GENRE: Music - Musician, composer, performer, singer, producer. INSTRUMENTS: Absolute master on acoustic and electric guitar, and synthisizer. Terrific bass and drum programer. STYLE: Illenberger, like other music greats such as Brian Eno and Pat Metheney, forms a genre uniquely his own. In his case it ranges from chill and mood music, to experimental, inspirational, rock, and jazz. He's a very prolific composer and recording artist. FROM: Stuttgart, Germany, currently makes Sedona, Arizona, USA ,his home. EXPERIENCE: He picked up the guitar at age 12 and felt it was an extension of himself. He says he immediately knew this was what he would do, this was what he was here for. Ralf has had an exemplary career that spans 30 years and he's toured in over 50 countries. AWARDS: Numerous awards and praises including U.S. and German 'Grammy' nominations. Ralf was also a recent recipient of the Artist Advance MainStage Outstanding Career Award. CD's: Over 16 titles. CD REVIEW: With so many great titles in uniquely diverse styles, Illenberger can't be reviewed in one box. I love a lot of his material. Website: www.ralfillenberger.com MySpace: www.myspace.com/ralfillenberger
First, let me say that if you have the chance to see this artist live, you won't forget the experience. He's an extraordinary guitarist and performer. He gets sounds from an acoustic guitar that seem impossible; people are always amazed there's only one guitarist. More than that they are transported, and if I had to choose one word to describe Ralf it would probably be 'transporting'. He's a great musical experience.
To give you an idea about some of his songs, his US hits on the Nirada label from albums Circle, and Heart and Beat are great. In an entirely different vein, I love the intense and complex driving sonic sounds on 1983's Tronic CD, timeless songs that are contemporary still. He just sent me a unreleased compilation of music he calls Inner Lights that chills me out like nothing else, and I recently shared, with a musicphile friend of mine, a couple of songs from the new CD Ralf is working on...my friend raved about them.
I met Ralf at a music jam at my place in LA in 2005. We ended up doing a wonderful spontaneous CD together titled Beyond Words that was terrific fun. Then, after hearing other work that Ralf did, I gave him a try as a producer on an Artist Advance project. I liked how he worked with new artists, and the results, so much that I have used him on four projects: Kiana, Simon Spire, and the Lopez Artist Advance winners Karjam Saeji and Jean-Jacques Tetu. Check out their music here in the B.I.O. section from a production standpoint.
Ralf's career and work so impressed me that I awarded him Artist Advance's MainStage Outstanding Career Award - presented to an artist who may be less well known but who's talent and career are truly exemplary and whose work has a high degree of artistic and creative excellence.
Music (click on song titles to sample music)
Frogs Live: We recorded that song in
December 2007 in Stuttgart Germany. On drums and percussion is Bodo
Schopf (Michael Schenker Band, Sweet, Falco) and on bass from Italy
Sandro Gulino (Gypsy Kings, Eric Burdon). That was our 4th show and we
plan a tour together this fall in Germany. We are all Fire.
Grace: No guitars on that one - I worked
on these synth sounds for a long time - this happy Cirque de Soleil
vibe just happened on a night in October 2006. yet unreleased.
Spread your wings: Vocals Jason
Thompson, bass Zirque Bonner - I recorded end of the nineties a whole
bunch of songs with Jason, this a magic littlle gem.
Dancer between worlds: Eddie
Barattini on drums and myself on guitar and synth - a completely
channeled piece of music, the original is 11 minutes long - one of my
personal favorites.
Cherubim: A heavenly piece of music from my Spirit Skies Album, its got an old choral vibe too.
For more music on the Artist Advance Awards page click here
