Paul Kalkbrenner

Paul Kalkbrenner
Paul Kalkbrenner in Magdeburg, Germany in 2007
Background information
Also known as	PK, Paul dB+, Kalkito, Grenade, DJ Ickarus
Born	(1977-06-11) 11 June 1977 (age 39) Leipzig, Germany
Genres	Techno Minimal Electronica Downbeat
Occupation(s)	electronic musician, actor
Instruments	Turntables, keyboard, Ableton Live
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Sony Music, Paul Kalkbrenner Musik, BPitch Control
Website	www.paulkalkbrenner.net

Paul Kalkbrenner (German pronun­cia­tion: [paʊl ˈkalkbrɛnɐ]) (born 11 June 1977) is a German live act, producer of electronic music, and actor from Berlin. Because he breaks down his tracks into elements that are reassembled onstage, Kalkbrenner is considered a live act, as opposed to a DJ. He is most known for his single “Sky and Sand,” which sold over 200,000 copies, went platinum, and was highly charted in countries such as Belgium and Germany. He is also known for portraying the main character Ickarus in the movie, “Berlin Calling” written and directed by Hannes Stöhr, which ran for several years at Kino Central in Berlin.

Paul Kalkbrenner grew up in Lichtenberg, Berlin, which was deep in the eastern sector of the city before the Berlin Wall came down. At the time of the Reunification of Germany, Kalkbrenner was only thirteen years old. It was then that he began to play records to his peers at the youth clubs of Berlin, despite his 11 p.m. curfew set by his mother. He played together with his good friend Sascha Funke, who he met at his school and discovered that they both shared a common interest in techno. Greatly admiring the Underground Resistance from Detroit, both Kalkbrenner and Funke spent the years between 1992 and 1997 delving into record bins and familiarizing themselves with the best techno releases of the day. It was this and a radio show they listened to every Saturday (Rave Satellite) that led them to the techno scene. Meanwhile, at school, he learned to be a trumpet player and studied music theory. After spending many long and sleepless nights on the dancefloors of e-werk, Planet, and Walfisch, the dream was born to make music himself. In 1995, at the age of eighteen, Kalkbrenner worked for two years as a cutter in the television industry to fund the equipment he bought for production. During that time, Kalkbrenner and Funke lived together and began producing music on machines they both bought and borrowed. After getting into music production, it is then that Kalkbrenner decided he would like to only perform live with his own music.