Austrian musician Lukas Koening is a drummer and so much more. After studying in Vienna, Linz & Bern he quickly became one of the most sought after side-men for jazz musicians. Continuously striving to improve his technique and searching for new sounds he was an important part of shaping the sound of Viennese music in the last years. He is part of the acclaimed jazz band Kompost3, was a founding member of the avante-garde pop band 5K HD, has toured with the indie-pop-rock band Bilderbuch, is playing international festivals with the impro electronic noise trio Mopcut and is exploring the world of groove-noise solo as KŒNIG. Those are only a few of the projects Lukas Koenig is involved in (full list here) and the list of musicians he has cooperated with and the festivas he has played at is too long to list here… but is worth checking out. His project KŒNIG has evolved from a neon one man rap band – where he played drums, synthesizer and rapped at the same time (!!!) – to a more minimalist setup of a cymbal, kick trigger pedals, synths and effects with which he produces experimental, groovy, noisy and deep music. Two of these tracks are featured on this release, recorded on the 3nd October 2021.
… how & why:
The first time I heard Lukas play was at a jam session at the jazz club Porgy & Bess and I was in awe how well this young man was playing. After the show we talked and when I asked where he was studying he replied “I’m still in school”. Fast forward a few years and he was a regular on most Viennese stages, having played himself into the hearts of many music fans – from jazz to hip-hop to noise. It would be impossible to count how often I have heard Lukas perform, but I know that each and every time was a pure treat. So you can imagine how happy I was when he accepted my invitation to record for Wien33.