New studio album

Klaus Waldeck now takes an oriental approach

Hopefully he was able to fulfill his three wishes: Vienna's electronic musician Klaus Waldeck sometimes as a wisher, sometimes as a djinni.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Dope Noir Records, Moon & Orient)

Following the celebrations for his label and the comeback of Saint Privat, Viennese electronic pioneer and jack-of-all-trades Klaus Waldeck has returned to his core solo skills. "The Moon And The Orient" shows a new side to the 58-year-old without neglecting the strengths of his basic sound.

Klaus Waldeck's last two years have been dominated by his successful Francophile project Saint Privat. Together with partner Valérie Sajdik, he released his third album "Après La Bohème" a good year ago after a break of more than 15 years, delighting not only nostalgics but also a large number of new fans. The mixture of soft electro-pop with lots of chanson and bossa nova sprinkles was easily transferred to the present day with new musical approaches and the ground was thus prepared again for possible further collaborations.

Afresh sound on a familiar body of work
Now, however, the 58-year-old has turned his attention back to his solo project, which had recently been put on the back burner. Not only because of Saint Privat, but also because there was a lot to do in 2022 for the 20th anniversary of his label Dope Noir Records and he also refreshed his alter ego Soul Goodman. The many excursions into different eras of the past ultimately led to Waldeck wanting to focus more on the present and future again. Nevertheless, the Viennese law graduate has beamed himself back again to blend the fresh sound with a return to his own sonic roots.

The press release speaks full-bodied of the "Grand Vizier of Viennese electronics", which is mainly due to the conceptual orientation of the new album. On the twelve-song work "The Moon And The Orient", Waldeck dedicates himself to the genies and Scheherazades of this world and increasingly mixes his traditional signature sound with oriental set pieces. It is therefore fitting that the passionate thoroughbred musician rubs the magic lamp on his promo pictures in order to ascend from it as Aladdin himself on the corresponding album cover artwork. The wishes expressed for his music are probably fulfilled with this seventh studio work.

Oriental emphasis
The artist, who has also winked increasingly at jazz in recent years, has again significantly increased the proportion of electronics, but the party moments and quieter passages are pleasantly balanced. Again and again, exotic moments find their place and meander through the basic sound corpus, which ensures a pleasant recognition value, not least thanks to the voice of his long-time partner Patrizia Ferrara. In rare moments, Zeebee and drag artist Lucy McEvil also provide special moments. Of course, he doesn't drop the Francophile element in Waldeck's sound cosmos during the oriental emphasis, but sometimes you wish there were more upbeat moments like on "Come With Me Mambo". However, "The Moon And The Orient" shows the musician fresh and curious about new worlds of sound.

Live dates for the album
The official album release show for Waldeck's "The Moon And The Orient" will take place on June 18 in the Festsaal of the Kongresszentrum Baden. Further dates have already been confirmed: on July 5 at the Butterfly Dance Festival in Eisenstadt, on September 7 at Kulturraum Trenk's and on November 8 with Patrizia Ferrara as support at Vienna's venerable Porgy & Bess. You can find all the dates and ticket information at www.waldeck.at.