»All those who are in love with music should know about this event. This is brilliant.«
– Tom Schilling, musician & actor
»What a perfect setting. Being together and listen to music from a vinyl record. No blathering. No smartphones.«
– DJ Koze, Musician
»I’m a person who appreciates nuances. The impression of the album in its entirety after not having heard it in a while was therefore really valuable to me. I was completely immersed. PLAYTIME was an enlightening experience.«
– And.Ypsilon (Die Fantastischen Vier), musician & producer
PLAYTIME. Music Album Sessions.
Idea:
We live in great times for music fans. Today music is available anytime and anywhere, thanks to a myriad of new possibilities. We can listen to our favorite songs no matter where we are or what we're doing. It's become as natural as breathing. But sometimes we have to take a really deep breath to feel alive again.
When was the last time we listened to music with full attention? Without any distraction or disruption. No song skipping and no shuffle mode. A whole album from beginning to end. Like in old times, when that was the only possible way due to technical limitations.
Times are changing, but we still love music for the exact same reason: We are totally captivated once we push the play button. Our imagination starts running wild, and suddenly we see an exciting movie in our mind's eye. That's the power of music that we want to celebrate in its pure form. To this end, we gave it a name: PLAYTIME.
Today, like in old times, we don't actually need much to enjoy the magic: just an album filled with MUSIC, a comfortable PLACE to sit down and, importantly, TIME. Then we can start listening. Simple as that. Like our PLAYTIME events.
Format:
For the MUSIC of the evening we select an album, an entire composition that is greater than the sum of its songs. A musical work of art. A recording made to take the listener on an acoustic journey filled with mind-blowing adventures.
This special album is played at a PLACE where the sense of sight normally takes precedence: a cinema. Because the converted movie theater is an ideal allegory for how visual music can be when we fully listen. In addition, we want to include the social aspect of »going to the movies«. Now the audience can experience music with like-minded others the same way they enjoyed movies before. With one big difference: We keep the screen empty as an invitation for everyone to project their own images, as inspired by the music.
Every period has its own music that defines its zeitgeist. That's why we'll present newly released albums at first, regardless of genre or origin. We see PLAYTIME as a direct response to current listening habits. Rigid categories are gone. Every music fan has so many different songs to choose from, but it has become very difficult to listen to every kind of music we're interested in. Not in terms of availability or technical access, like at the beginning of music distribution, because today we are notorious flat-rate subscribers who forget how to enjoy the moment, jumping instead to the next treat that our media library has to offer.
PLAYTIME is focusing on music culture. PLAYTIME is engaging culture. Promoting the value of creating art.
Vinyl Record:
The music medium we use is a vinyl edition of the album — akin to a 35-mm movie, which for technical reasons can only be shown in a movie theater. Also, knowing that every necessary hand movement forms a ritual of passion and commitment, we want to celebrate the spinning of a vinyl record as integral moments of every PLAYTIME.
Founders:
PLAYTIME was founded in spring 2014 by Marc Engenhart and Duc-Thi Bui while they listened to »Immunity« by Jon Hopkins on vinyl.
Marc Engenhart is Diplom-Designer, artist and musician and also founded Engenhart * Bureau for design, an award-winning design studio and think-tank for new formats of cultural and systematic communication. The bureau works with communication designers, writers, philosophers, musicians and artists. One of its core competences is the guidance of clients through the process of corporate design and its translation to digital and classic media. www.engenhart.com
Duc-Thi Bui is a professional screenwriter and filmmaker. Drawing on his first degree in architecture, he employs a spatial storytelling method that portrays people with all of their longings and conflicts in a critical fourth dimension. www.thibui.de
Locations:
+ Michaelskirche Degerloch, Stuttgart (2019)
+ White Noise, Stuttgart (2019)
+ Delphi Arthaus Kino, Stuttgart (2014 & 2015, 2019)
+ Dieselstrasse Kulturzentrum, Esslingen (since 2018)
+ StadtPalais Museum, Stuttgart (2018)
+ Club OST, Berlin (2018 & 2019)
+ Scala Kino & Live-Location, Ludwigsburg (April 2017)
+ Theater tri-bühne, Stuttgart (Januay 2017)
+ Babylon Kino am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, Berlin (April 2016)
+ Freund & Kupferstecher, Stuttgart (May & October 2016)
+ Württembergischer Kunstverein, Stuttgart (May 2015)
+ Theater Rampe, Stuttgart (Filmwinter Festival 2015 & 2016)
+ Fluxus Contemporary Mall, Stuttgart (May 2016)
Awards:
+ Causales Award – Nominée – European Trend Brand
+ 2016 Graphis Poster Annual 2016 – Silver Award
+ red dot communication design award 2015 – Award for high design quality German Design Award 2017 – Nominée
+ Eventdesign Yearbook 2017/2018 av edition – Feature
www.playtimealbumsessions.com
