German composer and producer Rainer Oleak has released “Passion”, the first of three singles from his forthcoming album of the same name. Released through Klangspot Nu Jazzical, the cinematic instrumental track was mastered by Vienna engineer Christoph Stickel. “Passion” combines layered studio production, spacious acoustics, and the gradual movement associated with film music.
Oleak does not pursue an immediate hook. Instead, the arrangement unfolds slowly, leaving room for texture, silence, and shifts in perspective. Listeners drawn to contemporary classical music, ambient electronics, and cinematic soundtracks may recognize familiar elements in the track.
Rainer Oleak’s work in music and film
Oleak has worked for decades as a composer, musician, and arranger across German music, film, and television. His credits total more than 1,500. He studied piano and composition at the Hanns Eisler Academy in Berlin, where he developed a foundation in orchestration, harmony, and composition.
His music brings together classical writing, pop, and electronic production. He has composed for film and television projects, including the motion picture Medicus 2 and the German crime series Stubbe. That experience with visual storytelling can be heard in “Passion.” The music develops more like a film score than a conventional instrumental track, allowing themes and tonal changes to emerge at their own pace.
The piece creates a narrative sense without lyrics. A phrase can remain in the background before returning in a different harmonic setting. The production is controlled without sounding compressed. There is space around the instruments, which is essential to music built from subtle changes.
Tonscheune Oleak in Brandenburg
Oleak works from Tonscheune Oleak, or Sound Barn Oleak. In 2011, he moved his main recording studio from central Berlin to a converted barn in Dahlwitz-Hoppegarten, Brandenburg, just beyond the city limits. The move gave him a quieter setting for writing, recording, and mixing.
Tonscheune Oleak uses an open recording-room layout rather than separating the control room from the live space. Artists and producers can work in the same room, while the high ceilings shape the recordings’ character. Oleak chose the building with this acoustic approach in mind. He has recorded and produced artists including Manfred Krug, Mark Forster, and Yvonne Catterfeld there. “Passion” was developed, recorded, and mixed in this Brandenburg studio.
The open room forms part of the sound rather than functioning as a neutral container. Room tone, distance, and natural resonance affect decisions during recording and mixing. For a piece such as “Passion,” this is significant: its atmosphere relies on depth and separation instead of filling every available space with sound.
“Passion” and the album release
“Passion” opens a sequence of three singles ahead of the full album. Its harmonic layers, restrained rhythmic changes, and broad dynamic range reward close listening. The arrangement takes its time, which may appeal to listeners who prefer detail and gradual development over an instant payoff.
Klangspot Nu Jazzical released the project with careful sound reproduction in mind. That suits Oleak’s approach to recording and mixing, where depth, dynamics, and room sound belong to the composition rather than serving as decoration. The single benefits from playback that retains its quieter details, as much of its character lies between the larger musical gestures.
As the first Rainer Oleak “Passion” single, the track establishes the album’s direction. It is reflective, cinematic, and patient. The music has a clear structure but avoids the rigid build-and-release pattern common in many contemporary instrumental releases. That may divide listeners seeking a quick climax, yet it suits both the album format and Oleak’s experience as a film music composer.
Christoph Stickel’s mastering work
Mastering gives a finished mix its final balance across different playback systems. Oleak chose Christoph Stickel of CS Mastering in Vienna for “Passion.” Stickel works from his studio on Webgasse in Vienna, Austria, where he masters recordings for physical and digital release.
Stickel began working as a senior mastering engineer at msm-studios in Munich in 1992 and founded his own company in 2013. He received a Grammy nomination for Best Engineered Record, Classical. His mastering credits include work with Keith Jarrett, John Williams, Yello, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Simon Rattle.
For Stickel, mastering involves more than increasing volume. He aims to retain a mix’s balance and emotional character while ensuring that it translates clearly across different systems. He uses loudspeakers as his main reference, alongside electrostatic headphones including the Warwick Acoustics Sonoma M1, to check fine detail in a mix. This process allows him to address small issues without changing the relationships between instruments.
Stickel also works with analog equipment, including tape machines such as the Studer A820, when a recording benefits from it. His mastering of “Passion” keeps the instrumentation recorded in Brandenburg clear while preserving its sense of space. That restraint suits music with wide dynamics, since pushing the level too far would flatten the contrasts that give the track its movement.
The next singles before the album
“Passion” is now available through Klangspot Nu Jazzical, with two more singles planned before the album release. The track connects Oleak’s experience in composition and German film music with Stickel’s detailed mastering work in Vienna. It is best heard on a system that can reproduce quiet passages and wide dynamics, whether through studio monitors, good headphones, or a home stereo.
For listeners looking for new cinematic instrumental music from Germany, “Passion” offers a measured introduction to the forthcoming Rainer Oleak album. Its sound depends less on spectacle than on close attention: sustained tones, changing room perspective, and the space around the arrangement all carry weight. The next two singles will offer a fuller sense of how the material develops across the complete release.
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