A B O U T :

The 200 lurkers are a band-project based in Cologne, Germany that has won a small but dedicated following all over the world in the past three years. Essentially, the 200 lurkers consist of singer|songwriter Philipp Hofmann whose vision guides the project and who records much of the material in his home studio, supported by a host of collaborators.

The music of 200 lurkers combines guitar-based singer|songwriter tunes with judiciously applied samples. Much it has a wistful, melancholy feel, but is buoyed by an innate sense of whimsicality that is reflected in the delicate instrumentation and Hofmann's unique voice. Charmingly off-kilter melodies carry along lyrics full of exceptional imagery: with all manner of references to exploding beehives, celestial bodies, and birds with nacreous wings, they often depict a duality of the ordinary miraculousness of life wrapping around a pearl of bitterness and loss.

Musically, the 200 lurkers straddle several genres from twee pop to new folk to alt-country, though there are as many differences as similarities between these styles and the lurkers: Hofmann is fond of incorporating unconventional musical instruments or technologies (such as water glasses, children's toys, distorted recordings of his or his friends' voices, or archaic drum machines), and each song is of its own character and temperament, defying easy classification.

P R E S S :

Even though their songs have not been actively promoted yet, the band has already won a considerable amount of attention from all over the world: the song "The Last Guest" was added to the download section of the music magazines junkmedia.org and finefinemusic.com; tracks were played by New York Radio Station WFDU-FM 89.1 as well as by various Campus and Internet Radios; an interview and performance was aired by the TV station Center TV, the video of the song "First Day Love" has received a 5-Star rating and more than 1000 hits on youtube, and director Jeffrey Wolfshohl chose the music of 200 lurkers for the soundtrack of his 2008 short film My Martyrdom In Every Case. The German magazine Intro has called the lurkers "music with depth and brains" and the Neue Westfälische says their "finely-wrought sound is unique in the local pop-scene."

I F...Y O U...A R E . . .

...a label, booking-agency or management and our music has sparked your interest, drop us a line!

...a band or an artist interested in a collaboration (for example organizing double concerts), drop us a line!

...interested in a cd or an mp3 package, or you would like to comment on the songs, drop us a line!

- the 200 lurkers on myspace

- the music of 200 lurkers – pdf-info sheet

- here you can find an overview where the music of 200 lurkers is listened to. feel free to put yourself on the map!

- our song "the last guest" has been knighted by being added to the famous download sections of junkmedia.org and finefinemusic.com.

there are a couple of youtubes that you can check out if you're bored out of your pants:

- video of "first day love"

improvised videos shot at public but empty places:
- "the pilot" filmed in a sauna
- "space walk" filmed in an empty office
- "you know who i am" filmed in the stairwell of a high-rise
- "headcrash" filmed in a bar after closing time

clips from the tv programme "konsole"
- interview [in german]
- "the pilot"

thanks to: rob, daniel, reiner, philipp, uwe & christiane, bernd, susanne, paula and everybody who supports us. special thanks to jennifer.

[the pilot]: words & music: hofmann. | [nausikaa II]: words & music: hofmann. | [headcrash]: words & music: hofmann, drums programmed by daniel kuhfuss. | [spacewalk]: words & music: hofmann, drums & big-band sample from "fly me to the moon" words & music: bart howard, 1964. | [moving]: words & music: hofmann, bass played by reiner bunzemeier. | [when you wish upon a starr]: words: m.lewinsky & w.j. clinton, music: hofmann. | [ohne dich]: words: hofmann, music: rob terwesten, daniel kuhfuss, hofmann. | [the little lighthouse]: words & music: hofmann, percussion sample from "rosemary" by suzanne vega. | [cultural studies II]: words: hofmann, music: rob terwesten, daniel kuhfuss, hofmann, drums: daniel, guitar solo & bass: rob. | [cold smoke]: words & music: hofmann, percussion sample from "gone again" by the indigo girls. | [the nerves end at the fingertips]: words: hofmann, music: rob terwesten, daniel kuhfuss, hofmann, voice sample from "the finger" by robert creeley. | [trees lounge]: words & music: hofmann. | [estra-gone]: words: hofmann, music: rob terwesten, daniel kuhfuss, hofmann. | [first day love]: words & music: hofmann | [you know who i am]: words & music: leonard cohen | [was one]: words & music: hofmann, drum sample from "the obvious child" by paul simon. | [the last guest]: words & music: hofmann. | [a case of you]: words & music: joni mitchell. | [kathy's song]: words & music: paul simon, additional lyrics & voice from "untitled entry" by paula kostel. | [stubborn life]: words & music: hofmann, drum sample from "as is" by ani difranco | [moon birds]: words & music: hofmann, drum sample from "before easter" by tracy chapman. [i long to hold some lady]: words: leonard cohen, music: hofmann.

all songs (c) by 200 lurkers | the nerve bible
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