CC Mixtape #29: Vienna’s Kairos label

This is the third mix this year dedicated to a record label observing a significant milestone in 2019. ECM New Series is 35 this year, and the fantastic U.K. label celebrates its 30th. For Vienna-based Kairos – the word was used by ancient Greeks for the “time” at which it is opportune to act – this year marked a 20th anniversary.

Like ECM New Series and NMC, Kairos has a vibe derived in part by a customary “look”. In ECM’s case, its use of stark, high contrast (and uniformly excellent) black and white photography and a consistent font makes just picking up an ECM disc feel good. NMC runs a royal blue band across the top of their sleeves, with its 3-letter logo in white atop it, like a squared-off cloud. Kairos is similarly consistent; most of the covers of its nearly 200 releases feature paintings by two German artists; the font and – generally – the placement of the text on the cardboard digipacks is uniform.

And like ECM, Kairos has cultivated long-term relationships with a select group of absolute top-tier musicians.

In terms of the music on the discs, well, that’s up to the listener. Kairos is, definitively, a contemporary “art” or avant-garde label. Much Kairos content might be considered difficult to the lay listener, I suppose, though I don’t happen to think so and I am as lay as it gets. I would say much of what they release recquires multiple listens. I make a point of checking out all new releases on Kairos. Like ECM New Series and NMC, the Kairos name is prety much a guarantee of excellence.

While the global deans of post-Korean War avante-garde music (the American Morton Feldman, the Italians Scelsi, Luigi Nono and Luciano Berio, the Frenchman Tristan Murail, England’s hyper-obtuse Bryan Ferneyhough…) constitute an important presence in its discography, the label is one of the premier showcases for contemporary composers. The mix below is a 50/50-ish split.

Kairos has put out almost 10 records per year across its 20 years and I must admit I am unfamiliar with most. But I do got a slew, and this program made up of some of my favorite tracks from Kairos releases I am lucky to have heard. Which is to say this is far from representative – though I think it’s a decent try…

A final note – give the opening track 90 seconds for the strings to kick in…