Ambient Fields (Infinity Sessions) Popol Vuh

This immersive sound journey, specially adapted for the 360-degree spatial sound system of Reethaus' inner chamber, revolves around key elements from Popol Vuh's work spanning over two decades. The Moog synthesiser albums from the 1970s, original soundtracks to Werner Herzog's iconic films, the spiritual masterpiece Hosianna Mantra and previously unreleased piano solos take centre stage.


In 1969, Florian Fricke received one of the first Moog devices to arrive in Germany and named his music project after the ancient Mayan codex, whose name means ‘Book of Encounters’. The essential ingredients of Popol Vuh already lay in this early impulse: the creation of avant-garde electronic sounds, an interest in sacred texts and traditions from all over the world and the pursuit of progressive formats for musical experience and exchange. Inspired by ‘stalactite caves, the archaic cries of Greek women in the night and dancing dervishes’, Fricke and his comrades-in-arms created richly orchestrated music that seemed to come from a planet of perfect beauty. The result was cult records that significantly shaped the genre of cosmic music and Krautrock.


Reethaus honours a pioneer of cosmic music with a journey through the iconic ambient soundscapes of Popol Vuh. In Popol Vuh, Florian Fricke's brainchild combined spiritual impulses with electronic experimentation, creating music that reflected their far-flung journeys and at the same time erected a mirror to the old world - inviting us to look inside and see what was looking back at us from it. ‘For us in the late sixties, the Moog synthesiser was a way of creating sounds that we had never heard before - that we carried within us, in our unconscious, in our dreams.’

About the artist

Popol Vuh, founded in 1969 by classically trained pianist Florian Fricke, was a pioneering force in German ambient electronics, trance and transcendental progressive rock. Initially experimenting with the Moog synthesiser on Affenstunde (1970), Fricke soon turned to acoustic instruments and created luminous, meditative soundscapes that still resonate today. Iconic albums such as Hosianna Mantra (1972) and In den Gärten Pharaos (1976) showcased Popol Vuh's unique fusion of classical structures, modal harmonies, ethnic instruments and spiritual intensity. Fricke was closely associated with film from an early age - he worked with Werner Herzog on the soundtracks to his most memorable films and shot his own films in sacred landscapes such as Kailash (Tibet) and Mount Sinai (Egypt). Fricke remained the driving force behind Popol Vuh until his death in 2001, leaving behind a unique oeuvre that continues to have an impact beyond the technological development of electronic music to this day.




WHERE: Reethaus, Köpenicker Chaussee 3a, 10317 Berlin

WHEN:
Saturday, 3 May 2025 14:00 - 20:00
Sunday, 4 May 2025 14:00 - 20:00

WHAT: Listening Experience

TICKETS: € 7.50