​Turn up the speakers! An electric guitar is always at its best when it sounds truly electric, the glow of the strings burns into your ear, and the sound transcends itself in the amplification. It only gets more beautiful when it's two guitars singing electric. You don't have to look far to find excellent evidence for this not-so- bold thesis, with "Love, Devotion, Surrender" by Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, "ScoMule" by John Scofield and the band Gov't Mule, or Marc Johnson's Bass Desires with Scofield and Bill Frisell, not to mention rock bands like the Allman Brothers Band, The Grateful Dead, or The Dream Syndicate. These classics from this inspired guitar duo are now joined by another symbol of their passionate playing on the electric guitar, as Berlin guitar wizard Christian Kögel crosses strings with his colleague Kalle Kalima on "M."

 

​"M" is undoubtedly a guitar album that lovers of the electric guitar sound will thoroughly enjoy. But it'salso much more than that. "M" is the hypnotic manifesto of four passionate collective storytellers, bestlistened to on repeat, allowing its pull to carry you further and further in an endless spiral of associations - Wolf Kampmann

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Driving battles reminiscent of the best days of the Seventies alternate with collaboratively designed soundscapes more typically developed in the 1980s by labels like ECM. Memories are awakened, but they don't look backward, but rather look toward the horizon. Supported by bassist Paul Kleber and drummer Hans Otto, you can listen to Kögel and Kalima's combative dreams and dreamy fights. They're by no means stingy. Quite the opposite. In no less than 71 minutes, they fire off a whopping 14 songs, each one packed with energy. They constantly find lush material for conversation, leaning toward each other from new angles and perspectives, discovering unexpected sides and traits in each other. Anything is possible. A single word can evoke an epic, a cataract can flow into a stream. Sometimes they let the strings scream, occasionally gallop in an ostinato, and sometimes just glide gently. Kögel and Kalima celebrate the unlimited variety of interplay on the electric guitars and, where appropriate, also provide a pleasant contrast with their acoustic counterpart.

 

Kögel and Kalima are no strangers to the European jazz guitar scene. The two dynamic Berliners have known and respected each other for many years. No matter how expressive Kögel's playing, he is always a silent listener. He already shaped the Berlin electric guitar scene in a similar format with Jerry Granelli's band UFB, forming a guitar duo with Kai Brückner that was rich in contrast and expressive. In recent years, he has been heard primarily with singer Britta-Ann Flechsenhar in her band Flexkögel and his Wood & Steel Trio. Kalle Kalima is an adventurous jack-of-all-trades, active in dozens of bands and projects, primarily in Finland and Berlin. He gained particular attention with the trio Johnny La Marama, but also with groups like Klima Kalima, K-18, and Kuu!, he repeatedly managed to push the boundaries of traditional jazz.

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Their joint band was preceded by extensive planning. Around 2020, Kögel had a number of sonic ideas, which soon became clear he could only realize with multiple guitars. Two guitars sound like one big guitar, is his credo. With precise sound concepts in mind, he first recruited his regular drummer Hans Otto, who, in addition to his jazz experience, had spent years drumming in the psychedelic band Welcome Inside The Brain, and then bassist Paul Kleber, known from the bands Jazzanova and Micatone, who was primarily suitable for his distinctive Seventies sound. In 2022, there was a tribute concert to Jerry Granelli in Berlin, to which Kögel invited Kalle Kalima. And the connection clicked immediately, both musically and personally.

 

Kögel said: "I don't know any other musician who performs at such a high level and acts so unpretentiously and supportively." The lineup was complete. But with the full lineup, the energy drifted further and further away from the original ideas, and something completely new and genuine emerged. "I like to delve into a topic and work on existing material until I forget that the origin isn't mine," says Christian Kögel. "Only when it's absolutely mine can I release it." Although Kögel developed all the pieces for "M," the album is a collaborative effort, with all four musicians making their own individual contributions to the overall sound. But the guitarist also explored new territory for himself. For the first time, he can be heard on a pedal steel guitar. The floating evocation of this exotic guitar, which looks more like a keyboard, significantly expands his vocabulary, giving the album a subtle stamp.​