We are happy to announce the release of traffic || jammed, our new album that grew out of a singular evening at the Rush Hour Kulturfestival, presented by Heussenstamm Stiftung. The music was recorded on September 8, 2024 at Atelierhaus Orber Straße in Frankfurt, in direct exchange with an attentive audience and the specific atmosphere of the space.

All pieces were written exclusively for this occasion. The album revolves around the different figures that populate our streets during rush hour, from drivers and pedestrians to invisible systems that regulate and disrupt urban movement. What emerged that night was a dense and physical sound world, shaped by repetition, friction, tension and sudden shifts, mirroring the pulse of the city itself.

The performance was recorded by Jörg See. In the process of mixing and mastering, rabirius focused on retaining the immediacy and energy of the original moment while carefully shaping the material into a coherent album that stands on its own beyond the concert setting.

That evening, mockART were Christoph Dorner, Ümit Kaya and rabirius.

The CD edition includes two bonus tracks, La Bête Noire and Kör Adamın Gazeli, performed as encores. Both tracks were previously released digitally as the single La Bête Noire (Alive).

traffic || jammed was released digitally and on CD.

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For a brief moment, we were surprised and – let’s admit it – excited: one of our older tracks, Resistencia, suddenly racked up nearly 1,500 plays in a single day on Spotify. We had no idea where the listens came from, the stats gave us no clues, but it was still a milestone.

Fast forward six months, and the whole album – Men Who Lost Their Heads – was removed by Spotify due to “suspicious activity.” Whether it was bots or a shady playlist, we were never told. But the result was clear: the album was gone.

We’ve now re-uploaded a remastered version to all streaming platforms, titled Men Who Lost Their Heads (Again).

Usually, we’re not fans of endless remasters. But in this case, we had so many versions floating around that we weren’t even sure which mix was “the original” any more. It also gave us the chance to properly credit all the guest musicians—who, until now, were only listed on the CD and our website. They deserve more visibility, and this remaster does just that. The album is available again everywhere. And for those interested in how various streaming platforms handle music and artists, rabirius has reviewed them in detail on his website.

Compilation Appearances

Two exclusive tracks have recently found new homes on experimental music compilations:

🎧 Køksspæl appears on Songs of Things, a tribute to the pioneers of musique concrète. No instruments were used—only kitchen tools. Think glasses, bottles, a toaster, a hand blender. Think noise turned musical.

“This is the practice of an unconditioned view of the surrounding world… the pure joy of experimentation.” — AEMC

🎧 Ritus Verni is featured on Communal Music Vol. 14, part of AEMC’s ongoing series exploring sample-based composition. Every composer used the same limited set of audio samples—but the results are entirely individual. Our track turns those sounds into a kind of ritual celebrating the arrival of spring. The whole compilation album was mastered by rabirius.

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This time, we invited several artists to remix or rework the same track – La Bête Noire, a piece that has become something of a mockART classic. Each contributor approached it from a different angle, resulting in a series of radically diverse versions that reinterpret the original in unexpected ways, showing the many faces of La Bête Noire.

Some stay close to the haunting atmosphere of the source, others dismantle it completely and rebuild it from scratch. What emerged is a fragmented but coherent narrative—a kind of sonic myth, told through many voices.

The album begins with the original version and ends with a live recording from last year’s performance at the Rush Hour Kulturfestival. These two versions frame the story.

The cover artwork – designed by rabirius – shows the eye of La Bête Noire, with the reflection of a woman running away inside the iris. A subtle nod to the album’s themes of pursuit, fear, and transformation.

You can find streaming and download links on our music page.

There also is fresh merchandise in our shop – from t-shirts and bags to pins and phone cases.

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The saga of La Bête Noire continues — and this time, the beast comes alive. Literally.

mockART proudly presents La Bête Noire (Alive), a raw and electrifying live recording captured on September 8, 2024, at Atelierhaus Orber Straße in Frankfurt. That night, the band’s lineup featured Christoph Dorner, Ümit Kaya, and rabirius, delivering a powerful performance that brought the beast to life in front of an intimate audience.

This new release includes La Bête Noire (Alive) as well as a live version of Kör Adamın Gazeli, a track originally from Men Who Lost Their Heads. While unrelated to La Bête Noire, it was part of the same unforgettable night and complements the energy of the set.

The single is available now on all major streaming platforms and as a digital download.

But that’s not all: La Bête Noire (Alive) is also a preview of what’s to come. It will feature on the upcoming remix album, dropping June 20, 2025 — an entire release dedicated to remixes of this ever-evolving track.

And there’s more on the horizon: the rest of the live performance from that night is in the works and scheduled for release later this year, likely in autumn. A rough mix already exists, but it still needs some final touches before it’s ready to be unleashed.

Stay tuned. The beast is far from done.

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We are thrilled to announce the release of our new album, He Staggered Across The Floor. Born from an experiment, this album takes flute melodies and sends them through layers of effect loops, feeding the transformed sounds back into the loop repeatedly. The result? A mesmerising exploration of minimal noise, a departure from our previous works as a duo.

The album is available as a limited edition CDr, featuring exclusive, hand-designed covers by artist Sonja Ackermann – each one a unique piece of art.

For those who prefer digital formats, the album is also available for download and on all major streaming platforms.

But that’s not all! Two of our tracks are featured on the compilation accompanying the latest edition of Means Magazine. The cover image for both the magazine and the compilation comes from a photograph by rabirius.

Additionally, one of our tracks appears on ArrhythNia Records Compilation #5, an extensive collection of experimental and noise music that is well worth a listen.

rabirius has also been busy with mastering work, having lent his skills to the compilation Justification of Major by AEMC Records, as well as the latest album by The Given Ghost – both of which you should definitely check out.

Meanwhile, mockART continues to work on a live album and a remix album compiling all the remixes of La Bête Noire. Stay tuned—we’ll have more updates for you soon!

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Tracks

1. He Staggered
2. Across The Floor

He Staggered Across The Floor came about as an experiment. Christoph and rabirius were experimenting with flute tunes that they looped through various effects. The resulting sounds where recorded and fed through the loop. So expect something noisy and minimalistic.

The CD version of the album comes with an exclusive cover by renown artist Sonja Ackermann. She painted, sprayed and glued to create a variety of artworks so every CD cover is unique. You can see a selection of her works here:

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