THE BAND

Das Kapital is a group, and as a group it is has it's own artistic personality and style that goes well beyond the adding up of the individual qualities of the three members of the trio.

Das Kapital unites the German saxophonist Daniel Erdmann, the Danish guitarist Hasse Poulsen, and the French percussionist Edward Perraud.

The meeting of these three creative minds in 2002 was explosive, centered around free improvised concerts they immediately posed the cornerstone of what is now an a clearly identifiable sound: The use of elements and grooves heard in rock, pop and jazz music put together in surprising ways mixed up with the sounds from experimental and electronic music as well as contemporary classical sounds. This all executed with playfulness and an openness where everything can happen at any time.

In the first years Das Kapital played exclusively improvised concerts, and releasing a homemade wooden 4 CDr box in 99 copies in 2005, and the reeler CD All Gods have Children on their newly formed Quark label in 2006. This free improvising period culminated in 2009 with a concert at the Banlieues Bleues Festival in Montreuil, where the French Jazz establishment took the trio to their hearts.

On a suggestion by Daniel, who studied at the Hochschule fur Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, the group took up a repertoire of Hanns Eisler in 2009. This idea proved to be very fertile. The First Das Kapital plays Hanns Eisler CD, Ballads & Barricades was released on Quark Records in 2009 received the unanimous praise in the press and sent off Das Kapital on a long and very active series of concerts that has enthralled audiences wherever they go. The German licence of Ballads & Barricades on Wizmar records received the prestigious Jahrespreis by the German Jazz Critics in 2011. This same year the second Das Kapital plays Hanns Eisler CD Conflicts & Conclusions appeared to equal critical acclaim. 

The success of Das Kapital plays Hanns Eisler has led to more and more prestigious invitations from festivals and organizers,  such as the composing and premiere of Hymn to Democracy at Detours de Babel in Grenoble in march 2012. Hymn to democracy are compositions by Das Kapital to texts by Langston Hughes, Paul Eluard, Rimbaud, André Minvielle, Hasse Poulsen and by the children who make up the choir. By inviting the singer André Minvielle to join this program it is the first time the trio works with a guest musician.

For november 2012 the Berlin Jazz Festival has commissioned Nicolas Humbert & Martin Otter to make a film on and around Hanns Eisler based not the recordings by Das Kapital. The trio will play the music live to the images.

In september 2013 the venue Vorruit will celebrate it's 100th anniversary and has for the occasion asked Das Kapital to make a Eisler program arranged for a 100piece wind orchestra with Das Kapital as soloist. Grammy award winning British arranger Tim Garland will make the arrangements along with Stéphane Leach.

In parallel to the Eisler program, Das Kapital works with various film projects. This started in 2006 with the Collaboration with Nicolas Humbert and Martin Otter in Wonderland. The concept of Wonderland is very simple: The filmmakers make a more or less finished film during 4-5 days in the town where the concerts takes place. Das Kapital improvises to the images. For these improvisations Das Kapital uses samplers, ipods, and other electronic devises to augment the colours of the music.

This initial and central film cooperation has led to others such as playing to à la Conquète des Cîmes, a film from 1930, as well as doing improvised concerts with video artists and vjs.