self-titled 7" EP issued by Suggestion Records in 1994, the band delivered its debut full-length Gore Motel and then Midnight Radio in 1995, both on Epistrophy Records. Henseleit's departure the next year rendered the music still more brooding and minimalist. Composer and saxophonist Christoph Clöser came aboard in 1997, leading to the Fender Rhodes-heavy Sunset Mission in 2000. After a short hiatus the same lineup reconvened for Black Earth in 2002, Geisterfaust in 2005, and Dolores in 2008. Mitleid Lady appeared on Southern Records in 2010, followed by Beileid on Mike Patton's Ipecac label in summer 2011. Following an international tour and extended break, the group surfaced with Piano Nights in early 2014. Benning exited in 2015, reducing the lineup to a trio. Apart from the 2016 double-disc compilation Bohren for Beginners, Bohren & Der Club of Gore maintained a low profile until returning to the studio as a trio in 2019. The October pre-release single "Sollen Es Doch Alle Wissen" combined the warm sax and bass textures of Dolores, acoustic piano reminiscent of Piano Nights, and the grooving vibes plus occasional Rhodes from Sunset Mission, thereby inaugurating the band's fourth chapter. Their ninth album, Patchouli Blue, arrived in early 2020.
Longtime friends Thorsten Benning on drums, Robin Rodenberg on bass, Reiner Henseleit on guitar, and Morten Gass on guitar and piano formed the all-instrumental quartet in 1992. The four musicians, who described themselves as a German "doom-ridden jazz music" outfit, drew from shared affinities for grindcore, hardcore, death metal, and doom metal. Originally known simply as Bohren, the German word for drilling, the group lengthened its name in 1993 to honor the Dutch instrumental band GORE. Following a self-titled 7" EP issued by Suggestion Records in 1994, the band delivered its debut full-length Gore Motel and then Midnight Radio in 1995, both on Epistrophy Records. Henseleit's departure the next year rendered the music still more brooding and minimalist. Composer and saxophonist Christoph Clöser came aboard in 1997, leading to the Fender Rhodes-heavy Sunset Mission in 2000. After a short hiatus the same lineup reconvened for Black Earth in 2002, Geisterfaust in 2005, and Dolores in 2008. Mitleid Lady appeared on Southern Records in 2010, followed by Beileid on Mike Patton's Ipecac label in summer 2011. Following an international tour and extended break, the group surfaced with Piano Nights in early 2014. Benning exited in 2015, reducing the lineup to a trio. Apart from the 2016 double-disc compilation Bohren for Beginners, Bohren & Der Club of Gore maintained a low profile until returning to the studio as a trio in 2019. The October pre-release single "Sollen Es Doch Alle Wissen" combined the warm sax and bass textures of Dolores, acoustic piano reminiscent of Piano Nights, and the grooving vibes plus occasional Rhodes from Sunset Mission, thereby inaugurating the band's fourth chapter. Their ninth album, Patchouli Blue, arrived in early 2020.
Albums
Singles
