Having returned with new album Close To The Glass last week (24 February), acclaimed German band The Notwist are set to kick off a handful of UK dates at Manchester’s Deaf Institute on 15 March. To accompany their new record, vocalist and guitarist Markus Acher has created us “Dance To Another Tune” Playlist to accompany the new record. Almost like a musical director’s commentary, these are the songs that directly the tracks on Close To The Glass. “Hello dear Qmagazine,” he writes, “I made a list of songs, one song complementary for each song of the record, that influenced a part or sound or feeling of the song, in the order of the album-tracks. All the best!” Here’s the playlist, with The Notwist’s album below.
Philippe Sarde – Cesar Et Rosalie
“On Signals we tried to mix synth-arpeggios with haunting strings, like on this incredible and visionary soundtrack from 70s France.”
Mariem Hassan con Leoyad – Yasar Geidu
“I always like the handclaps in North African music, and they worked well with the elctronics on Close To The Glass.”
Stereolab – French Disco
“We listened to Stereolab the night before we wrote Kong, and their special take on the Neu-rhythm stuck in our head, when we composed this.”
Arthur Russell – This Is How We Walk On The Moon
“The melancholic dances of Arthur Russell motivated a lot of our songs.”
Mount Eerie – Through The Trees Pt. 2
“This is an unbelievable, haunting song with just voice and guitar at the centre. This is hard to do and Mount Eerie is the master of it. Sometimes we try it, too… like on Casino.”
Madlib The Beat Conducta – Heat ft. Madlib
“Madlib and some other great hip hop-producers were a big influence for the whole cut-up-mixtape-collage-character of the record.”
NB This Is How We Walk On The Moon and Ode To A Tin Angel are currently unavailable
Cornelius – New Music Machine
“Cornelius and his whole record Fantasma taught us, that different styles can make a great and colourfull record. This song “New music machine” uses extreme sounds to create a pop-masterpiece.”
David Lang – Wed
“My favourite contemporary composer and always an influence.”
Hearts And Flowers – Ode To A Tin Angel
“Psychedelic records from the sixties have the best sounds, for example the drums in this song. Parts of Run Run Run are a hommage to these.”
Neutral Milk Hotel – The King Of Carrot Flowers Pt. 1
“When I wrote Steppin’ In, I had listened to In An Aeroplane Over The Sea again for days non-stop. I think, you can hear it.”
Harmonia – Dino
“We played this song Lineri live in the studio, with analogue synths and electronic drums and guitars on effects, very much impressed by Harmonia or Kraftwerk or Cluster.”
Gillian Welch – Leaving Train
“I’ve listened to Gillian Welch more than to any other singer ever, so whenever I write a song, like They Follow Us, she’s a big influence.”
For more head to Notwist.com.
