This is another "self-cover", a song of my own I had recorded back in the early nineties with "The Welcome Idiots" (https://www.soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot) (see also "I'm Gone" in this playlist). It was one of the last songs we recorded in studio back then (https://soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot/hard-to-believe).
For quite a while I had planned to do a new version of it, make it a bit lighter etc. I swear, it's just conincidence that I finshed work on it on April 1st 2021

(Uploaded Spring 2021; remixed/re-mastered July 2022)

Hard To Believe (Spring '21/Rmx Summer '22)

Another take on a classic dance pop hit. 
Back in the early nineties just before the break-up of "The Welcome Idiots" (https://soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot/) we had planned a contribution to a "tribute" project covering Stock-Aitken-Waterman material. We recorded our version in our rehearsal room (https://soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot/never-gonna-give-you-up-demo) but in the end never made it to a studio. Which is a real pity.
Now, 30 years later, here's my new version, adjusted to the older me

(Uploaded April 2021, remixed/re-mastered December '24)

Never Gonna (Give You Up) (Spring '21/Rmx December '24)

And now for something completely different: the source is Fugazis epic "Waiting Room" which had a lot of influence on me back in the nineties. 
I played a bit with genres: I always loved latin-oriented sounds and rhythms, and when I started recording the choir's answers it inspired me to try and dive in.
This is the first (and hopefully not the last) time I had support from my friend Andi; we both were members of the Noble Island Lovers (aka N.I.L.: https://soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot/sets/noble-island-lovers-n-i-l-a). The guitar solos in the middle part as well as in the outros are from him, and they are fantastic! Couldn't have done without...

If you want to hear more of this: there's a 2nd version of "Waiting Room" in a spacy Dub disguise: https://soundcloud.com/elem089/waiting-room-dub

(Uploaded October 2021; remixed/re-mastered July 2024

Waiting Room / Sala De Espera (Fall '21/Rmx Summer '24)

This time something completely new and all by myself. And no vacals at all. In this series of crises I felt I need something to relax to.

(Produced and uploaded April 2022)

Dubbing Crisis (April '22)

This is the dub version of The Gate, which I also uploaded here. We had lots of fun doing this. Again, this has been grabbed off a vinyl ep.

2021-08-09:
I finally found the original DAT masters so I'm able to replace the first version (digitized from vinyl record) with the original one - sounds MUCH BETTER!

N.I.L. - The Gate Dub (1993)

My take on THE EPIC disco tune by the Bee Gees. I've always been fascinated by it. Time to take a deep bow!

Remixed/re-mastered version from February 2025

Stayin Alive (Summer '20/Rmx Winter '25)

This song must have been covered a million times before, but I still feel it's worth doing my own version. All credits go to Bruce Springsteen for this masterpiece, of course!
Arrangement, recording (voices) and programming just by myself

Update: I re-recorded the bass lines and the acoustic guitar, then remixed/re-mastered everything in January and March '22
(Uploaded summer 2020, re-recorded some instruments, re-mastered/updated July '22)

I'm On Fire (El Git '20/Remix Summer '22)

For years I strummed this great song at home on my acoustic 6-string. And lately I started recording a cover version of it. I tried quite a few variations, and finally came up with this one here. Hope you like it as I do.
Arrangement, recording (guitars, bass and voice) and programming just by myself.
Idea and composition by the magnificent Massive Attack.

Update Feb '22: over time I found a few mistakes in some of my earlier material so I decided to spend some time on it.

(Uploaded summer 2020, remixed/re-mastered March 2022)

Unfinished Sympathy (Summer '20/Rmx Spring '22)

In the late 1980ies and early 1990ies I was bass-player and co-singer in Munich-based power-guitar-pop-punk-rock (name it what you want)trio "The Welcome Idiots" (https://www.soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot). One of the songs I contributed to our setup was "I'm Gone" (https://soundcloud.com/welcomeidiot/im-gone).
This summer (2020) I decided to do a cover of my own composition, but it turned out I had a hard time deciding on how I would do it: slow/layed-back, or some kind of grooving off-beat. Finally I ended up with two versions. This one here is the "grooving off-beat" or "re-plugged" version.
Look for the other one in my main playlist "Going Nowhere" (https://soundcloud.com/elem089/sets/going-nowhere). 

