Waldeck

Waldeck - Balance Of The Force - 1998 - Spray Records

Brilliant 1999 debut album for Klaus Waldeck, a producer for Vienna's Spray Records, home to work by Kruder & Dorfmeister & Count Basic.

Austria's Klaus Waldeck finds perfect harmony on his debut full-length, BALANCE OF THE FORCE. Along with Joy Malcolm (ex-Incognito) on lead vocals, Waldeck transcends sounds and styles into a rich, deep musical collage. Using the best of techno, house, acid jazz, and cerebral electronica, Waldeck finds himself blazing a trail many will no doubt follow in the months to come. "Defenceless" is a tingly, sultry blend of acidic tones and mystical grooves. Malcolm's vocals add the beautiful imagery the song uses to fully take control of your mind, while the subtle, intricate grooves trip and hop around your subconscious and have you thinking solely of the music. "Children of the Ghetto" is another sultry stinger. It's deep, infectious grooves trigger thoughts and visuals in your mind like no other while the sound textures jump around in the air at every click of the music. "Aquarius" and "Moon", both co-produced by Kruder and Dorfmeister, have a very similar effect. The tingly percussion trips around in your head while the steamy vocals have your ears fixated on the sounds coming out of your stereo. © Alex Steininger Copyright © 1997-2007, In Music We Trust, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Though it comes from a previously unheard producer, Balance of the Force certainly begins on a high note, with the down-tempo soul of "Defenceless." While Waldeck himself takes the keyboards (both electric and standard piano), the deep groove of what sounds like a live drum set frames the yearning vocals of Joy Malcolm. It's that rare thing in electronic circles: the perfect integration of vocal track and production, with both pulling equal weight to set the mood. Amidst a beautiful, effortless transition, Waldeck moves on to "Spy Like an Angel," with male vocalist Brian Amos doing much the same as Malcolm did one track earlier. Either of these voices appears on all but two of the tracks here, the exceptions being the eerie, cinematic instrumentals "Slaapwagen" and "Moon." Fellow downbeat maestros Kruder & Dorfmeister help out on production for the sublime "Aquarius," and except for the slight reliance on a previously trademarked sound, Balance of the Force stands as one of the most quietly beautiful records of vocal trip-hop -- just slightly behind masterpieces like Portishead's Dummy and Massive Attack's Mezzanine. © John Bush, All Music Guide


TRACKS


01. Defenceless - Joy Malcolm, Klaus Waldeck

02. Spy Like An Angel - Klaus Waldeck

03. Children Of The Ghetto - Eddie Amoo, Chris Amoo

04. Slaapwagen - Klaus Waldeck

05. Aquarius - Galt MacDermot, James Rado, Gerome Ragni

06. Northern Lights - Klaus Waldeck

07. Wake Up - Thomas Morris, Klaus Waldeck

08. Superpopstar - Brian Amos, Klaus Waldeck

09. Death Of A Piano Salesman - Klaus Waldeck

10. Moon - Klaus Waldeck

MEMBERS

Klaus Waldeck
Brian Amos
Joy Malcolm

CREDITS

Richard Dorfmeister (Producer), Peter Kruder (Producer), Peter Legat (Guitar), Joy Malcolm (Vocals), Waldeck (Main Performer), Brian Amos (Vocals), Stefan Morth (Flute), Stefan Morth (Producer), Stefan Morth (Drum Arrangements), Uptight (Producer), Klaus Waldeck (Keyboards), Klaus Waldeck (Producer)