AMO, Magdeburg, Germany & Columbiahalle, Berlin, Germany30th January & 6th February 2009
Peter Heppner
On 12th September, the CD friends of intelligent and emotional Pop have waited so long for gets released, simply titled ‘Solo’, it is the first solo run of the maybe most distinctive German voice.
For 20 years, Heppner is known as the front man of one of the most successful and most influential bands of the recent German music history. With the Electro Pop and Dark Wave act WOLFSHEIM, he accomplished everything that’s possible: Still present radio hit singles (Kein Zurück, Once In A Lifetime, Find You’re Here, Blind)Awards for the albums and their top chart placements (Casting Shadows, Spectators), headliner performances on big festivals and sold-out tours in Europe and the US + the highest reward, the music industry has to offer: The ‘Echo’; and all this on a small, independent label without loosing the indie credibility or making compromises.
Even beyond the groundbreaking duo, Heppner is a well-known guest in the charts as well as on playlists of many music channels and radio shows. His impressing series of collaborations includes i.e. ‘Die Flut’ by the side of Joachim Witt. The atmospheric duet not only served as comeback for the former NDW hero, but became one of the best selling, most played and most discussed songs of the year. The hit singles ‘Dream of You’ (2001, rewarded with an Echo) and ‘Leben…I Feel You’ (2004) with the ambient pop project SCHILLER, followed by two acclaimed tours. ‘Wir sind Wir’ (2004) on the other hand, was recorded with PUL VAN DYK and presented at the official ceremonial act to the 15th anniversary off the German unification with members of the film orchestra Babelsberg in front of government members and international guests. Furthermore he had successes in collaboration with the Dark Wave project GOETHES ERBEN ‘Glasgarten’ (2001) and as trio with his colleague’s miLú and Kim Sanders ‘Aus Gold’ (2004).
This remarkable presence even outside the group steadily caused questions by fans and media, when they could expect a solo trip of the man with the unique timbre. “First offers for solo contracts already came in after ‘Die Flut’, but at that time I couldn’t see the necessity.” says Heppner. Due to the successes with SCHILLER and PAUL VAN DYK, even requests from abroad cam e in. “That was the point for me, where the thought of a solo project became more and more interesting. To choose the songs, producers and co-composers independently, was a challenge I really wanted to face; and after Warner Music approached me with e very good offer, the question “How would a Peter Heppner solo album actually sound?” started to intrigue me more and more.
After a bit experimenting, two names came up for the production of ‘Solo’. The already well-known José-Alvarez Brill (WITT, DE/VISION, KOSHEEN, XANDRIA) not only has co-composed three of the ten songs, but also supervised them in the studio in Berlin. The rest of the album was recorded in a studio in London with the renowned Scotsman Peter-John Vettese, who worked for PET SHOP BOYS, FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD, DIDO, CLANNAD, ANNIE LENNOX, SIMPLE MINDS or MELANIE C. over the years.
Especially through the work with Vettese, the much noted textual work of the singer received another boost. “As a result of producing in the UK, I had to speak English all day, not only about everyday’s stuff but also about complex musical relations. I had some objections before, but it turned out to be a real lucky break in the end. I became a completely new feeling for its melody, what was helping me a lot to transport and word feelings and thoughts more accurately.”
Indeed, the lyrics of songs such as ‘Suddenly’, ‘No Matter What It Takes’ or ‘Being Me’ reached a depth and intensity, which is remarkable, even for Heppner, despite all directness; and perfectly complemented by immersive trenchant songs like ‘Alleinsein’ or the unmistakable ‘I Hate You’. That self-esteem isn’t only revealed lyrically, but also in the musical diversity of the CD. The good mood single ‘Alleinsein’ is counter parted by introverted material like ‘Easy’, melancholic tunes like ‘Suddenly’ and eclectic tracks like ‘Walter’ and ‘I Hate You’, altogether merging to a cohesive body of work.
Of course Heppner will be performing live. The “solo” tour starts in mid January in Mainz and will lead him through 25 German cities ‘til early spring. Besides songs taken from ‘solo’, he’ll most likely present the SCHILLER, WITT and VAN DYK compositions, respectively some selected WOLFSHEIM tracks. Heppner’s live band will consist of the keyboarders Lothar Manteuffel (RHEINGOLD, ELEKTRIC MUSIC) and Dirk Riegner (ALICE 2, MILÙ, SECRET DISCOVERY), as well as Karsten Klatte (CASSANDRA COMPLEX, PROJECT PITCHFORK), known from the last WOLFSHEIM tour, on the guitar and drummer Achim Färber (DE/VISION, PHILLIP BOA).
Additional Concert Info
Magdeburg
Doors open: 7:00 PM
Starts: 8:00 PM
Berlin
Doors open: 8:00 PM
Starts: 9:00 PM
Tickets for both concerts can be bought at http://www.ticketonline.de/, http://www.eventim.de/ and at all known booking offices
Comments powered by CComment