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Martina Berther

(Switzerland) 
* National premiere
Based in Zurich, bassist Martina Berther has been quietly leaving a broad-reaching trail across practices ranging from composition for film and theatre, to installation, curatorship, and her own vision of the instrument. Half of the oblique art-punk duo Ester Poly and the driving force behind the minimalist, krautrock-inspired AUL, Berther made her solo debut last year with the enchanting “Bass Works: As I Venture Into” on Kit Records. Taking its title as a manifesto of intent - one fully realized -, the record finds Berther exploring different approaches to the bass through 12 short pieces that break away from anything histrionic or gratuitous, freeing the instrument from its structural weight. Through extended techniques, electronic processing, and a meticulous approach, Berther’s music encapsulates vital moments of solitude, balanced between the allure of abstraction and slow-motion harmony.

Photo: Alexandra Baumgartner