'All Reitz Reserved' for Luxembourg's electric violinist's album release

"Hold on, can you give me 10 minutes?" – "Yes sure, same here, you’ll regret talking to me prior to my coffee," Christophe Reitz is grinning on the other end of the phone line. Meanwhile, I'm bobbing my head up and down to an exclusive listen of the new album; an ensemble of electronic, shredding violins intertwined with driving drum and bass grooves, funky pizzicato riffs and open-spaced sounds. This is the music of talented Luxembourgish violinist and composer Christophe Reitz, better known on stage as All Reitz Reserved. He is releasing his debut album "Electric Eclectic" this Saturday in Luxembourg City at De Gudde Wellen.

Over the past few years, Christophe Reitz (25) has established himself as a unique Luxembourg artist, continuously evolving his sound and style in something that has rarely been done before: combining violin, sound effects and loop pedals.

Born in 1992 in Petange, he attended the local music school for classical violin until the age of 18. Despite successfully collecting his diplomas, he was yearning for something more.

"When I graduated high school I quit classical music. The year before I was playing in my first band, called Anthem of the Sun, and we performed quite a lot. In December 2012 I started my own solo shows, and All Reitz Reserved was founded."

Asking whether the classical background helped him develop his style and technique, Chris notes that, despite its importance in the early phase of learning an instrument, one has to set out and explore the great range of possibilities outside of the bubble.

“ I noticed what I missed for years

"Classical music is not the music I’ve been enjoying listening to. I’ve always been into rock, and not necessarily Beethoven. I think it’s something about the classical music education system: you get your pieces, and you rehearse, play in front of a jury and get your points, then start over again. You never really play music with other people. This is something I only noticed afterwards. I noticed what I missed for years."

Chris agrees that a classical background is necessary to perfect basics and technique, but he says that "playing a rock or pop gig without rehearsal, let alone managing to get through the gig, is a big lesson too."

It was then when Chris started picking up the electric violin and was captured by the endless possibilities in creating sounds. "It always grabs me what you can do with sound. Manipulating it, adding effects. Most songs happen by accident, by playing around with new ideas."

There aren’t many that specialise in what Chris does, and one wonders whether this niche has any artists to look up to. "There were quite a few people on YouTube that are into looping. There’s this guy called Alleyne Johnson, playing in Chester, York, and he has been busking all his life. He’s quite an interesting person that I’ve been following a lot. But for me it’s moved more into the electronic direction now.

“ Do your thing

One of the tracks on Chris' album, "Jean d’Arc", is a soundtrack to a film. "A young director who graduated from film class in Luxembourg used it for his final project. He sent me the pictures and said: "do your thing" – he gave me my freedom to explore. The music is now on the album. It’s a different approach when working with pictures, because you have to ask yourself how to strengthen scenes and emphasise feelings with music."

Other songs have developed over the course of Chris' career, and vary in each performance depending on the feeling and vibe of the show, creating a unique experience for every audience. A song is almost never exactly the same.

The recordings for the album "Electric Eclectic" themselves started early this year. The album was recorded by Chris himself, and mixed by Charles Stoltz from Holtz Studios in Tuntange, in July.

Regarding his work ethic, Chris admits: "I didn’t get going at the beginning, and in the end I had to really hurry up. With "Lazy Monday", for example, another track off the album, I listened back to it after it was done and I thought to myself "what the hell is this?" So I deleted most of it and started again. I’m happy now!"

Chris explains that he received a lot of questions about where to find his music. He did not have a release, and therefore thought it was about time. "In the future, I’m thinking about uploading a track every month or so. When one releases an album, there is always a void post-release where nothing happens, until the next album, and then the void again. I want to avoid the void, and continuously produce music."

“ Playing, playing, playing, wherever I can go

This Saturday, October 7, De Gudde Wellen will provide an intimate experience to enjoy All Reitz Reserved live. The Nick Sober Experience will be opening up the show, a newcomer project with a groovy mixture of sounds. CDs and Merchandise Packages will be available and for sale at the concert, too.

Having graduated in Communication and Political Sciences from Mainz, Germany, Chris is now ready to hit the road as a full-time musician and touring artist. "Small gigs or busking in the streets. Playing, playing, playing, wherever I can go." Saturday’s album release will prove to be a punchy boost in his promising career.

• Pre-sale tickets for the concert cost €8 or more (name your price) available at: allreitzreserved.bandcamp.com
• For more information about 'All Reitz Reserved' visit the Facebook Pageand check out the Facebook Event

(By Josh Oudendijk, wort-en@wort.lu, +352 49939721)