Wolfsheim founder Markus Reinhardt reinvents himself in with his most personal work.
Reinhardt’s Wolfsheim lit up the German charts with releases such as ‘Spectators’ (1999), which reached # 2, and ‘Casting Shadows’ (2003), which # 1 and saw them winning the ‘Best Alternative Domestic Band’ gong at the prestigious Echo Music Prize national awards ceremony in 2004.
Unfortunately, good things don’t last forever, and with vocalist Peter Heppner focusing on solo works and other collaborations, lead to the disbanding of the group. “The end of Wolfsheim motivated me to reinvent myself. A process that was urgently needed. With Renard, I'm more with myself," states Reinhardt.
Renard showcases Reinhardt’s signature intimate songwriting in symbiosis with renowned producers Oliver Blair (Ladytron, Client, Kelli Ali of Sneaker Pimps, etc) and the Hamburg based Chaos Compressor Club (Moddi, Love A, etc).
But great songwriting urges great singing and Waking Up in A Different World gives us plenty. Vocal duties on the album are shared by several talented singers. The special timbre of Pascal Finkenauer (JAW) can be heard on the first single ‘Travel In Time’ (released August 28), a perfect modern synthpop song. Urban-folk artist Joseh brings a sense of uplifting spirituality to ‘The Meissen Figurine’ and ‘Junkyards', a guitar-oriented pop/indie song. Greek vocalist/composer Marietta Fafouti lends her beautiful voice to ‘Restless’, and the Australian born / Berlin-based Eliza Hiscox (royalchord) enchants on ‘My Heart’s Still Shaking’. Marian Gold, from legendary German band Alphaville contributes to ‘Hotel’ and ‘Damn Happy. Reinhardt closes the album by himself with the moody instrumental ‘Intelligent Design’, but my personal favorite is ‘Heresy’, where Sarah Blackwood’s (Client, Dubstar) fragile vocal fits perfectly in the soulful chorus, this is definitely single material.
‘Waking Up In A Different World’ is an apt title for an album where we see Reinhardt’s return from a long sleep combining, in the words of the artist, “the sound and mood of the ’80s with the stylistic devices of today", making the album, despite its deep roots in the independent music scene of the ’80s, a contemporary, modern, multifaceted take on synthpop.
Waking Up In A Different World will be released October 10, Travel in Time, the first single from the album is already available.
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