“Ake’s tunes are no nonsense introverted synth pop channeling moments of private sadness into danceable hooks…This is barebones synth pop, achieved breezily, and executed wonderfully.” – The Quietus
Stream Umweg/Krafter now! || Watch video for Umweg now! ||
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German artist, purveyor of sounds, explorer of genres and prince of Synth Pop Luis Ake reveals his next musical offering, the double single release ‘Umweg/Krafter’, including a fun, quirky, completely animated video for ‘Umweg’ ingeniously created by Costa Rican filmmaker Julian Gallese. With an array of successful releases under his belt, Luis Ake’s playground lies in the in-between. His artistry and expertise flow in and under the bridges between genres, the spaces where boundaries are boundless. Slinking from Synth Pop to Dark Wave, to Italo Disco and Neue Deutsche Welle, no stone is left unturned when Luis Ake creates. Completely comfortable in whichever musicality fits his current mood, he effortlessly details the musings and events taking place in his internal world and brings them to the light. Whether it be bass tones or falsetto, Luis Ake is unafraid to get up close and personal with his vulnerability, expressing new forms of masculinity in whichever way he sees fit.
“The song is about a detour you have to make every day to avoid walking past the house of your ex-partner. This detour always costs you 10 minutes and reminds you of the past time, which you mourn after). Everybody knows this situation, especially if you live in the same part of town. Once there was great happiness, now it’s only constant suffering. In the end, you emancipate yourself from the street and turn into a bird to fly back to the balcony of your former love to say that you still love her. I’m really happy to have Julian Gallese, a Costa Rican filmmaker which I admire a lot on board for the video. His unique style and humor fits the grim sense of humor in the song pretty well. The detours, which get described in the lyrics of the song are translated into a spontaneous dance party somewhere in a lonely desert. Julian used motion-tracking to perform the dance of the old man himself. I love the overall vibe which fits the positive ending of the song. And most important of all: He even rebuild my Porsche in 3D!” – Luis Ake
Ever since Luis Ake’s 2019 debut “Bitte Lass Mich Frei” recalibrated what German pop music could be and nothing has been the same. He moves through the imagined boundaries between genres, crossing them and connecting the unexpected as if it was an easy thing to do. When Ake sings, it sounds strangely familiar, but at the same time outrageously new and futuristic.
With that inimitably versatile voice and a penchant for grand feelings and even grander gestures, coupled with self-assured vulnerability – but never without a knowing wink – he positions himself against any trend and sets, yes, we have to put it bluntly, his own instead. “I’m more inspired by the things I hate than the things I love,” he says, and you envision him right in front of your eyes, leaning against his vintage Porsche and taking a drag on a cigarette, eyes hidden behind big sunglasses, the expansion of the blue sky behind him, a few fluffy clouds passing by. Yes, all the other artists on Spotify are too one-dimensional for him, but he’s only really critical of himself: “For me, pop music is an art form that’s not exclusively about music.” No, pop is more than that for Ake, so much more.
One thing is certain: with this guy, you are not ever in danger of possibly getting bored. There is no method, no approach, no avenue Ake uses twice. It is rather part of the DNA of this idea of Luis Ake, this creation of his likeness to challenge himself again and again, to create himself anew, to leave the boundaries of one’s own imagination. Luis Ake is not an artist, Luis Ake is an ongoing and always re-emerging new work of art. A slick cis-man who seems almost like a caricature of toxic masculinity, yet shattering this very caricature into pieces again and again.
Luis’ new album “Liebe” is out Sept 17th 2021 on Mansions and Millions.
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