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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
[21]
Prix Ars Electronica 2011 Oval Honorable Mention Won
[21]
Qwartz Electronic Music Awards 2013 Oval Best Experimental Music Won
[22]
Qwartz Electronic Music Awards 2015 Oval Lifetime Achievement Award Won
[23]

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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