Biographie
Without a doubt, double bassist Andreas Waelti is one of the more active musicians working in the field of jazz in Austria. Involved in various projects, the Vienna-based Swiss is characterized, above all by his great musical breadth. No matter if he is a free improviser or is working in the classical jazz context, Andreas knows how to enrich every music he encounters with his multifaceted, open-minded playing. The proof of his wide, musical spectrum is the release of his two last albums as a leader: the solo album «Lowdown» and «Y» of his group «TREE».
After a brief stint in Berlin, the Swiss native has been quietly anchoring the Vienna scene for over a decade now and as a member of groups like «Fabian Rucker 5» and «TSOMBANIS4», he has long since earned himself the status of a scene highlight. His work with complex stylists like Georg Vogel confidently bridges the gap between tradition and modernity and the work with his own Berlin based band «Transit Room», is testament to his skills as a composer. The groups remarkable debut album "Gordon Pym" provided a colorful exclamation mark in the highly respected Next Generation series of "Jazz thing" magazine. During his six years in Berlin he was a founding member of the «Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra» and worked together with Bands like «The Notwist».
«Andreas is a true bassist in the best sense: he carefully guides the music and anticiptes what it needs to create momentum. His expressive playing is driven by a rich and singing sound reminiscent of great accompanists like Jimmy Garrison Gary Peacock and Charlie Haden, but he can also get around the instrument with surprising grace and precision.» – Phil Yaeger
In addition to his musical activities, he took over the artistic direction of the renowned Swiss label Unit Records in November 2023, which he has since transformed into a broad and creative music platform. Founded in 1983 as a platform for innovative music, UNIT Records has grown into one of Europe’s distinctive jazz labels, known for its artist-driven spirit and strong sense of community. Alongside releasing music, UNIT develops initiatives in booking, promotion, video production and artist residencies, while actively supporting emerging talent and offering guidance on topics such as artist development, mental health, social security, fundraising and promotion. True to its musician-run origins, UNIT emphasizes fair collaboration and artistic independence. By connecting creative scenes across Europe and fostering live performance, collaboration and sustainable vinyl production, the label continues to build a vibrant network for contemporary creative music.
Diskographie
Raumfisch (2002)
Aextra – Sony Music Schweiz (2002)
Quartercircle – Goldsmith (2005 )
Fonixx meets Theodosii Spassov – Saxophonics (2007)
Hägar – Phonector (2008)
The Notwist «The Devil, You + Me» – City Slang (2008)
Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra «Take Off» – Alien Transistor (2009)
Transit Room «Gordon Pym» – Doublemoon «Jazz thing Next Generation» (2010)
No Hay Banda «Beloved» – Konnex Records (2010)
Francesco Wilking «Die Zukunft liegt im Schlaf» – Tapete Records (2011)
NIQU «27» – Unit Records (2011)
Malte Schillers Red Balloon «The Second Time Is Different» – Unit (2012)
Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra «BUMBUM» – Alien Transistor (2012)
Reinhold Schmölzer & orchest•ra•conteur «Miraculous Loss of Signal» Unit (2012)
Zhlub «Strong & Wrong» – Bandcamp (2012)
Folk/Tassignon «Dancing On The Rim» – NRW (2013)
Jörg Leichtfried Trio «Magicians Sounds And Other Beauties» – Art Records (2013)
Transit Room «Cypher» – Jazzwerkstatt Records (2013)
Malte Schillers Red Balloon «Not So Happy» – Unit (2014)
Barry Good «and how are you?» – Gehdanke (2016)
Reinhold Schmölzer & orchest•ra•conteur «aerial image» – Unit (2016)
Azolia «Everybody Knows» – A Jazz (2017)
Booxy`s Box «The Game» – Unit (2018)
NEAR «A Question of Ballance» – Videoseries (2018)
Florian Glässing «Alte Liebe» – Timezone (2019)
Tobias Hoffmann Nonet «Retrospective» – Alessa Records (2019)
Fabian Rucker 5 «Hypocritical Mass» – BMC (2019)
TREE «Between a Rock and a Hard Place» – Boomslang Records (2019)
Anna Tsombanis Trio «Nikolaos» – Rote Welt Records (2020)
Stein/Daxbacher Quartet «Turns» – Alessa Records (2021)
Tobias Pustelnik Quartet «Intentional Intuition» (2021)
Azolia «Not About Heroes» – Jazzwerkstatt (2021)
J.D.HIVE «Isn`t Dinner Lovely Tonight» – Traumton (2022)
Andreas Waelti «Lowdown» – Unit Records (2022)
TREE «Y» – Unit Records (2022)
Luca Sisera «CLAZZ» – nWog Records (2023)
Tobias Pustelnik Quartet «Gratitude» – Unit Records (2024)
Owls, Company of Music «Light Works» – col legno (2025)
TSOMBANIS 4 «Essentials» – Unit Records (2025)
Verena Zeiner «Radical Care» – Unit Records (2025)
LYLIT «her» – Syrona Records (2026)
Kyle Schafer «Tunisian Vibes» – Jazzit Records & Igloo Records (2026)