\"Carry On Wise Guy\" has been released on Mole Listening Pearls / Intergroove in July 2006:

\"Carry on Wise Guy is bursting with soul, knowledge and studio experience - to such a degree it\'s hard to believe that the full-blooded musician standing behind Airmate is only 27 years old.

Hannes Bieger is undoubtedly an exceptional talent. After producing Deep-House-Hits, film music and the album for the duo Llava, he now debuts with his solo project, Airmate, in which he gives free rein to his immense passion for soul music. For \'Carry on Wise Guy\' he invited top-class vocalists from London, New York and Berlin to his studio in Berlin-Kreuzberg and produced this multifarious album that interweaves soul with pop-appeal, club energy and the sensitivity of jazz.

The opening track Messing Around declares the vibe on which the versatile spectrum of Carry on Wise Guy unfolds in a soulful, rich and honest manner. Over funky Minimoog riffs and tight breaks, no less a person than British Zero 7 lead singer Mozez sings as if Curtis Mayfield was visiting Berlins Kiez neighbourhood. Likewise, Let It Go which evolved in co-operation with the fantastic Izzi Dunn has the qualities to be a true hit. The compact pop song is tailored as a perfect fit for the renowned singer and cellist (Gorillaz, 4hero, George Harrison, et al.): profound and yet light-footed, she floats over the casual down beat, which would also suit Erykah Badu. 

In Doin Rounds featuring De-Phazz singer Pat Appleton, a charming brass section acknowledges the soul music of the \'Golden Seventies\' performed by artists such as Al Green and Donny Hathaway. Newcomer Thief in \'Slow Down\' fills the gap to Neo-Folk with a dreamy desire. \'No Chains\' makes it obvious that Airmate is also a native of the club scene: Seven minutes of rhythmic elegance return broken beats to the floor. The rapid story-telling by Fat Jon of the Five Deez adds hip-hop of the Open Minded School to the remarkable bandwidth of the album. One of the climaxes of Carry On Wise Guy is the hypnotic tingling song The Love Below, which features Platnum. Here, references do not carry you very far: this is grand art, which simply knocks music lovers off their feet. 

Not only by selecting international vocalists, Airmate effortlessly surpasses local and national German borders. Although his home base of Berlin is increasingly developing into an intersection for soul hybrids with protagonists such as Jazzanova, Hannes Bieger\'s sensibility for jazz draws more on the translation of classic ideals, comparable to the approach of 4hero. The pop moments on \'Carry on Wise Guy\' bring to mind genre-bursting acts like Moloko or Portishead. The music knowledge that is turned into production is based on a wide appreciation of musicians ranging from Led Zeppelin to Pharoah Sanders and Antonio Carlos Jobim and on to Lalo Schifrin and Matthew Herbert. 

Hannes Bieger uses all these influences to sharpen the contours of his musical philosophy and turn them into a consummate form: music has to be accessible and complex at the same time. Under the layers of the inviting gestures of pop and the immediate intensity of soul, complex structures and a richness of detail stretch out. 

Standalone statements are Hannes Bieger\'s means of production. He refrains from racing for the latest software plug-in and instead prefers to rely on his exquisite collection of analogue instruments: the Minimoog, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and Clavinet form the source of the warm and noble sound characteristics. Needless to say, Hannes Bieger, a specialist and technical author of high-end vintage recording equipment - not only utilises old tube compressors but also digital means. And he does so without dispersing the magic of the moment: the production of the album took only half a year. 

Carry on Wise Guy is the impressive freestyle of one of the biggest talents in Germanys landscape of producers. In conjunction with some of his favourite vocalists, Hannes Bieger as Airmate has created fifteen immaculate and vibrant pieces, which immediately touch, move and thrive with time. As openly as Airmate interprets quality music, he encapsulates soul as a universal vibe with coherent and straightforward production.\"