Debutalbum “Ethereal chant” released june 1 2025
https://sluchaj.bandcamp.com/album/ethereal-chant

upcoming concerts 2025:
october 1 - Studio Markus Kliesch// Dresden
october 2 - Kühlspot Social Club // Berlin
October 3/4 - Dragon Club Festival - Poznan

LAVA Quartet

The Lava Quartet is an international quartet featuring Berlin-based singer Almut Kühne and drummer Wieland Möller, along with Portuguese bassist Gonçalo Almeida, established in the Netherlands, and Catalan pianist Jordina Millà, who lives in Salzburg. On their performances each member brings their individual creativity and musicality to the set, resulting in a synergistic collaboration where freedom allows the musicians to push the boundaries of traditional musical structures by incorporating extended techniques into free improvisation, expanding their range of expression, and creating unique and unconventional sounds.It is a testament to the power of spontaneous musical expression and creates an exciting and unpredictable musical journey for both the performers and the audience.

Almut Kühne - voc
Jordina Millà - piano
Gonçalo Almeida - bass
Wieland Möller - drums, percussion, gongs

Photos by Simone Stehle

Lava Quartet in Ethereal Chant!

Of the over seventy concerts of the Spontaneous Live Series, held in Poznań for over six years, many have become indelibly etched in the memories of listeners and organizers alike. If we were to single out the most outstanding performances, the performance by a certain quartet, which graced the stages of Dragon Social Club in mid-June 2023, would certainly be among them.

Double bass, piano, drums, and a unique voice. The concert was intimate on the one hand, yet incredibly expressive on the other. The acoustics resonated with a profound mystery, a narrative mystery, and a multitude of small, extraordinary phonic events.

Back then, this quartet didn't yet have a proper name. Today, it does – we know it's called the Lava Quartet, and its debut album is being provided by the national "Listen!" Foundation. Furthermore, the first recording on the disc is an excerpt from a concert in Poznań two years earlier. The rest of the album was recorded two days later, during the German leg of the tour.
The album, titled "Ethereal Chant," fully confirms our memories of the concert mentioned at the beginning. And it's already earning its place among the best albums of 2025. But that's not the end of the great news – the Lava Quartet will be among the guests at the upcoming Spontaneous Music Festival, which will traditionally take place in Poznań on the first weekend of October.

So welcome, Almut Kühne, Jordina Millà, Gonçalo Almeida & Wieland Möller!

The album's opening lasts only a few minutes, but it effectively sets us on edge. From whispers to noise, a twitchy, grimy chamber full of emotion, as dark as it is aggressive. The voice seems to come from a deep basement, as do the phrases inside the piano. The plucked strings of the double bass initially build tension, but then, under the jurisdiction of the bow, flow in a wide stream of dark post-baroque. The next exposition seems to have come from the pen of Lovecraft. Straight from a deep, dark crypt, a drone of unknown origins flows towards us – perhaps embedded within it are the trembling strings of foam, the flame of a tarry bow, the thickening vocals, and the resonating cymbals. The whole thing resembles nothing that could have been produced by the instruments harnessed to perform this sonic figure. From this mysterious crucible, the sound of a low bow, murmurs from the very bottom of the piano's soundboard, a demonic voice, and the rustle of percussion finally emerge. The narrative grows expressive thanks to the lively percussion. Everything trembles, gnashes, and seems to be rushing at breakneck speed. The salvation comes from a cooled, pianistic punch line.

The beginning of the third story is built collectively, with separate phrases from four sound centers. The bow sounds as if made of lead, the piano both from the keyboard and directly from the strings, rhythmic snare drum strikes, like a convict being flogged, and finally, a voice that theatrically recites, even sings, a song without lyrics. Emotions rise like wildfire until a counter-sing from the piano keyboard effectively calms the frayed nerves. Meanwhile, the bow shifts to a post-baroque position, and the percussion to a zone of noise. The voice returns with scat, broken melodies, and dramatic suspense. Just a few more preparations from the double bass and drums, and the quartet can confidently embark on a definitively chochoł dance, smeared with the glow of the black part of the piano keyboard. The simple rhythm here ignites additional emotions, including the bass, which transforms into a state of dynamic drive. The piece concludes with a cooled double bass solo.

The finale of the performance is initiated by percussion. Gongs, inside piano, cymbals, and a dark bow, combined with an equally dark vocalization, create a multi-minute suspense during the development. The action begins immediately when the singing seems to combine the activities of the bow and voice. The swinging post-baroque gains its color with the striking of the strings and the angular elements of the drum kit. At the same time, the vocalist rises on tiptoe and begins humming a farewell melody, here for particularly naughty boys and girls. For a moment, one might get the impression that the quartet is searching for a post-jazz entourage. However, nerves remain with everyone until the very end. The double bass finds a muddy bottom and propels the quartet to its final peak. The music dies in a whisper.

Lava Quartet feat. Almut Kühne, Jordina Millà, Gonçalo Almeida, Wieland Möller Ethereal Chant (Listen! Foundation, CD 2025). Almut Kühne – vocals, Jordina Millà – piano, Gonçalo Almeida – double bass and Wieland Möller – drums, percussion, gongs. Recorded at Dragon Social Club, Poznań (track 1) and Klanghaus, Klein Jasedow, Germany (tracks 2-4), June 2023. Four improvisations, 45 minutes.

WIELAND MÖLLER

LAVA Quartet