Claudia Brücken burst into the general public consciousness with Propaganda, Düsseldorf’s biggest digital export since Kraftwerk, and a key worldwide signing to Trevor Horn’s ZTT Data. Their formidable debut album, 1985’s A Secret Want, is now thought of a stone-cold traditional. Regardless of modest gross sales on launch, it stands the take a look at of time. After parting methods with Propaganda, Claudia went on to immerse herself in varied solo albums and collaborative tasks, with artists together with Thomas Leer, Martin Gore, Andy Bell, Peter Hook, and members of Tangerine Dream and the aforementioned Kraftwerk.
However Propaganda had unfinished enterprise. Regrouping with unique co-vocalist, Susanne Freytag, and producer, Stephen Lipson, they returned to the charts in 2022 as xPropaganda with the acclaimed The Coronary heart Is Unusual. Now, Claudia’s again once more, this time with a brand new solo album, Night time Mirror, working with producer and longtime writing accomplice, John Williams (The Housemartins, The Proclaimers). They’ve crafted a compelling document that blends Propaganda’s smooth electronica with an natural heat.
How did the Night time Mirror album come about?
John Williams and I’ve been a writing workforce for a very long time. He lives in London, as I do, so we’d meet weekly and simply begin writing collectively – little bits right here and there. We initially started engaged on my album The place Else… in 2013. Just a few years later, when Susanne and I began work on the xPropaganda album, I requested John if he needed to hitch the writing workforce, which he did. After The Coronary heart Is Unusual, we continued to collaborate. John is absolutely good at driving a undertaking and ensuring issues get carried out. He’s only a fantastic producer, good friend and chopping accomplice, actually.
What made you’re feeling like this was going to be a solo enterprise versus one other xPropaganda document?
It’s fairly intense writing an album and getting all the weather to work. Initially, we began engaged on xPropaganda, however it simply grew to become obvious that they sounded extra like Claudia Brücken songs, as a result of xPropaganda themes are very totally different from my solo tasks. With xPropaganda, Susanne and I at all times name ourselves Voice One and Voice Two. So, there’s a unique setup and clearly Stephen Lipson is integral for the Propaganda sound. It’s at all times a query of Stephen being accessible to fulfill up, as a result of he’s a really busy man. The subject material can be very totally different. It’s extra like making statements concerning the outer world, whereas Night time Mirror may be very a lot reflections about myself in relation to what I’m experiencing.
Do you method a brand new undertaking with a particular theme in thoughts?
I by no means go in with a transparent thought in my head. With John, we virtually at all times begin on a guitar, which is tremendous totally different from working with Stephen, the place the setup is way more digital. It’s extra about sitting down, engaged on chords and progressions, and regularly letting the track emerge – discovering a phrase, discovering the story.
Inform us extra about this idea of Night time Mirror, and songs rising within the night time…
You understand how you simply lie awake in mattress at night time, and ideas undergo your head? You concentrate on previous occasions, attempting to make sense of them. All these sorts of disturbances. It’s the identical for John, and there are loads of songs about reminiscence and never wanting again in a very sentimental manner. John works late hours and sometimes pings me when he’s obtained one thing that he needs me to take heed to – that might generally be at three o’clock within the morning. So, it is vitally a lot about that nighttime expertise and the issues that undergo your head.
This document has extra pure instrumentation than your work with xPropaganda. Was that intentional?
It’s like, no matter comes your manner. We’re actually open-minded. For instance, on Sincerely, there’s an outdated good friend of John’s who occurs to play the flute, and we simply requested him to come back by. It was all very natural. Then there’s Jason Mayo, who performed on The Solely Ones, and has carried out just a little remix album for us. He works with modular synthesizers, which is extremely attention-grabbing. He lives three homes from John, so that they’re neighbours, and that’s how Jason entered our world.
My Life Began Immediately is paying homage to Lou Reed’s Satellite tv for pc Of Love…
I’m glad you picked up on that, as a result of Lou Reed has been an enormous affect for me. I actually like the way in which he simply talks – talks and sings. With My Life Began Immediately, it’s self-talk, actually. It’s an affirmation to oneself, like saying: ‘You could change, get your act collectively! This isn’t working, strive one thing totally different.’ I feel loads of the songs on this album are self-motivational or have these sorts of self-affirmations.
In terms of taking Night time Mirror out on the street, how do you intend to translate these songs right into a reside surroundings?
One can do that in a really stripped-down model if one needed to. I may simply do it with my good friend, with John, two guitars and me, however I wouldn’t need that, essentially. These songs invite themselves to be performed with a correct band. I must be requested to do a gig after which I sort of discover methods round it. So, if that ought to occur, we are able to do it in any sort of format!
xPropaganda’s The Coronary heart Is Unusual LP reached No.11 within the UK charts, outperforming A Secret Want, which peaked at No.16 in 1985. That’s an incredible feat. Did it really feel like a vindication of types?
It was extraordinarily thrilling for us, as a result of we didn’t need to simply be remembered for A Secret Want, which all of us adore. All of us love that album and taking part in it reside. However we additionally actually felt that we needed extra materials for an xPropaganda live performance. It’s at all times so fantastic to work with the stunning Susanne and wonderful Stephen. It’s only a nice mixture. It simply appears very straightforward for us to create collectively. And now we have a superb time.
It will need to have introduced a way of closure, however was it additionally a brand new starting?
It felt very very like opening a brand new chapter. It was actually good to current one thing new, you recognize? Individuals at all times go, ‘Oh, why doesn’t it sound like then?’ It’s this type of sentimentality that makes me go, ‘Cling on a minute, let’s simply keep right here, let’s simply be current and do one thing now!’
So, are there plans to return to xPropaganda?
Oh yeah, I hope so, sooner somewhat than later! We’re engaged on extra materials, which is enjoyable. It wasn’t only a one-off. We’re all into it, we meet usually, we document, however we actually want Stephen to place all of it collectively. I feel it’s going to be fairly energetic. I’m actually excited.
You’ve collaborated many occasions over time, with the likes of Martin Gore, Andy Bell and Peter Hook. Are there plans for another tasks?
Oh, it was unbelievably particular to work with Martin. He’s simply such an awesome particular person. All my collaborators have been wonderful; it’s so insightful to see how they work and I study a lot from them. I liked it when [Kraftwerk’s] Wolfgang Flür requested me to do the singing on Birmingham. Then it simply opens different doorways for assembly different individuals. On the finish of a undertaking, one other undertaking will then counsel itself.
What are you hoping followers will get out of Night time Mirror?
That it connects with them on a deeper stage, like, for instance, A Secret Want did. I imagine that all of us have a movie in our head – the way in which you interpret life and the issues that occur to you – and I hope that this album suits into their very own movie. I can’t imagine {that a} track like p:Equipment was so way back, however individuals nonetheless have such a deep connection to it. That’s actually vital about music – it’s like an outdated portray that may evoke all of those feelings. Listening to a Nico album from the 70s can nonetheless grip me and fascinate me. It hasn’t misplaced any of its magic. Isn’t it sensible when music does that?
Launched by Demon Data, Night time Mirror is accessible on single CD, single LP, and Blu Ray Audio and digitally. A double CD and double LP, which incorporates the Nighttime Mixes EP, can be accessible as an unique to Lexer Music. Order right here
