DEINE LAKAIEN release lyric video single 'Unknown Friend' taken from forthcoming album "Dual"
DEINE LAKAIEN have released a lyric video for the song 'Unknown Friend' as the sixth single taken from their forthcoming double album, tellingly entitled "Dual", which is scheduled for release on April 16, 2021.
Corresponding the overarching concept of an inspirational "cause and effect", which is the fundamental idea behind this double album, 'Unknown Friend' represents the duo's musical "reply" to the previously released KANSASclassic 'Dust in the Wind'. Please find more in-depth details regarding "Dual" and the artistic aspects behind this masterpiece below.
The lyric video'Unknown Friend' is available via this link:
DEINE LAKAIEN have been confirmed for one of their legendary acoustic sets at Prophecy Fest in the label's 25th anniversary year 2021 taking place at the natural Cave of Balve, Germany from Thursday, September 9 to Saturday, September 11. Tickets are available here:
Pre-sale link: https://prophecy.lnk.to/deine-lakaien-dual
DEINE LAKAIEN band pictures and graphic materials available at:
DEINE LAKAIEN 'Unknown Friend' taken from the album "Dual"
DEINE LAKAIEN comment:
"The decision to turn 'Unknown Friend' into the lyrical mirror image of Kansas' 'Dust in the Wind' came very quickly to me', tells the singingpoetAlexander Veljanov. "Both songs are based on a theme that poses the question, what will remain at the end, after we have lived our lives and how we have experienced our existence and what have we made out of it."
Ernst Horn complements this statement with his view: "A similar harmonic and calm mood builds the musical connection between turn 'Unknown Friend' and 'Dust in the Wind', which both feature a melancholic melody in the verse and then ascend into a motionless soundscape", the composer adds his perspective. "The key sounds provided by Sitar and the ethereal synths coming from my beloved old PPG Wave 2.2 underline the peaceful tranquillity of these tracks. Again, this is an invitation to a distant ream of dreams. Yet as opposed to the symbol of transience represented by 'Dust in the Wind', 'Unknown Friend' is meant to stand for reaching the point of determination regarding our inner destiny.
Tracklist Album I
2. Sick Cinema
3. In Your Eyes
4. Snow
5. Happy Man
6. Run
7. Les oiseaux
9. Qubit Man
10. Someone to Come Home to
Tracklist Album II
2. Spoon
3. The Walk
5. Suspended in Gaffa
6. La chanson des vieux amants
7. Black Hole Sun
8. Lady D'Arbanville
9. Song of the Flea
10. My December
DEINE LAKAIEN are a German cultural icon. In their home country where the artificial distinction between "serious and popular music" is still maintained, the legendary electronic avantgarde duo has managed the rare feat of being accepted as serious artists as well as proving to be highly popular.
With their 10th studio full-length, "Dual", classically-educated composer and pianist Ernst Horn and vocalist extraordinaire Alexander Veljanov ingeniously contrive to blur the fictional lines drawn by editorial gatekeepers in a conceptual double album, which connects both full-lengths by a double reference.
Half of the double album consists of 10 new songs that DEINE LAKAIEN have crafted with particular artists or songs in mind that have been important for the duo's musical evolution. These sources of inspiration are made clear on the second album of "Dual", which features 10 amazing cover tracks that range from Cat Stevens' classic 'Lady D’Arbanville' via Jacques Brels melancholic 'La chanson des vieux amants' to Kate Bush's 'Suspended in Gaffa' and the surprising choice of the Linkin Park song 'My December'. Each of these renditions has been lovingly translated into the Germans' unmistakable soundscape.
In this artistic juxtaposition of a cover version and related new song, the Patti Smith/Bruce Springsteen collaboration 'Because the Night' corresponds with the Horn/Veljanov composition 'Because of Because'.
In this age of perceived cultural appropriation and inquisitorial demand for some kind of impossible purity, DEINE LAKAIEN make the obvious audible by pointing out that art does not grow out of thin air - as clearly as Beethoven could not have created the same compositions without the works of Bach before him, and in turn influence Wagner to progress in his footsteps.
Although an artistic achievement in itself, "Dual" can also be enjoyed without any theoretical consideration as 20 beautiful songs that each provide excellent entertainment. DEINE LAKAIEN lay bare some of the sources of their inspiration and artists that have touched, inspired, thrilled, and shaped them in a most respectful way.
Once again, DEINE LAKAIEN are breaking new ground, which the duo have achieved multiple times in their now 35-year history. Founded in 1985, they started as a purely electronic avantgarde dark wave project. Taking their name from a reference in the song 'Die genaue Zeit' by German experimentalists Einstürzende Neubauten, the band self-released "Deine Lakaien" in 1986, which spread by word of mouth and created an underground buzz. The debut set the duo clearly apart from electronic contemporaries such as YAZOO, SOFT CELL, EURYTHMICS, and OMD by virtue of their singular dark sound.
With official label backing, the albums "Dark Star" (1991) and "Forest Enter Exit" (1993) considerably widened the Germans' audience and gained the attention of influential critics. Simultaneous with their growing success, DEINE LAKAIEN broadened their musical scope by playing a fully acoustic tour in 1992, an ambitious exercise that would influence later albums such as "Kasmodiah" (1999). Their impressive and highly diverse catalogue has been summarised in the anniversary releases “XXX. The 30 Years Retrospective" (2016) and "The 30 Years Retrospective: Live" (2018).
Although the global pandemic upset the original planning, DEINE LAKAIEN are no longer prepared to accept this disturbance of their musical endeavours. The duo will release the eagerly awaited "Dual" on April 16, 2021, to the delight of a massive following that has been clamouring to finally receive the promised album. It is high time the visionaries bring forth their fascinating voice and unique music to the world once more.
Line-up
Alexander Veljanov – vocals, lyrics, composition
Ernst Horn – instruments, composition, lyrics
Links
Release date: April 16, 2021
Band pictures and graphic materials: (click here)
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