Olaf Rupp

Olaf Rupp begann mit zwölf Jahren als Autodidakt mit dem, was man heute Improvisierte Musik nennt. Seine aufrechte Gitarrenhaltung ist inspiriert von Chinesischen Pipa Spielern. Er entwickelte Spieltechniken wie, z.B. Rasgueados, Arpeggios, Picados und Tremolos so für sich weiter, daß sie für Oberton- und Clusterwirkungen eingesetzt werden können um neue, "virtuelle" Klänge zu erzeugen. Ohne das "Extatische" des FreeJazz und ohne das rein mechanische von Nancarrow nennt er es manchmal auch "analoge Granularsynthese". Auftritte u.a. mit Lol Coxhill, Michael Wertmüller, John Zorn, Joe Williamson, Paul Lovens, Thomas Lehn, Butch Morris und Tony Buck. Vier Solo Alben erschienen bei FMP und GROB.
Olaf Rupp started at the age of twelve as an autodidact to play what might be called today Improvised Music. His way of holding the guitar in an upright position is inspired by chinese Pipa players. He developped some playing techniques like for instance rasgueados, arpeggios, picados and tremolos in such a way that they can be used for overtone and cluster effects to create new, "virtual" sounds. Lacking the "extatic" part of FreeJazz as well as the pure mechanical emphasis of Nancarrow he sometimes describes his sounds as "analog granular synthesis". He played among others with Lol Coxhill, Michael Wertmüller, John Zorn, Joe Williamson, Paul Lovens, Thomas Lehn, Butch Morris und Tony Buck. Four solo albums on FMP and GROB.
 
Press:
"One of the most intense and focused solo electric guitar recitals that we've ever heard."
DOWNTOWN MUSIC GALLERY

"Olaf Rupp is like no guitarist I’ve ever heard before. (...) The music he creates from his guitar is made of many fleet notes in atonal runs, alternating with sonic clusters, as he seems to approach the guitar almost pianistically. If you have heard Cecil Taylor playing his intense brief improvisations, then you have the idea here."
CADENCE MAGAZINE

"Olaf Rupp's sound world is every bit as singular as that of both Derek Bailey and Hans Reichel, and his musical personality is every fathom as deep."
ALL ABOUT JAZZ

"Olaf Rupp has been altering notions of what acoustic and electric improvised guitar music can sound like for more than 20 years."
DUSTED MAGAZINE