Electroland Records Vienna    

Release: 4. th December 2020

GEOMETRY OF THE SOUL was longlisted (1/2021) for the "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik" in the category “GRENZGÄNGE” (Border Crossings).

SUSANNA RIDLER: composition, voice, electronics, artificial orchestra, production
GERT JONKE: texts, voice from original recordings (1971–2008)
PETER HERBERT:double bass
WOLFGANG PUSCHNIG: alto saxophone, flute
Guest: Anna Rebekka Ritter – violin (II / 2)

Featuring previously unpublished texts, excerpts from readings, and private statements by Gert Jonke.
© Gert-Jonke-Gesellschaft

Total running time: 65:26

PRESS REVIEWS
Kultur, Vorarlberg – Peter Füssl:
“…For open-minded music lovers, this album is a true treasure trove. Even Jonke connoisseurs will find surprises, as Susanna Ridler was granted access by the Gert Jonke Society to the poet’s study, where she discovered remarkable, previously unpublished finds that she was able to use in her fascinating, attention-demanding, and well-deserved masterpiece.”

Hannes Schweiger:
“…What a prospect that would be. Ridler, Puschnig, and Herbert realized it impressively with Jonke’s texts. One secretive and three uncanny musicians. The grammar of emotions.”

Kurier – Werner Rosenberger:
“A musical homage by the composer and vocalist to one who wanted to make music with language: Gert Jonke (1946–2009) featuring Wolfgang Puschnig. Unpublished texts were set to music enchantingly and subtly, some of the author’s voice from archival recordings was incorporated into the compositions. From jazz trio to orchestral-sounding film music, Jonke’s cosmos becomes perceptible and audible in entirely new ways on this musical-literary sonic exploration.”

Wiener Zeitung – Christoph Irrgeher:
“Composer and singer Susanna Ridler has maintained a symbiotic relationship with this cosmos for years. Time and again, she has interwoven these texts with her own sonic language, exploring different forms: at times letting the poet’s words float over ethereal orchestral music, at times threading them through electronic soundscapes, or using them as catalysts for spontaneous jazz conversations in a trio with Wolfgang Puschnig (saxophone) and Peter Herbert (double bass). Accordingly, Ridler’s album ‘Geometry of the Soul’ reads as a kind of anthology of previous years, shaped into a carefully considered large-scale work. Even amidst all subtlety, mischief is not lacking: listen, for example, to the anecdote of the rebellious, coarse mouth that parts from its owner with the words: ‘Be quiet, you dog / I am the mouth!’”

Kleine Zeitung, 07.01.2021 – “The Soul, Geometrically”:
“Vocalist Susanna Ridler paraphrases Gert Jonke. The poetry of the late Gert Jonke was always characterized by profound linguistic critique and great humor. With ‘Geometry of the Soul’, Ridler has paraphrased the oeuvre—or rather the spirit—of the Carinthian writer. Developed over an extended period, the project blends Jonke’s original recordings from 1971 to 2008 and some previously unpublished texts with her own compositions, sometimes doubling the rhythm or phrasing, sometimes subtly supporting or shaping them. Ridler employs every available means. Her work ranges between jazz and symphonic modernity, between soundtrack and chamber-like qualities. ‘Without Jonke’s texts, my music would not have found its sound and character,’ the Upper Austrian-born artist herself states."

Concerto – Achim Doppler, February 2021:
“…‘Geometry of the Soul’ brings Susanna Ridler’s long-standing work with Jonke’s texts and recordings to a—possibly only preliminary—conclusion. For her compositional approach, she selected previously unpublished fragments, which the Gert Jonke Society allowed her to explore and examine from his study in Vienna’s Stockgasse. An origami paper plane printed in the CD booklet, floating above the musicians in a 2018 concert photograph, stands as the iconic example of these objets trouvés. The musicians are the exceptional instrumentalists Wolfgang Puschnig and Peter Herbert, forming with Ridler a jazz trio of a special kind—though arguably a quartet, since the vocalized speech of Jonke, described by Elfriede Jelinek as a ‘jazz musician,’ serves alongside Ridler’s voice as a second main voice of the overall work.”

Hedwig Kainberger, 07.02.2021 – “Shut Your Mouth!”:
“The poet Gert Jonke would have turned 75 on Monday. It has become quiet around a great Austrian: Jonke’s works were once premiered with acclaim at the Burgtheater, awarded multiple Nestroy prizes, and performed in regional theaters and festivals such as the Ruhrtriennale. Yet since his death in January 2009, most stages have remained strangely Jonke-silent. Timely for his 75th birthday on 8 February, Lotus Records released a remarkable CD: Following Jonke’s own confession that ‘I probably cannot live without music,’ three artists pay tribute: Susanna Ridler as composer, singer, and on electronics, Peter Herbert on double bass, and Wolfgang Puschnig on saxophone and flute. Jonke’s wonderfully quirky, witty, and deeply serious thoughts—for example, a spectacular quarrel with his own mouth—can be heard in the original recordings and simultaneously become part of new music.”

