{"title":"Ghia","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"dont-stop-early-works-and-artefacts-1984-1987","title":"Dont Stop - Early Works and Artefacts 1984-1987","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eDon’t Stop\u003c\/i\u003e is the third album retrospectively released by Ghia. As the subtitle\n\"Early Works and Artefacts 1984-1987\" implies, it features some of their earliest\ncompositions as well as tracks that were recorded during the same period as\ntheir \"Curaçao Blue\" LP.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album is a fusion of diverse music styles. Listeners will delight in a range\nof genres, including electro, funk, soul, jazz-funk, synth pop, and even rap \/ hip-\nhop, all woven together as a cohesive work that remains mostly instrumental.\nAs a whole, \u003ci\u003eDon't Stop\u003c\/i\u003e represents Ghia's funkiest and most experimental\nrelease to date. Notably, the LP features a rap version of Hermann Hesse's\ncontroversial German poem \"Armer Teufel am Morgen nach dem Maskenball\"\n(“Poor Devil the Morning After the Costume Ball”) from 1926, accompanied by\na drum machine rhythm and funky guitar. This poem depicts a person who\ndrank too much the night before, telling the story and describing his hangover.\nThe title track \"Don't Stop\" and the thrilling minimal electro-funk tune \"3 A.M.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eat Moëf Gaga\" both evoke old-school electro influences. The latter references\nthe Spanish discotheque Moëf Gaga, located on the Balearic coast, which the\ndynamic duo of Lutz Boberg and Frank Simon frequented during their 1980s\nholidays. While the exact music played at 3 A.M. is unknown, listening to\nGhia's track will undoubtedly capture the mood of the place.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the key tracks of the album is \"Message From The Other Side\", which\ncould easily be noted as one of the nicest European synth-funk instrumental\npieces ever. The track is based on a sick synth bass line, sparkled with DX7\nchord hits, funky guitar, and a delightful \"marimba\" solo in the last third. The\nsolo was actually played on Boberg's keyboard, using a special sound\ncartridge. This particular track had to be edited and technically revised by\nMarian Tone and DJ Scientist as the existing demo version of the song could\nnot be used as is. With its stunning groove, this track will surely be a DJ's\nfavorite.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eListening to the complete album, there is more of Boberg's keyboard wizardry:\ncould you believe that the trumpet solo on \"Jump In The Water\" as well as the\nshort but stunning slap bass solo on \"Talk Too Much\" were both played by on\nthe DX7? However, this new release, unlike the jazzy \"Curaçao Blue\", is not\nabout solos or virtuous playing - it clearly shows the duo’s direction towards\nmore electronic composition and clear song structures. The versions of\n\"September Garden\", \"When The Rain is Falling\" as well as \"Talk Too Much\"\nare actually instrumental mixdowns of vocal songs. And again, we get a\nblissful take of \"Close To You\", here a version from 1986. This soulful jazz-\nfunk ballad could already be heard on \"Curaçao Blue\" while the final vocal\nversion with singer Lisa Ohm can be found on the recently released \"This Is\"\nLP. This shows that the Ghia composers, Boberg and Simon, were\nperfectionists - tracks were reworked again and again, making them better\nand better.\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Outer Edge","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50486534570315,"sku":"2025875","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/a2854009612_10_d1e0b3ca_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727610901"},{"product_id":"tender-rain","title":"Tender Rain","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCall it soulful dream pop, proto–trip hop or downtempo jazz – \u003cem\u003eTender Rain \u003c\/em\u003eis the follow-up LP to the successful \u003cem\u003eThis Is \u003c\/em\u003ealbum and continues to deliver Ghia’s unmistakable sonic magic. On this release, the band shares a selection of previously unreleased vocal songs alongside instrumental pieces, all carried by their trademark chilled and almost meditative atmosphere. Most of the recordings date from the early 1990s, while early demo versions of “New Love” and “Teardrops in Your Eyes” may reach back as far as the late 1980s.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe album opens with the title track “Tender Rain,” where smooth vocal jazz harmonies merge effortlessly with soulful pop elements. The track originally appeared only on CD in 1993 on the small Mikado label run by renowned German guitarist Ulli Bögershausen. The band recalls that the piece was first pre-recorded using MIDI equipment and a Tascam 16-track recorder before being completed in the studio with drums by legendary drummer Mickie Stickdorn (Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, Cyklus, Elephant, Lake), percussion by Corinna Ludzuweit, and the final touch—Lisa Ohm’s remarkable vocals.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAt the time, Mikado was also looking for instrumental material for radio and synchronization use. They selected the track “Tropfstein” for a sampler CD and requested more pieces. In response, “und recken ihre schlanken Glieder” (roughly translated as “and stretching their slender limbs”) was composed especially for the project, as Frank Simon remembers. Both tracks appeared on the now rare Mikado sampler CD under the alias z. Zt., short for “zur Zeit” (“at present” or “these days”).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeveral further pieces in a similar vein were created during this period, including the previously unissued “Auf unserm grünen Sofa,” “Reise bei Nacht,” and “Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte.” These tracks are beautifully crafted downtempo pieces featuring smooth, jazzy piano lines combined with touches of ambient and New Age aesthetics. “Auf unserm grünen Sofa” stands out in particular and will likely resonate with all downtempo enthusiasts. Lutz Boberg recalls that many of these recordings were captured during a single afternoon in the studio, fueled by spontaneous ideas and creative momentum.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOn tracks such as “Teardrops in Your Eyes,” “New Love,” and the haunting Dark Spirits Mix of Ghia’s song “What’s Your Voodoo?”, singer Lisa Ohm delivers soulful pop performances with her clear and captivating voice. “Change Your Sex,” the third track previously featured on the Mikado sampler, leans more toward late-1980s funk and was aimed at radio and DJs at the time. Its subject matter was relatively daring for the period, telling the story of someone contemplating a change of sex “to get rid of the troubles.”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTogether with “This Is” and “Curacao Blue”, “Tender Rain” forms another essential chapter in the rediscovery of the band’s work. More than thirty years after their creation, these recordings still sound strikingly fresh, reflecting a unique style that in many ways anticipated the rise of trip-hop in the early to mid-1990s.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Outer Edge","offers":[{"title":"LP - Black","offer_id":56854819176779,"sku":"R8406-8996","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/EDGE043.jpg?v=1774093763"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/ghia.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}