"l Mewt u l- xebba" is a new joint effort by Ralf Wehowsky & Anla Courtis. Based on Franz Schubert’s “Der Tod und das Mädchen”, the release brings classical music’s roots to the epicenter of a maelstrom, emerging with a heavy magnetic blend between ditigital/analogue sound processing and stereo psychogeography. This is in fact the third Wehowsky-Courtis collaboration after the albums “Return of the Stone Spirits” (2007, Beta-Lactam, USA) and “Aseleuch Tendrradero” (2013, Ultra Mail/Hate and Noise, Japan/Hong Kong).

Ralf Wehowsky founded the group P.D. (in 1981 renamed P16.D4) and the label Wahrnehmungen (in 1982 renamed Selektion) in 1980. P16.D4 were one of the most influential groups of experimental industrial music. They developed concepts of materialaustausch long before the term remix was even coined. For their live appearances they were equally at home, at punk and no wave festivals and at the holy grails of academic avantgarde like the Ferientage Neuer Musik or Darmstadt. Since the early 90s Wehowsky works under his own name (rlw). The quiet, highly complex style of composition, based on artifacts of instrumental and electronic lateral noises, evolving out of his collaboration with bernhard günter was influential for numerous artists in the fields of electronic and improvised music. Some reflections on his work can be found on TULPAS, a 5CD-box-set, featuring more than 50 artists performing their versions of rlw pieces (incl. Jim O´Rourke, Brume, Achim Wollscheid, Toshiya Tsunoda, John Duncan, Antanas Jasenka, Ryoji Ikeda, John Watermann a.o.). The new millennium showed a new approach of integrating improvised music and composition (as can be found on the CDs “VIEWS” and “SIGHTS”, the latter w/ long-time collaborators Bruce Russell and Johannes Frisch).

Alan Courtis was born in Buenos Aires in 1972. He has been working in the field of sound-art, electro-acoustic music, drone, noise, improvisation and composition; releasing over 300 solo releases and collaborations on worldwide labels. He co-founded the group Reynols in 1993. His written music has been played by ensembles from UK, Thailand, Switzerland, Wales, Netherlands, Mexico, Canada, United States and SouthAmerica; he was commissioned by Phoenix Basel Ensemble (Switzerland), Český Rozhlas (Czech Republic) and was artist in residence at EMS (Stockholm), GRM (Paris), Cafe Oto (London), USF (Bergen), etc. Courtis has toured extensively in Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Europe, USA, Australia, NZ & Latin America and has collaborated with musicians like: Keiji Haino, Merzbow, Lee Ranaldo, Jim O’Rourke, L.A.F.M.S., Otomo Yoshihide, Pauline Oliveros, Yoshimi, BJ Nilsen, Stilluppsteypa, Phill Niblock, Zbigniew Karkowski, Nihilist Spasm Band, Eddie Prevost, KK Null, Daniel Menche, Rick Bishop, Toshimaru Nakamura, Thomas Dimuzio, Rudolf Eb.Er, Kouhei, Seiichi Yamamoto, Lasse Marhaug, Rapoon, Tetuzi Akiyama, Uton, Birchville Cat Motel, The New Blockaders, Gert-Jan Prins, Jazkamer, C.Spencer Yeh, Okkyung Lee & Kemialliset Ystavat.