TORSTEN PAPENHEIM
The music of Berlin-based composer and guitarist Torsten Papenheim (*1980) is located somewhere between melody and noise – to be taken either as a combination or a counterpoint. His music can be heard on several records and during the recent years he played numerous concerts in Germany, all over Europe and Japan.
Torsten Papenheim is playing with long-term guitar-drums-duo rant (together with Merle Bennett), with his quartet Tru Cargo Service and with Karm – a duo with saxophonist Michal Wróblewski from Prague. Sunswept Sunday – his ensemble together with Stuttgart-based percussionist Daniel Kartmann – is performing the music of Duke Ellington in a unique way. His latest working group Ether Drift brings him together with trumpet player Liz Allbee and percussionist Samuel Hall.
Papenheim is also performing as soloist and writes chamber music for different line-ups. In his compositions he often works with unusual tunings and deliberately uses ambiguities to enable improvisational freedom in the interpretation of his works.
Torsten Papenheim was born in 1980 near Göttingen and has lived in Berlin since 2000. He works as a composer, guitarist and music teacher and is primarily concerned with the combination and juxtaposition of melody and sound. He studied guitar and composition with private teachers in Göttingen, Hannover and Cologne. His music can be heard on numerous records, he played concerts and festivals in Germany, all over Europe and Japan. In his compositions Papenheim often works with unusual tunings and deliberately uses ambiguities to enable improvisational freedom in the interpretation of his works. As a performing musician Torsten Papenheim is mainly active with the following projects:
SOLO
TP (guitar, tapes, minidiscs)
Torsten Papenheim’s solo works deal with time and repetition, subtle changes and harsh contrasts. The live sets are compositions, re-improvisations, concerts, performances, sound installations…
RANT
Merle Bennett (drums) and TP (guitar)
Since 2003 RANT explores the possibilities of duo playing to the extreme and has developed a very unique musical identity.
KARM
Michal Wróblewski (alto sax & clarinet) and TP (acoustic guitar & objects)
With a purely acoustic setup this czech-german duo builds sonic spaces way beyond the familiar sounds of their instruments.
SUNSWEPT SUNDAY
Daniel Kartmann (hackbrett, drums, cornetto) and TP (guitar, percussion, melodica)
SUNSWEPT SUNDAY is dedicated to the music of Duke Ellington. When performing Ellington’s music Kartmann and Papenheim focus on a central aspect of Ellington’s music – timbre.
ETHER DRIFT
Liz Allbee (trumpet, objects), TP (guitar, objects), Samuel Hall (drums, percussion, objects)
Like rivulets coalescing towards the open sea, ETHER DRIFT creates a contemporary music informed by currents of folk musics, blues, and odd experimentalisms.
TRU CARGO SERVICE
Alexander Beierbach (tenor sax), TP (guitar), Berit Jung (double bass), Christian Marien (drums)
Oscillating between compositions and collective improvisations TRU CARGO SERVICE creates a raw sound dealing with density and space. Since 2017 this ensemble succesfully displays its understanding of playing exhilarating quartet music today.
Torsten Papenheim also works together with visual artist Marcel Grabsch in various contexts:
Since 2008 Grabsch has designed numerous covers and posters for several projects of Papenheim. Together they did two outstanding exhibitions in Berlin: „Suono Postumo“ (2017) and „Tracking“ (2011).
From 2004 to 2016 Torsten Papenheim was running the CD label schraum together with Merle Bennett and Axel Haller. Over they years schraum has presented twenty well received advantgarde releases from an international cast.
DISCOGRAPHY:
rant „apolonien“ (LP, GOD Records, 2026)
rant „sheets of fibrous material“ (CD, Ma Records, 2025)
Karm & Kohsetsu Imanishi „Hako“ (MC, Ma Records, 2024)
Sunswept Sunday „Halfway To Dawn“ (LP + CD, Ma Records, 2023)
Tru Cargo Service „Schattenlos“ (CD, Tiger Moon Records, 2022)
Karm „Kram“ (CD, Ma Records, 2022)
Torsten Papenheim „Hellerau“ (CD, creative sources, 2021)
Tru Cargo Service „Dear Passengers“ (CD, Tiger Moon Records, 2020)
Torsten Papenheim „Tracking / Racking“ (MC, Tanuki Records, 2019)
rant „to raise hell as we go along“ (CD, Unit, 2019)
rant „margo flux“ (CD, schraum, 2015)
rant „land“ (schraum 2011)
Torsten Papenheim „Some of the things we could be“ (LP + CD, schraum, 2009)
Torsten Papenheim „Mülheim an der Ruhr“ (7inch, flashbox, 2007)
rant „a direct sensuous pleasure“ (CD, schraum, 2006)
Aubry / Chessex / Papenheim „Swift Machine“ (CD, creative sources, 2005)
rant „seumsund / sundseum“ (CD, schraum, 2004)
Chessex / Haller / Papenheim „kainkwatett“ (CD, schraum, 2004)
RECENT CHAMBER MUSIC COMPOSITIONS:
„Ungargasse“ for voice and guitar (Stuttgart, 2026)
„Syntax III“ for french horn and percussion (Berlin, 2019)
„Nachtprogramm“ for trombone, bass and piano (Cologne, 2017)
„Marg Bar Hichkas“ for two pianos and three snare drums (Berlin, 2016)
„Shudder Studies” for solo guitar (Hamburg, 2015)
„Syntax II“ for violoncello and bass (Vienna, 2013)
„BT N RS” for french horn, guitar, harp and piano (Helsinki, 2013)
EXHIBITIONS:
Marcel Grabsch & Torsten Papenheim „Suono Postumo“ (Berlin, 2017)
Marcel Grabsch & Torsten Papenheim „Tracking“ (Berlin, 2011)
FORMER ENSEMBLES:
Whisper / Whistle (2015 – 2018)
Christoph Funabashi (guitar) and TP (guitar)
Garagenoper Kollektiv (2010 – 2014)
Almut Schlichting (saxes), Christoph Funabashi (guitar), Merle Bennett (drums), Laura Siegmund (dance), TP (composition)
Kainkwatett (2001 – 2005)
Antoine Chessex (saxes), Axel Haller (bass), TP (guitar)
Swift Machine (2002 – 2005)
Gilles Aubry (computer), Antoine Chessex (saxes), TP (guitar)
Der Automatische König (1998 – 2001)
Peter Kalkowski (alto sax), TP (guitar), Josef Hilker (bass), Christian Dreher (drums)