Grand Hotel van Cleef is an independent record label headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
Grand Hotel van Cleef is an independent record label headquartered in Hamburg, Germany.
Grand Hotel van Cleef was founded in September 2002 by the musicians Thees Uhlmann, Marcus Wiebusch and Reimer Bustorff. The newly formed band of Bustorff and Wiebusch Kettcar had recently recorded their first album, Du und wie viel von deinen Freunden, (engl.: You and how many of your friends) but they found no label to release it. In addition, it was clear that Uhlmann's band Tomte would release their third album Hinter all diesen Fenstern (engl.: Behind all these windows). The big fan base even before the publication was ultimately the deciding factor to start the label. The name originated from a joke: On Thees Uhlmann's question on how to call the label, Tomte's ex-drummer Timo Bodenstein said "Hotel van Cleef" - he was working in the restaurant business, and it should be called something with gastronomy. So they decided to call Tomte's label Hotel van Cleef. Due to the merger with Marcus Wiebusch's B.A. Records, it was renamed to Grand Hotel van Cleef. In 2004 the musicians Thees Uhlmann, Marcus Wiebusch, Felix Gebhard and Max Schroeder, who were all signed to Grand Hotel Van Cleef, wrote the soundtrack for the film No Songs of Love , Hansen Band. Actor Jürgen Vogel contributed in the songwriting. The label's biggest chart success was the publication of Buchstaben über der Stadt by Tomte and Thees Uhlmann's solo debut album, both on fourth place. and the publications Von Spatzen und Tauben, Dächern und Händen and Sylt by the band Kettcar, each of which reached the fifth place. This success was topped by Kettcar's latest Release Ich vs. Wir (engl.: Me versus Us) that could reach the fourth place in the German music chart. Hansen Band and Young Rebel Set, Kilians and Fjørt also released albums that could enter the German music chart. [1]
After releasing their own records, Grand Hotel began signing and producing other indie music acts, and have built a reputation as the most important label for alternative German guitar pop. [2] Notable albums include that by the fictional Hansen Band, a band invented by movie maker Lars Kraume for his 2005 movie No Songs of Love (Uhlmann and Wiebusch trained actor Jürgen Vogel on how to adopt the proper rock pose). [3]
Since 2006, the Grand Hotel van Cleef also organizes its own open air festival, "Fest van Cleef." This concert takes place on three days in three different cities each year.
The Hamburger Schule is a music movement current in Germany during the 1980s and early 1990s. With some active bands and artists it is still present. It took up traditions of Neue Deutsche Welle and combined them with elements of indie rock, punk, grunge, experimental pop, and intellectual lyrics. It established new grounds for the use of German language in pop music.
Bernd Begemann is a contemporary German alt/pop singer-songwriter, actor, producer and filmmusic-composer linked to the Hamburger Schule.
The FM4 Frequency Festival, also Frequency Festival or just Frequency, formerly Vienna City Festival, is a music festival. Until 2008, it took place near Salzburg Austria, usually every August. In 2009, the Festival moved to St. Pölten. It is promoted by one of Austria's national radio stations, FM4, and is generally associated with the alternative part of mainstream music. The lineups accumulate acts of various genres such as rock, electronica and hip hop, usually covering great parts of the German and Austrian alternative, indie and guitar pop scenes, but also featuring well-known international top acts.
Marcus Wiebusch is a German musician and lyricist.
The National Prize of the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (German: Nationalpreis der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik) was an award of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) given out in three different classes for scientific, artistic, and other meritorious achievement. With scientific achievements, it was often given to entire research groups rather than individual scientists.
Kettcar is an indie rock music band based in Hamburg, Germany. The band has released five studio albums so far. The band released their fourth album, Zwischen den Runden, in 2012. Their fifth album, Ich vs. Wir, was released in October 2017. The band name is derived from the Kettcar, a riding toy produced by Kettler since 1962.
Tapete Records is an independent record label based in Hamburg, Germany.
Kilians were a German indie rock band. They started out as a loose group of music mad students from Dinslaken, Germany. In 2005, the band's line-up stabilised and they recorded their first self-titled EP. In the following year their song 'Jealous Lover' reached number 3 of the German CampusCharts.
The Immergut Festival is a yearly music festival in Germany in Neustrelitz, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The first edition was organised in 2000. The festival focuses mainly on indie rock and is one of the largest festivals in Germany for this genre.
Thees Uhlmann is a German musician and author. He is a founding member of the indie-pop band Tomte and also writes for the magazines Intro, Visions, Spex and Musikexpress.
Gisela Karau was an East German journalist and author of children's literature. Born in Berlin, she was married and had two children.
Gisbert Wilhelm Enno Freiherr zu Innhausen und Knyphausen is a German singer-songwriter from the Rheingau in Hesse.
Deichbrand is a music festival that takes place in or near Cuxhaven, usually every July/August. The festival and its guests are generally associated with metal, emo, rock, pop, and hip-hop. Deichbrand was sold out in advance for the first time, with an attendance of about 18,000 people in 2011.
#2 is the second solo record from German singer-songwriter Thees Uhlmann released on Uhlmann's own Grand Hotel van Cleef Records. The album was produced by Tobian Kuhn. Of the album's production, Uhlmann stated that he often would write the first lyrics of a song and wait for Kuhn's reaction. Once satisfied, they would continue the rest of the piece. The album was a critical and commercial success in Uhlmann's native Germany, reaching #2 on the German Albums Chart.
Thees Uhlmann is the eponymous debut record for former Tomte frontman Thees Uhlmann released through Uhlmann's own Grand Hotel van Cleef label on August 26, 2011. The record was commercially well-received, charting within the Top 5 in Germany and the Top 20 in Austria. The album did not chart in Switzerland. The album consists mostly of sentimental narratives composed on an acoustic guitar. The music was influenced by American rock-singer Bruce Springsteen. German rapper Casper features on & Jay-Z singt uns ein Lied and received credit for writing his own verse. Otherwise, all lyrics, which were written by Uhlmann, describe a search for stability and a place to call home. After the album's release, Uhlmann, a native of Hemmoor, left Berlin and moved back to a more rural environment. This frustration is highlighted throughout the record.
Rob Lynch is an English educator and singer-songwriter, formerly known as Lost On Campus. He released three EPs under that name before reverting to his birth name and releasing the EP Rob Lynch on 3 October 2011, followed by No Blood on 21 December 2012. His debut album, All These Nights in Bars Will Somehow Save My Soul, was released on 22 September 2014 through Xtra Mile Recordings.
Fjørt are a German post-hardcore band from Aachen, formed in February 2012. They have released four studio albums and one EP, and are currently signed to the record label Grand Hotel van Cleef.
Johannes Nobel was a German indologist and Buddhist scholar.
Klaus-Jürgen Kamprad is a German musicologist, publisher, music producer and editor.
