QP by Brueder Selke

The brothers Sebastian and Daniel Selke grew up during critical times – back in the 1980s when the former GDR was slowly starting to dissolve – in the far East of Berlin-Hellersdorf. The newly built prefab estates that marked this area were named with different types: Q3A, QP and QX.

From 1959 to 1983 the even more frequently built houses followed in the cross-wall panel construction method. The houses were built with five, eight or ten storeys and, in contrast to the two Q predecessor series in accordance with the building regulations of the time with a lift. This is the first type of house in industrial large panel construction.
The individual panel elements completely form a wall of a room. Most striking and visible feature of many houses in the QP series are coloured tiles, mostly white or yellow, to cover the outer walls. The first buildings of this series were built in Berlin between Strausberger and Alexanderplatz, in the western half of the former Stalinallee and also in the Hans Loch quarter.

After the Q3A EP, this is the second part from a planned trilogy. With “Fuer Daniel” (to Daniel), the A-side marks Sebastian’s second solo piece to be released under his own name. This time he plays his felt-prepared upright piano manufactured by Alexander Herrmann and VEB Deutsche Piano - Union Leipzig. The repeats of a left and right panned ping-pong delay run through a sequenced analogue filter. For the first time you will also notice 2 violins, a viola and even Sebastian’s Klingenthal cello.
But here all sounds come from the virtual instrument once created by Ólafur Arnalds. Its samples are based on recordings from Viktor Orri Árnason and Sebastian.

Daniel, on the B-side, is playing his restored childhood upright made by Steck, a brand name of the Aeolian Piano company that was used on player pianos produced in the early twentieth century. A large number of Steck pianos were produced in Gotha, Germany. The factory named Gothaer Piano-Hofmanufaktur was purchased in 1905 from Ernst Munck and renamed Steck in 1906. In his solo piece “Dear Sebastian”, he combines it with sampled percussive piano noises that build a subtle rhythm.

The simple but intense tonality of Sebastian’s emerging figures and string textures merge with Daniel’s seemingly observant conversation between melody and noises. Like in part one, Q3A, this ultimately allows for a dialogue between their childhood pianos, coming together in a volute to reveal something utterly moving and beautiful – the hidden piece, QP, is revealed when the two tracks are layered. In addition this third track is released under the brother’s new sigil: Brueder Selke.

QP is a further project to be recorded live at their very own Klingenthal Studio in Potsdam. The record was given into the gifted hands of Edward Sikorski, who mixed and mastered the record at his boutique Studio B in Dresden.

composer & curator

bruederselke.com
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