In his late teens he was multiple-awarded in the German music competition ‚Jugend Jazzt‘.
His 1990 debut album ‚Thomas Kessler Group‘ was chosen ‚Perfect CD of the Month‘ [stereoplay magazine] and nominated for the Prize of the German Record Critics’ Award, followed by three further, worldwide released solo albums.
During the Nineties he appeared with Berlin’s DISSIDENTEN, the ‚Godfathers of World Beat‘ [according to Rolling Stone Magazine], on their European festival tours (Glastonbury, Roskilde, Montreux, Rome, Budapest,…), studio and live albums.
For two CD recordings and numerous concerts Thomas spent the first decade of the new century with TRANCE GROOVE, a Cologne-based group in the tradition of the 70’s legendary band CAN.
He was invited to play with Jaki Liebezeit’s DRUMS OFF CHAOS, recorded with NIGHTHAWKS and DEAD GUITARS.
Thomas worked for TRANCE GROOVE, GOLDMAN, CRYSTIN, Ulli Boegerhausen, Sungha Jung, and Clive Stevens as a producer.
On stage he appeared with Charlie Mariano, Mel Collins, Rosko Gee, Helmut Zerlett, and many others.
In 2008 he launched LE SON DES COULEURS, a stylish Ambient Music project dedicated to the exploration and elaboration of the phenomenon of colour-sound synesthesia and association.
TK runs his own mixing and mastering studio in Duesseldorf and is currently working on a variety of projects in the field of intuitively composed music.
Not every kind of music will tolerate to be pressed into the template of the now omnipresent, commercially motivated 'Loudness War'. There are already too many productions designed to impress with an illusion of 'big' sound on iPods, car hifi etc., but will suffer from a lifeless, aggressively annoying sound on higher quality sound systems.
40+ years of listening experience: Almost his whole life Thomas Kessler spent with listening, playing, recording, and mixing music. To control every single step in the audio engineering process, he started working on PRE-MASTERING (often - not quite correct - just called ‚Mastering') in 1998. First he did that exclusively for his own productions, and later - increasingly - for fellow musicians, bands and labels.
Quite often demands came from the disappointment on the widespread 'industry standards' and the associated loss of tonal dynamics. This led to the idea to open such kind of "Boutique Style Mastering" to a wider circle of colleagues. Quite deliberately TK focused on styles outside the mainstream which are familiar from his experience as a musician and producer: Jazz, World, Acoustic Music, Singer-Songwriter, Ambient Electronic, Lounge Music and the border areas in between.
Thomas Kessler – Kurzbiografie deutsch
+++ mehrfach Preisträger im Wettbewerb Jugend Jazzt +++ Debutalbum „Perfekte CD des Monats“[stereoplay] und nominiert für den Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik +++ drei weltweit veröffentlichte Solo-Alben +++ Europatourneen und Studio-/Live-Alben mit DISSIDENTEN, Festivalauftritte in Glastonbury, Roskilde, Montreux, Budapest... +++ zwei Alben und unzählige Konzerte mit TRANCE GROOVE +++ Gastmusiker bei Jaki Liebezeit’s DRUMS OFF CHAOS, NIGHTHAWKS, DEAD GUITARS +++ Produzent für TRANCE GROOVE, GOLDMAN, CRYSTIN, Ulli Bögershausen, Sungha Jung +++ live mit Mel Collins, Rosko Gee, Charlie Mariano, Helmut Zerlett und vielen anderen +++
