Thema on Wednesday 25 January at 20.00 CET looks back at the life of Steffen Basho-Junghans.
One of the most colourful European sound artists passed away on December 1 last year. German acoustic guitarist Steffen Basho-Junghans was 69. He was an adventurous musician and left us an impressive oeuvre full of experimentation and virtuosity. Basho-Junghans was initially inspired by the guitar folk experiments of pioneers such as John Fahey, Leo Kottke and Robbie Basho, but also by minimal music, free jazz, world music and twentieth-century classical music (Béla Bartók). Out of respect for the great Japanese haiku poet Basho and the guitarist Robbie Basho, Steffen Junghans changed his name to Basho-Junghans. In his guitar compositions, Basho-Junghans was able to sketch vast, cinematic soundscapes, but he also radically sought out the essence of the sound of the guitar. His compositions are both pictorial and experimental at the same time. Basho-Junghans was indeed also a gifted painter. His many albums have been released on specialist labels such as Sublingual, Strange Attractors Audio House and Silly Boy Records. In the Netherlands, Basho-Junghans was a welcome guest and he performed many times including memorable concerts during the Incubate Festival. You can listen to a selection of his work during this two-hour special, from virtuoso, mesmerising guitar compositions to his unique, minimalist sound experiments.
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