The Heffels are Christoph Meier (bass, banjo), Matthew Partridge (drums, percussion, vocals) and Carsten Dane (piano, organ, yangqin, samples, vocals). The trio researches, rehearses and records in the Heffels Lab in Westwerk, an art and music venue in the centre of Hamburg. The band began several decades ago, founded by artist, poet an multi-instrumentalist Jürgen Brockmann. Since then it has circuitously morphed to its present form via various formations and aesthetic agendas. The Heffels pursue experiment and conversation with form, sound an narrative, and explore unorthodox collaborations with a variety of musicians.
The Aquarium recordings were due to mark a recorded live concert of The Heffels plus guest musicians in Westwerk in July 2017, an idea long nurtured by Tom Fleischhauer, sound artist and connoisseur of The Heffel´s work. A power cut that night resulted in a magical acoustic set and an enchanted audience, but with no recorded evidence. So in November 2018 we recast Aquarius II expressly for a live recording, but without audience. For five days, Westwerk´s main hall was turned into a space for musical encounter. The Heffels and the eight musicians of the Aquarium Ensemble convened and negotiated numerous improvisations in varying combinations, while Tobias Levine, from his basement studio Electric Avenue, meticulously crafted the sound.

Since then, many months of intense listening to twenty hours of recorded material, various mixes and remixes, have at last led to the compilation on this LP.
Of course, further musical delights are still stored away in the Aquarium's digital vaults, and someday soon we will release more of these hidden treasures. This oil-black disc is our homage to the main medium of our musical youth and to the serendipity of musical collaboration.

10 BOTTOMLESS

09 DAZZLED (AS A WOMAN)

08 SUNDOWN

07 BOND

06 MALLAD

05 LEMON

04 HOLLAND

03 AVIARY

02 T - RED

01 WELLE

Advent 2020

Swim The Length

Patient Zero

Carsten Dane, Matthew Partridge, Christoph Meier, Stefan Persson, feat. Ghost-Vocals: Edith Adam

Who Lights The Moon?

The Heffels is a trio comprising Christoph Meier (bass, lapsteel), Matthew Partridge (drums, percussion, vocals) and Carsten Dane (piano, organ, yangqin, bandoneon, samples, vocals). The trio researches, rehearses and records in the Heffels Basement in Westwerk, an art and music venue in the centre of Hamburg. The band started several decades ago, founded by artist, poet and multi-instrumental musician Jürgen Brockmann as »The Notorious Heffel Bros.«. It circuitously morphed to its present form through various formations and aesthetic agendas, including alumni such as Brockmann himself and guitarist Stefan Persson.

The Heffels enjoys experiment with form and sound, and explores unorthodox collaborations with a variety of musicians. In 2018, The Heffels created »Heffels Aquarium«, a large ensemble piece with musicians from Berlin and Hamburg, recorded live over a week in the hall of Westwerk by music producer Tobias Levin. A beautiful, occasionally raucous and often gentle improvised conversation between deeply acquainted musicians, »Heffels Aquarium« will be released in 2021.

The Heffels

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