In the 1980s, the group Härte 10 was one of the most influential ensembles at the intersection of jazz, pop, avant-garde and free improvisation. The trio consisted of the drummer and multi-instrumentalist Frank Köllges, the percussionist and singer Valerie Kohlmetz and the keyboardist and pianist Mike Herting.

Härte 10 unabashedly explored every conceivable genre and culture, drawing on musical elements and reshaping them. Härte 10’s music represented an unprecedented opening up to the new-old world of musical cultures and styles. Fragments of one genre intertwined with structures from another, linked by free improvisation, the sole aim of which was to support any and every idea. The musicians created a collage of rhythm, electronics, lyrics, gestures and facial expressions at the very highest level, resulting in the inimitable Härte 10 concoction.

Härte 10 were, and still are, very much in the tradition of and building on the legacy of bands such as Can. Despite releasing three studio albums, Härte 10 were always a quintessential live band, having played several hundred concerts worldwide. Not one of these concerts was even remotely identical to another, partly because Frank Köllges refused to learn the pieces by heart, and partly because the other two musicians could only stick to the set plan in exceptional cases. There are live recordings of many of these concerts, of varying quality, which showcase the band’s creativity and vitality far better than the studio recordings ever managed to. In honour of the late Frank Köllges and Härte 10, the group is releasing a compilation of this music under the title ‘Härte 10 – Tapes’.