Interview with:
Janosch Moldau
‘Motel Songs’, the second album of German electronic solo artist JANOSCH MOLDAU has been released recently. Reason enough for us to ask him a few questions…
Janosch Moldau (JM): Well, it’s simply me as a solo artist. I’ve never been a conventional member of "rock band" or anything like that. I started producing other artist at first but soon I realized that recording my own songs was much more fulfilling. I often fell lonely with this weird solo artist thing.
RoD: Some years have passed since ‘Redeemer’ has been released. What happened in the meantime, except you being busy with producing the next album?
JM: 2005 and 2006 I played many live shows with my "redeemer" debut album in Germany. I also founded my own record label in England, which was a lot of work. In 2007 my distributor went bankrupt and I also had to find new distributional outlets for my music all around the globe. In the meantime I released 5 singles (!) including many remixes and some very good non album b-side songs. It took me another 8 months to record and finally finish my second album ‘motel songs’. So as you can probably guess, tons of work. :-) In addition I already played live shows with my new album all over Germany in Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne and of course also in my hometown Ulm. Since 2005 I did two albums in only three years and suffered all the side effects that come along with the music industry.
RoD: The release of ‘Motel Songs’ was end of October. How are the reactions on the record so far?
JM: At the moment I get a lot of positive response. But that does not make life much easier at all. It creates even more pressure to me. Well the thing is, either the people love my songs or they condemn them.
RoD: Why did you choose the title ‘Motel Songs’ fort the new album? Is there any personal relationship to the title?
JM: "Motel" is a portmanteau word made by combining "motor" and "hotel". And this is exactly the thing that makes a motel such a lonely and weird place. It has nothing to do with luxury. A place where you stay for one night and then you drive on. Or it’s a place where you stay for one hour, having sex with someone you really don’t know at all. All rooms usually have direct access to an open parking area... just in case if you want to drive on with your personal mournful journey... My music is all about loneliness.
RoD: If one’s looking at the cover and into the booklet of the new album, one’s noticing you portraying yourself in an extraordinary way on some of the pictures. What was the reason for you to come to the fore to such a great extend?
JM: I am front man. I don’t feel like a DJ or track producer. I am a performing songwriter. I want to go through all the high and lows of this fucked up music industry, I want to have both in my life: the good and bad sides of rock’n roll.
RoD: Where did you shot the photos for the booklet, was it kind of a special location and why are all in that grainy black/white style?
JM: I did the photo shoot with Iwo Gospodinov, a really talented and emotional photographer, in a tiny little gay motel in cologne. We wanted to have it really "retro looking"...that’s why we did not use any colour on the photos. A bit like my own music, glamy and melancholic.
RoD: I find that contrast in the sound between those experimental-sounding rhythms and the melodic, more harmonic elements very appealing. Was it a deliberate decision, because you’re a fan of contrasts or rather a natural development?
JM: Thank you very much for your compliments. :-) I’ve always loved the combination of wavy electronic textures, clever electronic drumming and acoustics. It’s a challenging thing to match it all perfectly together.
RoD: You’ve already played lots of live shows and you will continue to do so in February. What bides the attendees and how do you experience those performances personally?
JM: New Year’s Eve I’ll play in Prague. In January, I’ll be back in my rehearsal room to prepare further shows for February. I’ll play Vienna, Regensburg, Bratislava, Ulm, Berlin, Hamburg, Cologne. All shows will be full exploding emotions, a kind of self-indulged and dark "one man show and weirdo cabaret". It’s all about soul-striptease...
RoD: Last but not least. The famous last words of the artist:
JM: My music is for the masses. Come and join my cult. If you visit my website, your address and all the private information about you will be stored and we’ll try to make you dependent on my music.
RoD: Many thanks for the interview!
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