Info

SUBSYSTEM are low-frequency specialists. Imaginative, shrewd and virtuosic, the two musicians from Berlin explore the possibilities of baritone saxophone and double bass. The deep sounds of the large instruments, which are seldom heard individually, come into their own in this duo formation.

In the compositions of the two musicians, funky riffs, African grooves and energetic solos in the best jazz tradition meet folkloristic melodies, subtly woven sound carpets and bizarre humor. In the flowing transition between improvisation and composition, the duo unfolds a wealth of playing possibilities that makes you forget the minimalist instrumentation.

Almut Schlichting and Sven Hinse have been playing together in various bands for 20 years, 10 of them in the duo Subsystem. The result is a somnambulistic certainty in their interplay, which is impressively audible in the dialogue of the two deep instruments in the concerts and on the three CDs “Unterholz” (2016), “Schneekönig” (2019) and Drei“ (2022).

“Above all, it’s great fun to listen to Hinse rhythmically slamming the strings of his double bass on the fingerboard, while Schlichting takes her baritone saxophone into the high register with overblowing techniques and split sounds, for example.”

JAZZthing homegrown, Martin Laurentius

“An exciting expedition into the world of low tones.”

Rainer Bratfisch, Jazz Podium

News

The Grand December Tour 2023

We had a great time with playing concerts Weilheim, Linz, Graz, Salzburg and Schwäbisch Hall! A big fat thank you to all the concert organizers, and bisous to Dorit Ehlers who performed with us in Salzburg. See some impressions here.

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New project: “Minuit à St. Tropez”

On 23.6.2023 the premiere of our new program with French jazz took place together with the violinist Fabiana Striffler. We would like to thank “Jazz am Helmholtzplatz” for commissioning us and the Berlin Senate for their financial support!

Further performances (with violinist Davis West) are being planned…

Press reviews of our CD “drei”

Press reviews of our CD “drei”Our new CD has received many good reviews, here is a selection:

“…the duo explores the mostly low pitches with (apparent) calm in a true dialog. Sometimes melodic, sometimes wandering freely.”

Westzeit Blog, Karsten Zimalla, Dezember 2022

“In certain situations, you can let yourself be dragged down by low tones. But “Drei” has been recorded with such a sense of conciseness, contour and situational wit that the duo’s focused short stories come across as cheerful as an audio comic.”

JAZZthing Mauerpark, Wolf Kampmann, Oktober 2022
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Next concerts

10.01.2025
20:00
Jazz Studio (& Davis West), Nürnberg
11.01.2025
20:00
Jazzclub (& Davis West), Bamberg
12.01.2025
20:00
Kunstverein (+Davis West; "Minuit à St. Tropez), Jena
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