The CD I´m daily listening to is called „Starost“ (2007) from the russian band Otto Dix. To answer the style-question, well, difficult, seems to be too easy to name it darkwave or gothic-industrial, the sound is too specific, individual - and this starts with the voice from in russian language singing Michael Draw. The tune is dark, melancholic, cold, but even emotional loaded. The voice... a counter-tenor. That´s not for everybody, but in Russia a lot of people run to the concerts, more than 300 concerts in the past five years since the band exists. But, well, I was fascinated 30 years ago from the counter-tenor of Klaus Nomi, too, who drove the New-Wave-listeners in NYC mad with his up to the descant going possibilities. Michael Draw and his musical partner Marie Slip present a gloomy sound-carpet with a lot of shadows between the tones and a lot of phantasies, which you can only get after several times of listening. The record was produced by Bruno Kramm´s (Das Ich) label Danse Macabre especially for the western market, inside of the booklet with english translations of the texts. Until now it seems that this album isn´t well known in Germany. Why – What´s the reason? Is it because of the scepticism in Germany of this, what comes from the East, because of the ignorance, that in the eastern neighborhood a rich and exciting music-scene has developed?
Not only the music is extraordinary – on stage, too, Michael Draw shows variations from singing unplugged only accompanied by a violin and an acoustical guitar to an effectful multimedial rock-show. Anyway – Otto Dix will come to Germany and join the Wave-Gotik-Treffen in the end of Mai in Leipzig. Hey, listen to the music on their myspace-side (myspace/ottodixx), buy the CD, if you like this kind (Amazon.de). I by myself am curious about the real live-action!
