Marcus Miller | Alune Wade | HATTLER

Bass guitarist par excellence, composer, producer - Hellmut Hattler is a living legend who is constantly reinventing himself with remarkable consistency.
As a seemingly inexhaustible source of musical inspiration, he belongs to that small, select circle of artists who have managed to secure not only lasting recognition in the fast-moving world of pop music over the decades, but also a constantly growing, enthusiastic audience - without ever losing his unmistakable artistic identity.

A glance at his CV may shed light on this exceptional position: After years of enforced violin lessons, Hattler actually never wanted to pick up an instrument again. But when he began experimenting with the electric bass - the instrument that would later form the basis of his international reputation - he did so with the firm intention of playing only what came from his heart, what suited him intuitively. An attitude that has become rare in the often formatted entertainment industry.

For over three decades, Hellmut Hattler has not only stood for an unmistakable sound and a unique, sometimes awe-inspiring playing technique, but also for artistic versatility and continuous creative surprises.
His legendary art rock formation Kraan caused a sensation back in the 1970s. Kraan was one of the few European bands to formulate an independent, equivalent answer to American jazz-rock pioneers such as Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock or John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra - with hundreds of thousands of albums sold.
In the 1980s, Hattler performed on stage and in the studio around the world with international greats such as Billy Cobham, Alphonse Mouzon and Brian Auger.
In the 1990s, he formed one half of the internationally acclaimed duo Tab Two, which is regarded as a pioneering project in the field of acid hip-jungle jazz. For ten years, they toured almost non-stop, produced and composed - including for world stars such as Tina Turner - and released ten award-winning albums on labels such as Virgin and Polydor.

In recent years, Hattler has concentrated entirely on his project HATTLER, under which he has released a series of innovative albums - which have received numerous awards, including the ECHO, the German equivalent of the Grammy.
On his latest album, The Big Flow, he once again collaborates with renowned guitarist and socially engaged musician Torsten de Winkel. The result is a catchy, stylistically wide-ranging melange: Hattler's masterful electric bass playing meets modern electronica, soulful soul vocals - this time from the extraordinary singer Fola Dada -, ethnic sound quotes and a pinch of jazzy coolness. All of this combines to create the unmistakable, finely nuanced sound that Hellmut Hattler has made his trademark in recent years.