Web Web - Kover Kover

Following the stunning single 'Ataraxia', I'm excited to share this killer collection of unexpected cover versions by the ever-excellent German jazz super-band Web Web, released on Compost Records. Amazing jazz interpretations of songs by Nirvana, Klaus Doldinger, Grace Jones, Black Sabbath, Jimi Hendrix, Talking Heads, Grandbrothers, Dave Pike, Empire Of The Sun, Joe Jackson, Eurythmics, Kruder & Dorfmeister.

WEB WEB is starting a new chapter with Kover Kover. For the first time in the band's ten-year history, the focus is not on original compositions, but exclusively on cover versions – a radical change of perspective that seems entirely consistent.

The musicians' stylistic openness inevitably led to an intriguing question: what would songs by Talking Heads, Kruder & Dorfmeister or Joe Jackson sound like if they had originally been penned by WEB WEB? The answer was obvious – you just had to put these pieces through the distinctive WEB WEB cosmos.

The idea: to interpret favourite songs from completely different musical worlds in such a way that they fit organically into one's own musical language. The amazing thing is that it wasn't particularly difficult. Because a really good song can be reduced to two essential components – a melody that you can sing along to and a harmonic structure that remains instantly recognisable even in its simplest form.

Joe Jackson's ‘Steppin' Out’ is the perfect example of this. Three chords are enough to make the song unmistakable – no matter what instrument is used. The initial spark for this version came from Christian von Kaphengst, who sat at the Fender Rhodes and played these fantastic chords, and wanted to show them to Roberto because he didn't know the song so well. But he played it so soulfully and beautifully that Roberto could never have done it better. So he played piano and Roberto played bass. That was the magic of it: soulful, open, beautiful. A division of roles that gave the piece a whole new depth.

Over the ten years they have been playing together, they have developed an exceptionally diverse sound spectrum. The reason for this is the radical freedom within the band: no vanity, no hierarchies, no conflicts – apart from the eternal question of whether to have Indian or Italian for dinner.

Instruments are swapped, roles reassigned: sometimes Peter Gall plays piano and Kaphengst synthesizer, then Roberto bass or drums, while the others leave their usual places. Each change creates a new sound, a different musical awareness – and a heightened sense of each other. Because there is hardly anything more instructive than listening to a musician who plays an ‘unfamiliar’ instrument with curiosity instead of routine. This is precisely the basic concept behind WEB WEB: listen, let go – and let things happen.

The cover artwork is once again by Jan Steins, continuing the series of fantastic illustrations for all Web Web albums.

Please feel free to share the official link: https://compostrecords.lnk.to/WebWeb-KoverKover