On our series called “First Axe”, we ask members of Tilted Axes to tell us their electric guitar origin stories. This time, we’re talking to guitarist and composer Christoph Götzen, who is based in Düsseldorf, Germany. He was raised on punk rock but studies and experiments with jazz composition.
Christoph is organizing a festival this week in honor of International Strange Music Day on August 24th.
Strange Music Festival runs for three days, August 24 to 26, and features a line up of DJ’s and bands at various locations around Düsseldorf.
Christoph says:
“The reason I got so attached to Strange Music Day and wanted to make it into some kind of festival was to bring people together. People who were like, listening to different music . And with the festival,I felt it’s a good way to do it because, mostly you will have more than one band.
So even if people only like one band, they’re most likely gonna listen to another that maybe isn’t their style of choice, but still, they will be there listening to it. And the term “strange” – I like to use it in a way just to open up and to experience different cultures of music.”
Tilted Axes: Music for Mobile Electric Guitars is an orchestra of guitarists and percussionists led by composer/performer Patrick Grant. They perform original music with mini-amps strapped over their shoulders, moving through public spaces in museums, parks and city streets. Its roster of musicians can change from performance to performance, city to city. Follow the group at @tiltedaxes.