20 Jahre The Dorf: The Dorf meets International Music

The Dorf is a cult phenomenon! The ensemble, consisting of about 25 members, is one of the most important creative musical (troublemaking) hubs in the Ruhr region. It is a collective, an artistic incubator, a testing ground, a communication hub, and a social process all in one, originating in one of domicil’s curator-led series, which began in 2006 under the direction of saxophonist and composer Jan Klare. Since then, a public workshop concert in the main hall of the domicil—held (at least) once a month—has been an integral part of Dorf life.

However, the village’s activities have long since expanded beyond the confines of domicil: There are “away games,” invitations to international festivals, and special events featuring exciting new projects (unforgettable examples include: “The Dorf plays Ummagumma” as part of the Pink Floyd exhibition) and guests ranging from FM Einheit to Stian Westerhus, Joachim Kühn, and International Music.

The ensemble’s creative and sociocultural work was documented in the film “Jazzsoup,” which, following a sold-out premiere at domicil in 2013, was shown in numerous theaters across North Rhine-Westphalia. A creative and communicative cosmos has long since developed around the Dorf, giving rise, among other things, to the label Umland Records.

Motto: Utopian beats with ambient sounds, improv, and always a dash of Krautrock. Musically boundary-pushing, room-filling, powerful, imaginative, even unsettling—but always surprising.

The musical universe ofInternational Music(consisting of Peter Rubel, Pedro Goncalves Crescenti, and Joel Roters) can be described as a kind of collage that spans the history of rock. Influences from ’60s beat, ’70s Krautrock, ’80s new wave, and ’90s shoegaze are artfully layered on top of one another. The sound is at times delicate and melancholic, then again urgent and intense.