Member Since: 6/21/2006
Band Website: bignote.de
Band Members: BigNote is the rooftop under which you'll find:
A publishing company:
BigNote Music
A production company:
BigNote Productions
A record label:
BigNote Records
It is also home for musician/composer/producer Carsten Bohn who formed BigNote in 1988 here in Hamburg, Germany after staying seven years in NYC.
The funky lounge sound of Carsten Bohns soundtrack music for childrens audio story books from the 70s and 80s has been has long been a hit in Germany. At the dawn of the 70s, Carsten Bohn, the leader and drummer of FRUMPY, the German Kraut Rock band, was already a fixture in the German music business when, as BERT BRAC, he began composing music for audio story books. Already in his youth he performed at Hamburgs legendary STAR CLUB (where the Beatles started out), acting as the drummer in a variety of bands that gained a measure of local popularity. His breakthrough in Europe was with FRUMPY.
The music accompanying the audio books became just as popular as the stories themselves. Bohns work was concentrated on multiple audio book series in which he left his own mark with his music. Special editions from that time, featuring full-length versions of Bohns music, are sought-after collectors items. In Germany, the vinyl LP originals command up to $US 250. However, the record labels responsible for the audio story books didnt really have Carsten Bohns best interests in mind. Without his knowledge or permission, Bohns work was used to accompany the story telling in at least 16 audio book series approaching 170 individual episodes.
The consequence was a legal battle over copyright infringement that continues today with the result that neither the record label nor Bohn was allowed to publish the original music from the audio books. The old audio books were re-recorded with new music not composed by Carsten Bohn. This caused a full-blown run by fans on the early editions featuring Bohns musical grooves. In addition, communities of fans sprang up who took the trouble to remaster the new audio books, replacing alien music with songs from Bohns older creations, and distributed them in a private pool.
As the crowning conclusion to this development a very special project is to soon be released by a major German label. Prominent European DJs and studio mixers have borrowed Bohns re-worked audio book sounds and remixed them according to their own styles and tastes. A product is coming out in which the music will be dance-floor compatible for the very first time.
For his part, Carsten Bohn has begun re-releasing the audio book music released by his own BigNoteRecords label, which he and his band, CARSTEN BOHNs BANDSTAND, re-recorded. Vol. I & II of a planned CD trilogy series have already been released. The songs included enjoy insider cult status or feature that special lounge beat. The original compositions on both released CDs are played and recorded with the same instruments used to make the original recordings at the end of the 70s and beginning of the 80s. All recordings were made as closely as possible to the originals and only refined in matters of grooves.
Carsten Bohn..s Bandstand (2006):
Carsten Bohn
(Drums / Vocals)
George Kochbeck
(E-Piano / Keyboards / Organ)
Bernd Schultze
(E-Piano / Keyboards / Organ)
Frank Fischer
(Bass)
Thomas "Wöbb" Weppler
(E-Guitar)
Frank Stehle
(E-Guitar)
Carola Kretschmer
(E-Guitar)
Corinna Ludzuweit
(Percussion)
Record Label: BigNoteRecords
Type of Label: Indie