Music without limits

Dear music lovers,

The focus of our label AKTIVRAUM, established in the year 2000, lies on the music of Markus Stockhausen, one of the most eclectic musicians of our times. As a trumpeter, he is as much at home in jazz as in contemporary and classical music; as a performer, improviser and composer he has been able to make a name for himself on the international circuit. Our programme, which we wish to shortly introduce to you on this website, presents itself as accordingly multi-faceted, also including further interesting artists.

Free music, that lies beyond categories, is especially close to our heart. Markus Stockhausen refers to this as “improvisation”, if the framework of the free arrangement is determined by a composition or agreement. “Intuitive music”, on the other hand, is created entirely in the moment, intuitively, and is a priori free of any parameters or stylistic attachment. We gladly use this differentiation, as one often thinks of jazz and its connected traditional aesthetics when one thinks of improvisations. This kind of thinking however would lead one down the wrong path when referring to the CD "Solo I" for example; this intuitive music can not be assigned to any established category and is a special treat for both classical and jazz music lovers.

Markus Stockhausen also gives his fellow musicans a lot of freedom when it comes to larger compositions with an orchestra, such as "Sonnenaufgang" or "Choral und Sehnsucht". The different languages of written and spontaneously improvised music are interfused here. "For a long time I played both classical and contemporary music, especially with my father, and at the same time I always improvised. All these experiences run together in my compositions. I find it exciting to constantly discover new worlds of sound and to have pleasure in creative playing."

Why not just have a listen to our music again? From a concert, on CD or here on the Internet. Information with links to download portals and audio samples can be found under the respective CDs.

We are currently preparing a series of exciting new releases. Among them are many projects, whose realisation has been dear to us for some years now. Exact dates and further details can be found in our newsletter "AKTIVRAUM-Aktuell", to which you can subscribe for free.

We also hope you can turn an open ear to the albums of our other musicians. All CDs were performed and produced with great love.

The difficulty of financing the releases is as timeless as the music. We have several hours of inspired live music lying in our drawers and would be grateful for any financial support, which would enable us to release these. We would also like to re-release a number of recordings by Markus Stockhausen from the 1990s with EMI Classics, which are no longer available in stores today. We are happy to receive any help you can give us.

We wish you much listening pleasure!

With warm regards,
Rolf Zavelberg

Electric Treasures at the St. Ingbert Jazz Festival