2x12"
You open the door. You take a step into the cool fog of a new morning. It's the hour before sunrise and
while somewhere the remains of last nights party beats are hovering in the air, the wind carries broken
scraps of a singer/ songwriter piece through the haunting haze your way.The night made way for a
new day. A day, when everything will be different.
Change, transformation, developement- these have always been the motor behind Berlins electronica
duo Dapayk& Padberg. On their 4th longplayer they might now have made the most uncompromising
step during their 10 year carreer in wich they have become one of europes most fascinating Clubacts.
Their magic formula Looking for alternatives. With their longplayer - Smoke' they bid a temporary
farewell to the dancefloor. They are taking new paths, searching, trying new, never before seen
patterns. These paths led the duo from the golden hills of the Provence to the dark autumnal
lowlands at the border between scotland and england. The influence of those places is felt throughout
the whole record with its atmospheric hybrid-tracks.
After their last album - Sweet Nothings' with its summery/ funky sound Dapayk& Padberg are now
opening the door to a gloomy-melancholic world. While - Sweet Nothings' was a balancing act between
clubsound and Listening-Electronica the duo is now turning its back on the dancefloor, to take the
listener on an accustic tour through their personal Amber Room. With their Chamber-Electro mix,
containing characteristics of dubstep, catchy pop-elements, classical string arrangements and and a
singer/songwriter-like intimacy, they achieve to create new sound-rooms.
- The time we spent in scotland was the most creative and productive time we ever had,' explaines Eva
Padberg. - It was a wonderful experience to get up in the morning, have breakfast and after a long walk
in the drizzling rain have nothing else to do then to sit in front of the log fire with a glass of whiskey in
our hands and work on new tracks...'Dapayk& Padberg's albums have always been snapshots of
their current inspirational and emotional world- with - Smoke' they have now created their most
consistent and self contained collection of songs to date. Against all expectations, sometimes even
against their own nature as artists, letting go of all too familiar and comfortable structures. - Smoke' is
all about overcoming those lines between different genres, letting go, opening their mind to the new,
- without worrying about fitting into a certain niche or having to compromise', Eva adds. - When we had
the structure for about two thirds of the album set up, we realized that we're heading into some dark
waters. I think with this album we found ourselves more than ever and maybe even grew up a bit..'
Growing up in fast times, in wich Niklas Worgt produces numerous club projects for the insatiable
nightlife and Eva Padberg counts as one fashions most sought after faces. - Smoke' is their escape
with which Dapayk& Padberg transport an atmosphere that possibly noone would have expected in its
intensity. - For us it's always been about finding the cracks and about contrast', Niklas adds. - It's about
challenging the listener. For me there is nothing more boring than over-produced, clean
computermusic.'
Almost no track ends as it begins. - Silent Fireworks' with its song like structure brings to mind the
hymns of Lamb, Jamie Woon or James Blake. Evas voice delivers a broken intimacy which is carried
by Niklas' adventurous- sophisticated sound structures. The hypnotic - No Words' starts out with Evas
ethereal-fragile vocals spun around a dry, blurred electronica track to then explode into a huge,
unknown universe of sounds. Dark energy in its purest form, as is the morbid - Headless Queen' which
was inspired by the imprisonement and execution of Mary Queen of Scots in 1587.
- In Scotland there are reminders of drama and tragedy on every corner', says Eva about her
influences. - Everywhere there are stories about clan fights and plaques have been put up to keep the
memory of people who have lost their lives during those darker times alive. Those sometimes cruel
and bizarre stories, paired with the breathtaking views we enjoyed during our time there, have
definitely left their mark on the album.'
The inspiration for the album title came not only from those cold days spent in scotland but also has its
historic routes in Niklas' family tree.'my grandmother is a true well of inspiration. She told me that she
was faintly related with the austrian painter Oskar Kokoschka - so I decided to name one of my
projects Kokoschka. But also, that there was a blood relative on her side of the family who came from
England by the name Smoke. The name has been spooking around in my head for years and I always
wanted to name an EP or track after it. We thought that it was an excellent title for the album.'
- Also, the track `Smoke´captures the atmosphere of the album perfectly', Eva agrees. - I learned a lot
about myself and the both of us while making this album. Sometimes I was quite surprised about the
dark thoughts going through my head, since I am generally not a sad person. I think those songs were
a good an healthy way to face that side of myself. In my profession it is expected of me to always
represent the perfect side of life, after a while it gets boring to always be glamourous and radiant.
Flawlessness bores me, this record is my antidote. But at the same time it has something sane and
concilitory: on the opener `Drowning inside you´ you drown in the other person and on the last track
`Dance in your flame´ your dancing together in the fire..'
