Markus Mehr
(born in Augsburg, Bavaria ) is a musician and composer of experimental music. The main focus of his compositions is the editing process and the new arrangement of field recordings of all kind. The approach is to make initially inaudible sonic events hearable and to form them to new sound plastics.
After graduation, job training and community service, Markus Mehr concentrated exclusively on music. As a songwriter, producer, singer and guitar player he released several albums over the 90´s and 2000´s.
In 2006, Mehr turned his back on the rock genre and began producing electronic music under the pseudonym Pioneers of HiFi. Although he gave away tracks for free and did some remixes under this moniker that period could be seen more as a transition.
As of 2008 and performing under his own name, Markus Mehr marked his arrival in the experimental music scene with the release of Lava (Hidden Shoal Recordings, 2010). Lava received mention in several „Best Album 2010“ charts, such as the magazine „Headphone Commute“ as well as others.
In January 2012, Mehr released the album-triptych In, On and Off (all on Hidden Shoal Recordings) in six month intervals.
In his live performances, Mehr works almost exclusively alongside the visual artist Stefanie Sixt. Since 2009 they have collaborated on the following audio/visual performances :
• Synchron (2009)
• Komo (2010)
• Sublimity Water (2011)
• Transit (2012)
• B/C/H/I/J (2014)
• Re-Directed (2016)
• Dyschronia (2017)
They performed in churches, museums, festivals and clubs all over Europe.
In 2013, the theater performance „First Life“ by Verena Billinger and Sebastian Schulz celebrated the premiere with featured selections from the album „On“. In the same year was listed in Germanys Top 100 list of Shortfilmes. After that Markus Mehr took part in the John Cage performance „Musicircus“ conducted by Charles Hayward during the Timezones Festival in Bari (Italy).
Between 2014 and 2016 Mehr worked and took part on several projects like the alternative adaption of Luigi Nono´s „Fragments/Stille“, entitled „Items/Stille“ and a new interpretation of Brecht tunes in the piece “Brecht – In einem anderen Licht” amongst others.
He released his album Binary Rooms in 2014 followed by the Album Re-Directed in 2016. His latest work/album Dyschronia had its live premiere at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Augsburg, followed by a highly acclaimed performance at the FIAV Festival in Casablanca and the Echo Festival in Dubai. The album Liquid Empires has been performed at the Akousma Festival, Montreal (10/2018) amongst others. During 2019 the short films Separated Waves of One Ocean and Bluetopia had been released and shown on several Film Festivals all over the globe. In May 2020 the album Brief Conversations (including a video piece for each track) has been released. From 17th of June to the 18th of July 2021 Mehr´s installation work Pressure premiered at the Höhmannhaus, Augsburg (a division of the Museum for Contemporary Art). Release date for the album with the same title is the 15th of March for the first time on Gruenrekorder.
Gruenrekorder:
Markus Mehr: „Pressure“ (GrDl 206/22)