Ingenious German composer, songwriter and experimental musician Hauschka has announced the release of a new solo full-length album entitled Abandoned City. Hauschka named each of the album tracks after the actual name of deserted cities, such as Pripyat near Chernobyl or Thames Town in China. According to the press release, “Hauschka chose Abandoned City as the title of the album to convey the sense of hope and sadness that consumes him when he’s sitting alone at the keyboard.” Hauschka explains:

“I was interested in finding a metaphor for the inner tension I feel when I’m composing music, a state of mind where I’m lonely and happy at the same time. When I saw photos of abandoned cities, I felt it was perfect. People once lived there, but they left in a rush and now nature has taken over in a beautiful way, things are growing up from the sidewalk and the seasons are changing colors. The music is dark, but in a quiet, uplifting way. The piano is singing the melody but, because of the effects, you can’t hear it directly. It’s like the sound of a choir under the earth, something you feel without realizing it.”

With the exception of one track, ‘Elizabeth Bay’, which was purposely written for a reinvention of Wagner’s Flying Dutchman, Hauschka composed and recorded the entire album in his own home studio over a 10-day period.
‘Elizabeth Bay’ is also the first single to emerge from Abandoned City, its title referring to a deserted mining town in Namibia. The track serves as a wonderful taste of Hauschka’s new album and his skilful and magical blend of neoclassical composition and dance music rhythms.

Hauschka has also confirmed a number of European shows from January onwards, including a London show on March 26th at Cafe Oto. You can check out all the tour dates here.

Now enjoy the monumental and moving ‘Elizabeth Bay’, and watch our for the release of Abandoned City on March 17th via City Slang.