LONG DISTANCE CALLING // STUMMFILM - Live From Hamburg (Gatefold Black 3LP)

For 13 years now, the Münster-based four-piece Long Distance Calling has been famed and cherished for its weightless yet massive music. After having returned to their instrumental roots Long Distance Calling sat down to carefully ponder their next step. When they got up again, they were ready for their most extraordinary live undertaking yet: Aptly entitled “Seats & Sounds”, this string of concerts saw Long Distance Calling take to the stage in very special locations in front on a seated audience.

Regarded to be a one-off experience, the band took the matter almost religiously and went to great lengths in pulling off their most daring effort. “We wanted to go one step further, highlighting the audio-visual quality of the band for the very first time”, the band states, referring to the phalanx of video screens and specially curated visuals corresponding to each song.

One of those rare performances, the one at the Kulturkirche Altona in Hamburg, was captured on film and tape and is now being released on Bluray disc, vinyl, CD and as digital download. More an elegant silent film (visually speaking) than an ordinary live video, Long Distance Calling deliver a stunning performance in two acts: A “normal” Long Distance Calling set with songs from all their albums, and a special “Avoid the Light” set, performing the dramatic album almost in its entirety. “This is one of the most important releases of our entire career”, the band continues, “and playing it felt like time travel.”

Meticulously prepared and rehearsed, this is Long Distance Calling on another level. Backed by guest musicians Luca Gilles on cello and Aaron Schrade on percussion and electronic beats, the experimental rock veterans show their grandeur in cinemascope – elaborately filmed and monumentally staged. In the end, Janosch Rathmer (drums), Jan Hoffmann (bass), Florian Füntmann (guitar) and David Jordan (guitar) not only played their biggest Hamburg headlining show; they also peaked their stellar career.