Release: 21. Jänner 2012

SUSANNA RIDLER:  Composition, Voice, Electronik, Keys, Produktion
PETER HERBERT: Doublebass

WOLFGANG PUSCHNIG: Altosaxophone, Flute
FLORIAN KMET: E-GUITAR
Alexander Lackner: Electric Bass
GERALD PREINFALK: BASS CLARINETE 

Includes 3 Coverversions:
Angel Eyes, You go to my Head & Wayfaring Stranger

PRESS REVIEWS
ROLLING STONE (Germany):
“…Ridler’s original compositions range from atmospheric soundscapes to groove-driven tracks—so the closing ‘SusyteMix’ comes across like an adventurous puzzle from a remixer, far removed from the usual beats-per-minute framework. One imagines she’d get along well with Bugge Wesseltoft. But while his suggestive formulas preach a better life, Susanna Ridler prefers the questioning mode: ‘Where does this take us?’
‘Susystems,’ in any case, leads straight into the realm of genius.”

Jazzthing (Germany):
“Her interpretations sound like set-to-music poems, consistently conceived and performed for the digital age. Ridler’s rigor extends to her release strategy: the album is issued on her own label, Electroland Records, presenting a coherent 360-degree model.”

Kurier – Werner Rosenberger:
“…The result is internationally inspired adult music blending jazz, electronics, pop, and funk in reverse mode: exciting and relaxing, touching and ecstatic, accessible in the large picture and intricate in the details. Beautiful.”

Sound & Media (Austria):
“…a little Laurie Anderson translated into the present day. Cool, contemporary intellectual sound.”

Der Standard – Andreas Felber:
“…There are the idiosyncratic recompositions of old standards such as ‘You Go To My Head,’ in which the singer, flanked by Wolfgang Puschnig’s frenzied alto saxophone, vividly renders the lyrics through a gradual rise to the highest head-voice register. "Susystems" confirms her as a refreshingly independent singer/songwriter.”

Hessischer Rundfunk 2 – Günter Hottman (Germany), on ‘You Go To My Head’:
“…and I’ll go out on a limb here and put this highly contemporary recording on the same level as my absolute favorite version of the piece, performed by Chet Baker and Paul Bley in 1985…”

Mannheimer Morgen (Germany):
“She dares to take risks: Austrian singer Susanna Ridler catapults jazz standards like ‘You Go To My Head’ and ‘Angel Eyes’ into the digital age with her band [koe:r], uncovering new facets of the songs. Over hypnotic laptop beats and expressive solos by exceptional saxophonist Wolfgang Puschnig, she interprets the originals in a bubbling mix of funk riffs, club grooves, blues emphasis, and free vocal improvisation—as ecstatic invocations of obsessive desire and longing. Her genre-spanning ‘Susystems’ presents these rediscoveries (at least in this country) with remarkable taste and restraint. Ridler, who can sound as cool as an ice breeze and in the next moment as sensual as a lover, moves effortlessly in her original compositions between melodic pop, danceable electronica, driving rock elements, and emotionally charged jazz improvisations. Her band follows her masterfully. All of this sounds far superior to many pale northern singers. Highly recommended!”

Falter – Sebastian Fasthuber:
“[koe:r]: Susystems fusion is an ugly word. If one wanted to give it a more positive connotation, Susanna Ridler’s musical ‘baby’ [koe:r] could serve as an example of how it can be done. Bold and clever, the Viennese musician and singer navigates the borderlands between electronics, jazz, and pop. Mediocrity is yesterday; most tracks sound delightfully pronounced. Saxophonist Wolfgang Puschnig, guitarist Florian Kmet, and others contribute purposefully and inventively, adding significantly to the album’s success.”

Release: 01. Februar 2008

SUSANNA RIDLER:  Composition, Voice, Electronik, Keys, Produktion
PETER HERBERT: Doublebass
WOLFGANG PUSCHNIG: Altosaxophone, Flute
HELMUT JASBAR:  E-GUITAR
RAINER DEIXLER: Drums

Includes  4 Coverversions:
Comes Love, Corocvado , Fever & Summertime

PRESS REVIEWS

Die Presse – Samir Köck:
“…Her largely electronically generated slow-motion aesthetic carries the kind of icy soulfulness that also captivates in the work of Sidsel Endresen and David Sylvian.”

ORF / 3SAT:
“The legendary duo Kruder & Dorfmeister set the example: electronic music from Austria also receives international attention. Now singer, arranger, and composer Susanna Ridler successfully fuses electronic sounds with jazz. [koe:r] is this exciting music project from Vienna. The eponymous debut album caused a stir upon its Austrian release in February 2008. Now it is being released in Germany as well.”

