Rosenkranz.
Giving chance time to unfold.
Rosenkranz on analogue jams, the EP “One” and a Zurich live scene growing together.
Matthias Rosenkranz
A sound does not seem to fit the set. Correct it immediately? Matthias Rosenkranz prefers to let it stand. In his improvised electronic music, patience becomes a tool: the unexpected can develop rather than being discarded straight away. That openness also shapes his work away from the stage. Through Synth Club and the jam community around Zurich Synthesizer Table, he creates spaces where a first attempt can grow into a performance of one’s own.
Zurich-based musician Matthias Rosenkranz previously released music as 59 Perlen. His EP “One”, released under the name Rosenkranz, arrived on Petite Victory Collective in August 2026. His live music connects ambient, drone and rhythmic density. In this written conversation, he discusses his working process, collaborative sets at Sonic Playground and the conditions small electronic cultural initiatives need.
Giving happy accidents room
You improvise your music live. During a performance, how do you know when you want to keep following an unplanned idea?
My gigs almost always start in a kind of “kicking-off” environment. My devices are already set up to create a particular atmosphere and bring my stress level down a little. That helps me enormously to get into my set and tune in to the atmosphere of the moment.
After playing for a while, though, I automatically move away from that, and happy accidents happen that I develop spontaneously. My guiding principle is never to make hasty decisions, especially when something happens that initially seems not to fit the current mood very well. I had to learn to stay calm and give those moments room by simply letting them stand and then seeing what I can do with them next. From that perspective, I cannot really say exactly how I know whether I want to follow an unplanned idea. It just happens.
A new name, a clear direction
The tracks on “One” grew out of hardware jams. How do you decide which recording to release as a finished piece?
Since I like to tell stories in my music that take listeners to unfamiliar places, I usually decide based on the atmosphere of the individual jams. “One” was special, though, because it was the first release under my real name, and I wanted to use the track selection to fine-tune the direction of the project.
Under my previous name, “59 Perlen”, I always released very different kinds of music: hardware, software, ambient, dub techno, hybrid and analogue, whatever I felt like at the time. But my perspective on many aspects of music production and the music industry has changed enormously over the past year or two. Among other things, improvisation now plays a central role, both in my performances and in my choice of instruments.
That is what I wanted to express through the rebranding and the EP. It consists entirely of jams created on my analogue devices that follow my “Time To Listen” principle and tell a connected story.
My guiding principle is never to make hasty decisions.
Finding a beginning together
At Sonic Playground this year, you have deliberately chosen collaborative performances. What helps two musicians who are playing together for the first time find a shared starting point?
Even before curating the programme, we made sure the artists were working in similar styles. Of course, bringing completely contrasting artists together can also be exciting. But we deliberately chose this approach to make things a little easier for the artists.
We have also organised jam sessions as part of a label get-together on the day before the main event. The artists can use those to get used to playing together. It will certainly be interesting!
Twenty minutes without pressure
Through Synth Club, you also create space for new live acts. What helps someone feel comfortable making their first appearance with you?
It is actually a two-part structure that has developed over the past three years. On the one hand, we meet every month to jam at the “Zurich Synthesizer Table”. New members keep joining us, and every now and then I select potential Synth Club performers from that group.
Within the jam group, we also offer “solo jam evenings”. Anyone who simply wants to play in front of a small audience, casually and without any pressure to succeed, can spend twenty minutes experiencing that atmosphere in a small circle before perhaps playing to a larger audience such as Synth Club.
Synth Club itself, by contrast, is a curated format. But because of its connection with the jam group, the community spirit always comes first there too. It is about more than setting up, playing and packing down. It is about having a good time together, and that alone reduces stress and creates a certain sense of ease. The community here is simply wonderful and helps wherever it is needed. And the guests, including those from outside the community, really appreciate that atmosphere too.
More recognition for local spaces
You write that there are fewer and fewer places to develop creatively. What would help Zurich’s independent electronic live scene most in everyday practice?
First of all, I am very grateful that, since January 2026, we have found a great venue in KuBaA in Affoltern, which also supports our events very proactively.
But it would certainly help us and many other small organisers if cultural platforms such as Synth Club received more attention, recognition and funding in this area. There is still considerable room for improvement, especially on the outskirts of the city.
Rosenkranz
Interview by email · Editorial and image art direction: SCENE:ID. Yves Ikora · @yvesikora · Esteban Maidana · Anke Neumeister · @anunefotologie