Barbara Morgenstern

One of the primary producers on <a href="spotify:artist:1T48eW2iZNOo834wEdlopV">Gudrun Gut</a>'s Berlin-based electronic-pop label <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Monika+Enterprise%22">Monika Enterprise</a>, Barbara Morgenstern creates pretty, intimate synth-pop often marked by blippy melodies, primitive drum machines, and her own German-language vocals. Following a self-released cassette and mini-album, Plastikreport (both released in 1997), she made her full-length debut in 1998 with the Vermona ET 6-1 album. Through 2000's Fjorden (which featured production by <a href="spotify:artist:71GWL6ijlpTh7oGqYlMMpM">Thomas Fehlmann</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2oAUWVDrNRE76jqj9IkVK6">Pole</a>) and 2003's Nichts Muss, her melodic sense became more pronounced, and with time she also began fielding remix requests for the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:1jf3CssdtSksxNa3uIpPzS">Dntel</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6qBMJSvohwouLtnMkMSnlt">Station 17</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5lsC3H1vh9YSRQckyGv0Up">Ellen Allien</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1QrqFxy3w6rk4IlVyoycI6">Malaria!</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1VUgV5TXOldN4yUTiIjJbP">Smash TV</a>. In 2014, Morgenstern collaborated with <a href="spotify:artist:1symcfB0KMf0vEg2nE1pHZ">Bill Wells</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2kiN34DD6EDaawrTSxzn3n">Stefan Schneider</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3vptd4ohv6IVoHNSEsfjre">Annie Whitehead</a> on a more abstract, jazzy album on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Leaf%22">Leaf</a> titled Pick Up Sticks. Tesri, a collaborative release with <a href="spotify:artist:0DRlmNJq133uYhzXxJfF3a">To Rococo Rot</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:4EyeZbKRJj7sOA0R2AfdKF">Robert Lippok</a>, came out in mid-2005. The Grass Is Always Greener followed in 2006. BM, released two years later, featured a collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:5iksmHDN2qZQcgFfXqIXtT">Robert Wyatt</a>, as well as an increased prominence of piano melodies. Paper of Pins, a 2009 release on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Karaoke+Kalk%22">Karaoke Kalk</a>, reprised her collaboration with <a href="spotify:artist:1symcfB0KMf0vEg2nE1pHZ">Wells</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2kiN34DD6EDaawrTSxzn3n">Schneider</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3vptd4ohv6IVoHNSEsfjre">Whitehead</a>. 2010's Fan No. 2 gathered stray tracks while also functioning as something of a career overview. In 2012, Morgenstern released Sweet Silence, her first album sung entirely in English. This was followed three years later by the collaboration-heavy Doppelstern, which featured guest appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:6fTuDQJqqMDrrEXSFmgyJt">Hauschka</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:7M9FwnKOKR4zl9iYCfy3bv">Justus Köhncke</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2YJXo1ERQAO7r4hQtu2vFc">Julia Kent</a>, and many others. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi