Round birthday, new album: Musician Andreas Durau celebrates his 60th birthday and the release of his new record “Im Gebüsch” on January 19 with a concert in Hamburg. 13 tracks in which Dorau touches on a wide range of electronic music. The Hamburg native can recall his long musical career: when he was 16, he wrote the song “Fred vom Jupiter,” which made him one of the stars of the Neue Deutsche Welle in 1981.
Dorau has managed to stay in the music business for decades and is now releasing his thirteenth album titled “Im Gebüsch”. How did he manage to do this? “It seems a bit pathetic now: I didn't make music to make money,” Durau told the German news agency. “My approach was: I wanted to make my own music and not work on popular themes to become a pop star.” That's why Durau, a graduate of the Munich Film School, would sometimes take long breaks between his musical projects. The album was last released in 2019. “I'm waiting until I want to express myself musically,” emphasized the musician who, in his own words, “is waiting until I want to express myself musically.” With the song “Girls in Love” he reached the top ten of the French charts in 1997.
The new album “Im Gebüsch” features the typical sound of Dorau. Repetitive harmonies. Short songs that use little text – the focus is on the chorus. Catchy tunes accompanied by lines like “On Willow Street, with a cup of coffee” become catchy tunes. Even if some things seem simple at first glance, there is a joyful sadness that characterizes Dorau – as in “The world is a strange planet”, “Being me” or “Yesterday’s past came back”.
It wasn't meant to be a classical dance recording, Durau knew that from the beginning. Under no circumstances did the musician want to address topics of love or relationships. “Others have done it enough,” he added. Unusual for Him: In “My English Winter” there are some passages in Tourist English, as the big winter fan calls it due to his language skills. Dorau chose a metaphor as the album title for his colorful collection of tracks. “The bushes are a mysterious place, a kind of jewel box of nature,” the artist explained. “There are interesting things hidden behind it.”
The idea of celebrating the album release and his 60th birthday in one day in Hamburg's Knost has special appeal for Durau. “Round birthdays always make you think strangely,” he said. A sold-out concert with many guests is a good distraction from dark thoughts. Dorau wants to go on tour in May. A new album is also in the works.
(Interview conducted by Stephanie Litgen/DPA)
(Service – www.tapeterecords.de/artists/andreas-dorau)
