De-Phazz presents Octaves

Honestly, the contrast could not be greater. On the one hand De-Phazz, Germany`s most significant export hit regarding enigmatic club and lounge music with an evident predilection for jest, satire and sample culture. On the other hand, the world of neoclassical music, where performers immerse themselves in its sounds full of melancholy and seriousness with almost religious fervour. It’s about as compatible as smoking weed in a chamber music hall or sipping a cocktail at a church service. One might think.

But, well, you would be wrong!  `De-Phazz presents Octaves` proves that completely new doors can be opened within the heart and mind when the quiet stars of the international neoclassical piano scene make use of the jam-packed song catalogue of this soul, pop, jazz, and electronica institution founded in Heidelberg in 1997. `After exploring formats such as big band, orchestra, and unplugged with De-Phazz, I realized that we didn’t have pure piano interpretations of the most important songs yet,` explains De-Phazz`s manager, co-producer and visionary Dirk Mahlstedt about the album’s origins. Clicking through the vast neoclassical universe on Spotify on a rainy Sunday and discovering magnificent artists, it became clear as day: Joint inquiries were put out with the Stuttgart-based label Klangspot Recordings – with a surprisingly overwhelming response. Within the shortest amount of time, 17 pianists from eight countries and three continents had not only agreed to participate but had also already delivered their versions of De-Phazz pieces from the band’s 28 years history.

`De-Phazz presents Octaves` unites diverse personalities such as Argentinean neoclassical expert Cristian Vivaldi, Swedish ballad connoisseur Ana Rebekah, Norwegian jazz musician Bugge Wesseltoft, England’s streaming pioneer Becky Ainge, and East German rock producer and film music legend Rainer Oleak. Also featured are classical pianists such as Ukrainian Lera Palyarush, Nordic noir exponent Stein Austrud, Sweden’s nu jazzical rising star Rikard From, and De-Phazz veterans Eckes Malz and Ulf Kleiner. But whatever their backgrounds, all of them share a deep and clearly audible affinity for the source material.

Sarah Watson, for example, treats the coquettish Latin riff of De Phazz’s global hit `The Mambo Craze` with the utmost respect, yet still allows some of the original song’s playfulness to shine through in her dreamy interpretation. `I remember not being able to get the catchy melody out of my head for about a week`, the Canadian, whose tracks have been streamed over 50 million times, comments on the process. `Then at one point I played a slower version for my son to get him to sleep. Once he was asleep, I went back to the piano and worked on the version I finally recorded. It’s a great song, and I really enjoyed working on it!`

Robert Gromotka, on the other hand, transforms `No Jive` into a fragile rubato waltz. The song from De Phazz’s debut album, `Detunized Gravity`, has haunted him for a long time, says the Berlin neoclassical whiz. `When it came to choosing a piece, the decision felt almost instinctive – like returning to an old friend, encountered in a new light. I wanted to preserve the emotional core of the song, but allow it to breathe differently – more intimately, more thoughtfully, like a memory whispered rather than spoken out loud.`

Those involved in `De-Phazz presents Octaves` draw from all possible sources of the tradition of piano. Sometimes you can detect a hint of Chopin, sometimes a pinch of Satie, occasionally something stride-like, soundtrack-like, or bluesy. On creaking pianos, prepared pianos, and softly gleaming grand pianos, they have created short stories full of longing, cheeky dramas, and swinging meditations that are emotive but never banal. One could say that the neoclassical interpretations are to the originals what the octave is to the fundamental note – closely related but with a different vibration. Once again, with feeling, so to speak.

It’s not entirely clear, though, what is an adaptation and what is the source material. At least, that’s the opinion of Pit Baumgartner, De-Phazz’s sound collage virtuoso and guiding spirit, whose editing table was where lounge classics such as `The Mambo Craze`, `No Jive`, and `Dummes Spiel` were created. `I’m absolutely delighted with how lovingly this was executed. With some versions, I thought: This could be the original we copied. That’s how it’s actually supposed to be played!` Which confirms an ancient wisdom: Good songs work in any context, far beyond all boundaries of genre.