Tangowerk is the first solo album from Berlin based producer NHOAH. With this project he has brought together some very different sounds and merged them into one of the most interesting and unusual albums I’ve heard for some time. South American Tango music, modern electronic music, 80s pop and a whole host of other influences have been combined in Tangowerk.
The Tango and electronics make up the core of the sound with other influences appearing at different times throughout the album.
Brief comments on a few of the tracks..
The album opens with ”One more kiss”. The vocals are real crooner style and these are set against music which is a mix of South American classical dance and electronic. At times it’s got an 80s pop feel to it as well as having the Tango feel. There are so many competing influences but rather than clashing they work well and the result is an excellent track
”If you stay” kicks off with a heavy electronic beat alongside string instruments. The vocals come in with pop-style male vocals. There are different vocalists on most of the tracks which helps make each song stand apart from the others.
”Dancing on the volcano” is a rapid paced song with a fast electronic beat driving the song foward coupled with 80’s pop style vocals. The classical influences are largely absent from this track – its really an electro pop song for the first half, but then the string instruments kick in with that Tango sound for a slower interlude before the pace kicks back up to an electronic dominated fast song, but it does retain the strings for this second half making it subtlely different from the first half. It’s a great song.
The album is available as a CD/DVD package. The CD contains the album, while the DVD contains around an hour of video including a 38 minute ”Making of” feature. The package includes a gatefold sleeve and a 64 page booklet containing lyrics and photos as well as other information, but you’ll need to understand German to read it
This is an album I really didn’t expect to enjoy – the Tango isn’t my kind of thing, nor is a lot of electronic music, but I was surprised by the album – the result is definitely better than the sum of the parts. A lot of music these days is very much tied to specific genres with only limited differences between a lot of the bands in a genre, so finding something that’s totally different is a rare treat. Tangowerk really does have a very unique sound and is extremely enjoyable to listen to. If you fancy hearing something a bit different then you really should give this album a listen.
The album was released in Germany in 2011, but finally gets a UK release on 11th March 2013.
Track listing:
CD:
1. One More Kiss – Nhoah Feat. Louie Austen
2. If You Go – Nhoah Feat. Headvoice
3. Tuyo Soy – Nhoah Feat. Walter Chino Laborde
4. Dancing On The Volcano – Nhoah Feat. Headvoice
5. Tanto – Nhoah Feat. Walter Chino Laborde & El Topo
6. Innocent – Nhoah Feat. Lulu Schmidt
7. Ob Ich Dir Treu Sein Kann – Nhoah Feat. Berlin Comedian Harmonists
8. Lost In Weltschmerz – Nhoah Feat. Mieze Katz
9. Hijo De Puta – Nhoah Feat. Adriana Varela
10. Si Te Puedo Ser Fiel – Nhoah Feat. Karina Beorlegui
11. Amanece En El Oeste – Nhoah Feat. El Topo
12. 1-2-3 – Nhoah Feat. Ina Viola Blasius
13. The Waltz – Nhoah
14. Aua – Nhoah Feat. Ina Viola Blasius & Headvoice
DVD:
1. Making of Tangowerk
2. Dancing on the volcano – live at Club 69, Buenos Aires
3. One more kiss – Tango dance version
4. Lost in Weltschmerz – Music video featuring Mieze Katz
5. Lost in Weltschmerz – Tango dance version
6. Ob Ich Dir Treu Sein Kann – Featuring Berlin comedian harmonists