Update Feb '22: over time I found a few mistakes in some of my earlier material so I decided to spend some time on it.

(Uploaded Fall 2020, remixed/re-mastered February 2022)

I'm Gone (Re - Plugged '20/Rmx Winter '22)

Kylie's classic revamped in slow-mo style. I've always been fond of disco tunes - see my adaption of Stayin' Alive (https://soundcloud.com/elem089/stayin-alive-summer-edit).
As apparently a long dark winter is lying ahead of us I couldn't resist to go for that one.
If you like then please do check out my other stuff (https://soundcloud.com/elem089/sets/going-nowhere)

Update Feb '22: over time I found a few mistakes in some of my earlier material so I decided to spend some time on it.

(Uploaded December 2020, remixed/re-mastered February 2022)

(Can't Get You) Out Of My Head (Long Dark Winter '20/Rmx Winter '22)

A classic by Tears For Fears, in a classic Reggae groove. I always wanted to do some 80ies synth-pop covers, and this one in my opinion is a good start. Perfect to party with yourself in these strange lockdown times. Enjoy!
If you like this then please do check out my other stuff (https://soundcloud.com/elem089/sets/going-nowhere)

Update Feb '22: over time I found a few mistakes in some of my earlier material so I decided to spend some time on it.

(Uploaded February 2021, re-recorded some instruments/remixed/re-mastered March 2022)

(Everybody Wants To) Rule The World (Winter '21 Party Lockdown/Rmx Spring '22)

From the late 80ies to the early 2k years Stefan and I played together in various band projects; he was the drummer, I was mostly playing the bass and singing, later on treating the keyboards as well.
Our most successful band was named The Welcome Idiots, a 3 head punk-power-guitar-rock-band (feel free to put it into a category of your own) with a classic git/bass/drum line-up. Our main trademark was some kind of rough hi-speed rock'n'roll with lots of harmony vocals. Between 1989 and 1992 we toured most of Germany, plus Italy, Austria and Swizzerland. We produced 2 EPs (Hold On Me, 1988, and Laugh 4 Sail, 1989) and one LP (11 Outlined Eitaphs, 1990), all on vinyl, published on Hamburg's Devil Dance Records (the label later moved to Lübeck and changed its name to D.D.R.). 

At the very last gig of The Welcome Idiots in July 1991, Stefan and me met guitar player Andi from Regensburg, who had a very unique style. With him we started what later became the Noble Island Lovers (a.k.a. N.I.L.). The three of us teamed up with british singer/songwriter/guitarist <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1007642413" target="_blank">Neil Vaggers</a> who brought a huge repertoire of songs with him. Later on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1234533050" target="_blank">Franzi</a> completed the line-up as percussionist. Again we played quite a few gigs and produced another vinyl EP "The Point Of Balance" (1993). Around 1995 the band split up.

After that, we all went our own ways: Stefan and Andi started an instrumental-only dub-reggae project called "Echo Park Dub Allstars". I myself tried my ways with all kinds of electronic music (without too much success or any output, I have to admit). In the late 90ies the Echo Park Dub Allstars invited me to join them adding electronics and keyboards. We stayed together with constantly changing line-ups; at max we were 9 musicians including a brass section, 2 guitars, accordion, bass, drums, a sound engineer and keyboards. Over the years we didn't play too many gigs (all of them in the greater Munich area), and there's only one live recording which never was released to the public. Over the years the line-up shrunk to 5 members (Drums, Bass, Guitar, Keyboards and Saxophone/Accordion), and when the accordion player moved away from Munich the rest of us decided that it was about time to bury that project as well.

N.I.L. - The Gate Dub (1993)

The Welcome Idiot

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