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Oval (musical project)

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Oval
Markus Popp in 2009
Markus Popp in 2009
Background information
OriginGermany
Genres
Years active1991–present
Labels
MembersMarkus Popp
Past members
  • Sebastian Oschatz
  • Frank Metzger
  • Holger Lindmüller
Websiteoval.bandcamp.com

Oval is a German electronic music project founded in 1991 by Markus Popp, Sebastian Oschatz, Frank Metzger, and Holger Lindmüller.[1] The group pioneered glitch music, writing on CDs to damage them and produce music with the resulting fragments.[1] The project has been a solo venture by Popp since the departure of other members in 1995.[1]

History

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Oval was founded in 1991 by Markus Popp, Sebastian Oschatz, Frank Metzger, and Holger Lindmüller.[2] Lindmüller left about 1993, and Oval became a trio at that time.[2] The group's debut studio album, Wohnton, was released in 1993.[3]

Oval released Systemisch in 1994,[4] and 94 Diskont in 1995.[5] Oschatz and Metzger left the group in 1995, with Popp continuing under the Oval name.[6]

After releasing Ovalcommers in 2001, Oval went on hiatus for nearly a decade.[2] In 2010, he returned with an EP, Oh, and a studio album, O.[7] In 2011, he released a compilation album, OvalDNA.[8]

In 2013, Oval released Calidostópia!, a project funded by the Goethe Institute and the Cultural Foundation of the State of Bahia.[9] Recorded over ten days in a Brazil studio, it includes collaborations with seven singers from across South America.[10]

In 2016, Oval released a studio album, Popp, through Popp's own record label Uovooo.[11] He released an EP, Eksploio, in 2019,[6] and a studio album, Scis, in 2020.[12]

In 2023, Oval released a studio album, Romantiq.[13] It is based on an audio-visual collaborative project between Popp and digital artist Robert Seidel for the opening of the German Romantic Museum in Frankfurt.[2]

Other works

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Markus Popp contributed to the creation of Gastr del Sol's 1998 studio album, Camoufleur.[14] He is a member of the duo So, along with Eriko Toyoda.[15] The duo released a studio album, So, in 2003.[15] He is also a member of the duo Microstoria, along with Mouse on Mars' Jan St. Werner.[16]

Frank Metzger was a member of the group Steno, along with Rossano Polidoro and Emiliano Romanelli.[17] They released Second-Hand Furniture in 2007.[18] They were active from 2003 to 2011.[19]

Sebastian Oschatz is the founder of Meso, a German media design collective.[20]

Artistry

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Disdaining the use of synthesizers, the early Oval instead deliberately mutilated CDs by writing on them with felt pens, then processed samples of fragmented sounds to create a very rhythmic electronic style.[1]

Awards and nominations

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Award/organization Year Nominee/work Category Result Ref.
Prix Ars Electronica 2001 Oval Distinction Won
Prix Ars Electronica 2011 Oval Honorable Mention Won
Qwartz Electronic Music Awards 2013 Oval Best Experimental Music Won
Qwartz Electronic Music Awards 2015 Oval Lifetime Achievement Award Won

Discography

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Studio albums

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  • Wohnton (Ata Tak, 1993)
  • Systemisch (Mille Plateaux, 1994)
  • 94 Diskont (Mille Plateaux, 1995)
  • Dok (Thrill Jockey, 1998)
  • Ovalprocess (Thrill Jockey, 2000)
  • Pre/Commers (Tokuma Japan, 2001)
  • Ovalcommers (Thrill Jockey, 2001)
  • O (Thrill Jockey, 2010)
  • Calidostópia! (Goethe Institute, 2013)
  • Voa (self-released, 2013)
  • Popp (Uovooo, 2016)
  • Scis (Thrill Jockey, 2020)
  • Ovidono (Uovooo, 2021)
  • Romantiq (Thrill Jockey, 2023)

Compilation albums

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  • OvalDNA (Shitkatapult, 2011)

EPs

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  • Szenariodisk (Thrill Jockey, 1999)
  • Oh (Thrill Jockey, 2010)
  • Eksploio (Thrill Jockey, 2019)

Compilation album appearances

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  • I Said No Doctors! ("ISND", Dymaxion Groove, 2017)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d Cooper, Sean. "Oval". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b c d Terich, Jeff (11 May 2023). "A Guide to Oval's Digital Evolution". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  3. ^ Bush, John. "Wohnton - Oval". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  4. ^ Cooper, Sean. "Systemisch - Oval". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  5. ^ Richardson, Mark (5 October 2015). "A Glitch in Time: How Oval's 1995 Ambient Masterpiece Predicted Our Digital Present". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  6. ^ a b Ingalls, Chris (11 November 2019). "Beats, Glitches and Melody: Oval's 'Eksploio' Is a Rich, Modern Treat for the Ears". PopMatters. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  7. ^ Breihan, Tom (13 May 2010). "Oval Returns With New EP and Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  8. ^ Adams, Gregory (12 October 2011). "Oval Outlines 'OvalDNA' Collection". Exclaim!. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  9. ^ Pelly, Jenn (6 March 2013). "Download a New Album From Oval for Free". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  10. ^ Finlayson, Angus (22 March 2013). "Oval: Calidostópia!". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  11. ^ Strauss, Matthew (24 August 2016). "Oval Announces New Album Popp". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  12. ^ Bowe, Miles (1 February 2020). "Oval: Scis". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  13. ^ Weidenbaum, Marc (16 May 2023). "Oval: Romantiq". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  14. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 1998". Pitchfork. 12 February 1998. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  15. ^ a b Richardson, Mark (26 August 2003). "So: So". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  16. ^ Cooper, Sean. "Microstoria". AllMusic. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  17. ^ "Second-Hand Furniture | Steno". Bandcamp. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  18. ^ "Steno - Second-Hand Furniture". TU M. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  19. ^ "Steno". TU M. Retrieved 22 March 2025.
  20. ^ "Sebastian Oschatz". Meso. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
  21. ^ a b "Prix Ars Electronica". Ars Electronica. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  22. ^ "Qwartz Music Awards". Qwartz. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  23. ^ "Qwartz Music Awards". Qwartz. 11 August 2015. Retrieved 18 November 2016.

Further reading

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