Roasted Ice (Germany):
“[koe:r] manages to create immersive sound worlds. The listener seems to float through the album. A brilliantly executed record that avoids clichés and sounds refreshingly different. Definitely worth acquiring.”

APA – Georg Leyrer:
“Not content to merely gather Austrian jazz greats such as Peter Herbert, Wolfgang Puschnig, and Thomas Gansch on her debut CD, Ridler processed their solos on the computer, stretching, compressing, and chopping them to create a sophisticated yet vibrant mix of jazz, electronic music, and pop. The result combines a Vienna-style downbeat mood with international sonic openness—a trip-hop reinvention enriched with jazz, intelligent and emotional, ideal for both relaxing and exploratory listening. Even classics like ‘Summertime’ and ‘Fever’ are reimagined in a contemporary, reflective guise.”

Vogue (Germany):
“Cross-genre experiments usually become painfully banal. On [koe:r], Susanna Ridler does something entirely different: fusing new music from existing styles, merging her own compositions with solos by top-tier musicians. Jazz-infused, intellectual, sensual.”

Now (Austria):
“…A refreshingly light-footed, independent album, evoking thoughts of sea and vacation without resorting to ‘Café del Mar’ clichés.”

Musicchannel.cc (Austria):
“A musical approach as quirky as it is brilliant, hardly to be expected from this country. [koe:r] is far more than a simple computer project. Every track shows that while the computer was indispensable, the album also reveals a much larger creative vision. Ridler imposes no limits, yet the compositions are carefully thought-out; they are more than one-off studio experiments. Drawing from jazz, pop, funk, lounge, electronic, ambient, and more, the resulting sound is impossible to describe—like teaching a human to fly. Supported by prominent musicians such as Wolfgang Puschnig, Peter Herbert, and Helmut Jasbar, the album’s charm comes from the process itself: transforming and reassembling the recorded “sound snippets.” Even classic tracks like ‘Fever’ or ‘Summertime’ feel like new works, strongly reinterpreted and emotionally vivid. Fascination with [koe:r] comes from the symbiosis of jazz-driven solos and electrifying, downbeat-oriented soundscapes. The album flows like a waterfall—and it does so with incredible pleasure and beauty.”

Slam-Zine (Germany):
“Consider the brilliant Gershwin adaptation ‘Summertime’. Most tracks on [koe:r] are Ridler’s originals, but alongside ‘Summertime’, classics like ‘Fever’, ‘Corcovado’, and ‘Comes Love’ are reimagined in a wholly new musical guise. Ridler is supported by Austria’s jazz elite—Wolfgang Puschnig (saxophone & flute), Thomas Gansch (trumpet & flugelhorn), and Peter Herbert (double bass)—making [koe:r] a remarkable, horizon-expanding musical experience, perfect for relaxed Sunday mornings or lonely nighttime drives. Atmosphere and sophistication are guaranteed.”

Der Standard – Andreas Felber (Austria):
“Relaxed tones from Susanna Ridler, alias [koe:r]. After a long hiatus following her previous work as Tristan on the sampler "Summertime – This Is Now", Ridler returns with a remarkable, effortlessly flowing album. Her voice serves as a versatile, coherence-giving guide through dub-inflected, meticulously arranged electronica soundscapes. At times, it blends as a pure color within contrasting structures, at other times it carries the songs. Standards like Jobim’s ‘Corcovado’ or Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ are deconstructed sensually, enriched by authentic improvisational contributions that transcend typical “nu-jazz” minimalism. Wolfgang Puschnig (sax), Peter Herbert (b), Helmut Jasbar (g), and Rainer Deixler (dr) contribute essential textures for the live premiere of [koe:r].”

Kulturwoche – Manfred Horak:
“A remarkable debut: Ridler’s [koe:r]—French for ‘heart’—navigates the intersections of jazz, electronics, and pop, enriched with melancholic downbeat textures reminiscent of late-90s trip hop. Ridler creates minimal sonic frameworks, adorned masterfully by top musicians: Peter Herbert (double bass), Wolfgang Puschnig (saxophone & flute), Thomas Gansch (trumpet), Rainer Deixler (drums), Helmut Jasbar (guitar). She chops and reworks the solos into experimental sounds, offering fresh perspectives. Highlights include Gansch in Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’, Puschnig in Ridler’s ‘Dirty Water’, and Ridler’s delightful vocals in ‘5 Parrots in an Appletree’. The album’s overall mood is dark, melancholic, surreal yet never cold—electronics with soul. Seven original compositions are complemented by four covers (‘Summertime’, ‘Fever’, ‘Corcovado’, ‘Comes Love’), which feel reborn, almost like new compositions. Bold. Victorious. Heartwarming and simply excellent.”