Zen Flutist teams with FAUST, TROUM, and Limpe Fuchs for "Ambient Koan". Viz Michael Kremietz's 16th Album Blends Ancient Buddhist Practice with German Experimental Legends


ABOUT THE ALBUM

Ambient Koan represents a profound synthesis of three decades of experimental music exploration and 25 years of Zen practice. This 16th studio album by Viz Michael Kremietz emerges from the liminal spaces between breath, sound, and meditation, anchored by the ancient voice of the Shakuhachi flute.
The album weaves together solo compositions originally created for theater and performance with collaborative pieces featuring some of Europe's most innovative experimental musicians. Each track serves as a sonic meditation, inviting listeners into "unknown dimensions with pre-verbal and pre-symbolic origins."


ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

Viz Michael Kremietz is a German experimental musician, composer, and Zen practitioner whose work spans over 30 years in the fields of experimental music, ambient soundscapes, theater, and performance. For 25 years, he has practiced Zen Buddhism and mastered the Shakuhachi (Zen flute), studying the traditional Hongyoku music of Zen Buddhism for eight years.

Kremietz's artistic practice centers on the Shakuhachi's uniqueability to make breath audible, combining breathing, music, and meditation into a singular transcendent experience. His performances have taken him to sacred spaces worldwide, including the burial chamber of the Great Pyramid of Cheops and Aleister Crowley's former abbey in Cefalù, Sicily.

Based in Wangen, Allgäu, Germany, Kremietz continues to explore the intersections of Eastern philosophy, experimental sound, and consciousness through his prolific recording and performance career.

FEATURED COLLABORATORS

-TROUM - The renowned drone duo from Northern Germany, known for creating "atmospheric transcension sounds for the deeper mind and the Unconscious." TROUM, meaning "Dream" in old German, contributes to thetracks "Zodiak" and "Kagami."

-Limpe Fuchs - Munich-born experimental musician (b. 1941), best known as half of the fusion duo Anima. She contributes voice, violin, and installations to "Weg in Haus" and "Farbige Luft," drawn from their live album Kugelhausmusik.

-Hans Joachim Irmler (Jochen) - Co-founder of the legendary German Krautrock band FAUST features on "Fuck Wellness" and "Yamagoe". The traditional Zen piece "Yamagoe" unites ancient Buddhist melodies Irmler's experimental sounds.

-Lucia Dinand - Provides haunting vocals on "Broken Gods"

-Reiko Ozaki - Performs a traditional Japanese lullaby on "Sleep"

-"Fire of the Mind", recorded at Aleister Crowley's former abbey in Sicily—serves as a Shakuhachi homage to COIL's Jhonn Balance and Peter Christopherson.

Viz Michael Kremietz -Ambient Koan featuring Limpe Fuchs, Troum and Jochen Irmler (Faust)

Sleepers Records