TRAINING

TRAINING, a Berlin based, experimental jazz duo who play drums and saxophone, have teamed up with London based bass player, composer and vocalist Ruth Goller. The product of this new collaboration is their upcoming album ‘threads to knot’, a 7 track joyride through skittering drums, effect-warped saxophone and earth shaking bass, melding free jazz, post-rock, ambient and noise all seamlessly together. Releasing 18 Oct via German tastemaker label Squama Recordings.

The first taster from ‘threads to knot’ is released today (5 Sept). New track ‘Finback’ is a staggering composition which unfolds over its course, starting as a conversation between airy saxophone and nimble bass, it gradually erupts with rolling drums carrying a cacophony of thundering bass strings and screaming sax.

Speaking on the new track, Max Andrzejewski of TRAINING offers:

“‘Finback’ is a very entangled piece. A note in one instrument is passed on to the next instrument. Which also means that we’re really dependent on each other at every moment. Only towards the end of the piece we break our own logic and everything flows into each other…”

Whilst Ruth Goller says:

“Exploring our musical connection with Training is a fresh and unique approach between improvised music and composition. It has the right amount of both for me. All doors are always open to let our emotions flow, and this might be different every time. With the writing in the background we have developed a strong backbone as a band and a unique sound between our voices which reaches across genres and countries.”

Berlin based TRAINING are made up of drummer Max Andrzejewski and saxophonist Johannes Schleiermacher, with the two also playing guitar and various synthesizers within the band. After developing their unique style of free jazz drums and live effect-processed sax, the duo reached out to other collaborators to expand on their sound. The first fruit born from this approach was a project with Deerhoof guitarist John Dieterich, creating the album ‘Three Seconds’, released in 2021.

Hailed by The Guardian for her “thunderous bass-guitar hooks”, as well as high praise from Jazzwise, The Quietus and Guitar World, Ruth Goller helped lay the foundation for the UK’s jazz renaissance whilst playing in many of its most influential and popular bands. From her years on stage with Acoustic Ladyland and Melt Yourself Down, to more recently Let Spin and Vula Viel, whilst performing and recording with the likes of Shabaka Hutchings, Mercury-Award nominee Kit Downes, Sam Amidon, Bojan Z, Marc Ribot, Rokia Traoré, and Paul McCartney.

The new collaboration between TRAINING + Ruth Goller is the next step in an already productive working relationship; Andrzejewski having been one of the drummers to play on Gollers SKYLUMINA, amongst others such as Sons of Kemet / The Smile drummer Tom Skinner. In writing ‘threads to knot’, Goller, Andrzejewski and Schleiermacher have taken a completely collaborative, holistic approach to composition. With each part of each song being composed from only ever hearing the final few bars of the other instruments. The result completely blurs genre lines, with elements of frenetic free jazz sitting side by side with post-rock riffs and looming microtonal atmospheres. Through unrestrained improvisation, experimentation and fully trusted collaboration, TRAINING and Ruth Goller have created a piece of work which proves difficult to compare to almost anything else.

Berlin-based duo TRAINING team up with bassist Ruth Goller for their new album ‘threads to knot’. Frenetic free-jazz is sitting next to post-rock riffs and looming microtonal atmospheres.
The record was written in a truly collaborative effort, adapting the concept of ‘cadavre exquis’, the popular drawing game: One person would start writing a few notes before passing it on to the next, revealing only the very last note, with which the composition continues.
TRAINING is comprised of drummer Max Andrzejewski and sax player Johannes Schleiermacher, whose last album ‘Three Seconds’ saw them collaborate with Deerhoof guitarist John Dieterich.
Ruth Goller, who has been hailed by the Guardian for her 'thunderous bass-guitar hooks' and has made waves this year with the release of her second album 'Skyllumina'. She’s also known as a live performer with Kit Downes, Alabaster de Plume, Melt Yourself Down among others.