Hauschka fills piano with ping-pong balls, paper clips

Volker Bertelmann is a pianist, but before that, he was a hip-hop star.

"In my 20s I was in a hip-hop band called God's Favorite Dog, we were signed to Sony music and were quite popular. We played big German festivals," said Bertelmann, who is better known under his stage name Hauschka.

To those who know anything about Hauschka, this tidbit might come as a surprise—Bertelmann is a thin white German man with wispy hair that dangles in waves over one of his eyes. The music he makes is also, at first glance, a far cry from hip-hop. Hauschka uses what is called "prepared piano," a style of playing where items are placed inside the piano itself to elicit unique sounds. Ping-pong balls, paper clips, bottle caps and more find their way into the bowels of Hauschka's piano, creating an entrancing range of zips, rattles and plunks that transform the classic sound of a piano into something completely different. The result is incredible. Hauschka's music is evocative and rich, full of quiet riffs and loops that swell and build into gorgeously quirky instrumental arrangements often accompanied by strings and horns. To call his music "classical" would be limiting, it is truly in its own category. His past albums "Ferndorf" and "Forgotten Landscapes" sound unlike any others.

"I love to be a bridge between classic and indie rock. I was classically trained on piano, and I remember my instructors used to try and teach me that some music was ‘real music' and inherently better than other music, ‘unreal' music like hip-hop and rock. I thought that was f***ing stupid," Bertelmann said.

This attitude comes through in the music— while composed with largely "classical" instrumentation, strains of rock and, yes, hip-hop are apparent in his songs. Hauschka's newest album "Salon Des Amateurs" takes this even further. Tracks like "Radar" and "Ping" sound as if someone could jump in and start rapping over them in their current unaltered form.

"On those tracks in particular, I wanted something that The Neptunes could rap over," Bertelmann said.

Hauschka's thesis behind the new album was that he wanted to craft "electronica music out of classical instruments." In that regard, the album is a complete success—picture Yann Tiersen filtered through Aphex Twin and Run DMC. It may seem an odd mix, but it makes complete sense upon first listen.

"The worlds of classical, rock and hip-hop are bleeding together, and I think that's great. I don't see a problem with me, a classical pianist, hearing Sigur Rós and making music based off of them," Bertelmann said.

On his newest album, members from Icelandic band Múm (past tourmates of his), as well as Calexico and Modest Mouse make appearances, lending their various talents to the album. Hauchka's music is always percussive—he often mutes portions of the piano and plays them like drums—but on his newest tour (which stops in Seattle April 20 at the Triple Door) he will bring along Samuli Kosminen, Múm's Finnish drummer, as well as a string section featuring local musicians.

"This is definitely my fullest tour yet, I don't often play with this many people," Bertelmann said.

The show won't be one to miss—especially considering the way Hauschka goes about his live performances. Almost all of what is played is improvised on the spot—Bertelmann doesn't even know how he will prepare his piano until sound check.

"There is so much randomness in the piano, which for me is perfect and one of the things that keeps what I do so exciting for me," Bertelmann said.

Kelton may be reached at entertainment@su-spectator.com