Mapstation offers a guided tour of old and new territory with delicately drawn topographies, a warm and subtle landscape of evocative electronics, minimal pulsing rhythms, delicate melodies and fragile structures, a soulful musical language graceful slow-downs and dub refrains. Mapstation is the solo project of Stefan Schneider, (ex) founding member of Kreidler, and the melodic third (bassist) of the modernist landscape designers To Rococo Rot.
 
Schneider is a Düsseldorf native, a city that has bred electronic musicians since the 1960s, birthplace of Kraftwerk, Neu!, Der Plan and Mouse on Mars. Schneider’s first band was a rock group, Sons of Care, with himself as guitar player and primary member. His next venture, Deux Baleines Blanches, also Düsseldorf based, was an Avant-pop group founded in 1985 by Schneider as a side-project; its members constantly changing. Schneider’s earliest published appearance, on a 1987 new-wave pop-rock tape, compiled by Schneider, features Deux Baleines Blanches and other local acts. In the spring of 1994 Thomas Klein, Andreas Reihse and Stefan Schneider morphed Deux Baleines Blanches into the chameleon like post-rock outfit Kreidler.
 
Mapstation began in 1999, when Schneider began exploring possibilities for randomness in his machines. Leaving creative control to his synths, his dj sets evolved into a complete live production, underpinned by a blend of electronic sounds from the 1950's to Detroit techno, and a cappella versions of reggae singles.
 
On the strength of his first, eponymous mini album for London-based label Soul Static Sound, Schneider was approached by Staubgold to begin a partnership that led to three Mapstation albums between 2001 and 2003. He made his ~scape label debut in 2006, with material recorded in various places in Berlin, Düsseldorf and London between July 2003 and August 2005, that was finally released as Distance Told Me Things To Be Said. Martin Brandlmayr of Vienna trio Radian is the percussionist, after already appearing on Mapstation's previous Staubgold album Version Train, an record which also featured the vocals of Ras Donovan (Tikiman).
 
Together with Paul Wirkus and Barbara Morgenstern, Schneider has toured as September Collective. He is currently a visiting lecturer in photography and sound at the Center for Art and Media (ZKM) Karlsruhe, Germany.
 
Schneider will be joined for his CTM performance by Video Projection Designer Adi Wolotzky (b.1974). Wolotzy trained at Goldsmiths College in London, and has presented his work at numerous film festivals internationally.
 
> www.mapstation.de
> www.adiwolotzky.com
 
Appearances:
> CTM.07 > JUKEBOX BUDDHA
> CTM.03