Klaus Waldeck, usually known by his stage name

Stage name

A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...

 of Waldeck, is a Viennese former copyright lawyer and electronica

Electronica

Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...

 musician.

History

Klaus Waldeck's musical career began in Vienna, Austria when he started piano lessons at the age of six. When he was fifteen his music life was put on hold when he destroyed a Bechstein

C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik

C. Bechstein Pianofortefabrik AG is a German manufacturer of pianos, established in 1853 by Carl Bechstein.-Before Bechstein:...

 piano while rewiring it.

Waldeck later went to law school (though his heart was still with music). He finished law school and became a copyright

Copyright

Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...

 lawyer. Then he heard about a case that changed his focus from law back to music. "It was during the time when George Harrison got sued for ripping off an old motown tune," Waldeck recounts, "I realised the way forward was to work a melody until it didn't belong to anyone anymore." He eventually stopped focusing on law altogether and concentrated on music.

Soon after his decision to leave law completely he moved (along with all of his electronic music equipment) to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. While in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, he met his vocal counterparts, former Incognito singer Joy Malcolm and Brian Amos, who worked on projects such as Pressure Drop.

In 1996, Waldeck returned to Vienna, Austria and produced the Northern Lights EP, quickly gaining international attention through its biggest hit, Aquarius. A successful full length album, Balance of The Force, followed in 1998. Later that year, Balance of the Force - Remixed was released.

Waldeck has produced a multitude of albums while still in Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

. Many of them are out of print and have become very scarce. The out of print albums include The Night Garden Reflowered, Balance of the Force, Balance of the force Remixed, Northern lights, and This Isn't Maybe.

In 2007, Waldeck released the highly successful "Ballroom Stories" on which he's featuring for the first time his new chief-chanteuse, the wellknown Austrian singer zeebee

Zeebee

Eva Engel, better known as zeebee, born June 29, 1965 in Aalen, Germany, is an Austrian singer-songwriter, composer and music producer. She creates sounds and songs with a broad variety of styles, such as jazz, pop, electronica, acoustic music and classical music.-Life and career:zeebee has been...

.

Together with singer Valérie Sajdik

Valérie Sajdik

Valérie Sajdik is an Austrian pop singer.Valerie Sajdik became famous through lead singing in her band Saint Privat, which was very successful in the mid 2000s. She has since released 2 solo albums and tours internationally. She splits her time between living in Austria and France, and is...

, Waldeck also formed the group Saint Privat

Saint Privat (band)

Saint Privat is a group formed in 2002 by singer Valérie Sajdik and electronica musician Klaus Waldeck, named after the village of Saint-Privat in France, where Valérie decided to live....

 in 2002. Their first album Riviera was released in 2004.

Genre

Sometimes described as trip-hop Waldeck's songs have a very calm and laidback theme. They often consist of mellow vocals sung either by zeebee, Joy Malcolm or Brian Amos (although sometimes they consist of only Waldeck's instrumentals). While some people have mixed feelings towards the male-female vocal fluctuations, others feel that they offer versatility in the sound while still maintaining the unique style of his music.

Albums

• Northern Lights (1996)

1. Aquarius
2. Moon
3. Mask
4. Dreaming
5. Aquarius
6. Mask
   • Balance of the Force (1998)
7. Defenceless
8. Spy Like An Angel
9. Children Of The Ghetto
10. Slaapwagen
11. Aquarius
12. Northern Lights
13. Wake Up
14. Superpopstar
15. Death Of A Piano Salesman
16. Moon
    • Balance of the Force Remixed (1998)
17. Northern Lights
18. Defenceless
19. Slaapwagen
20. Spy Like An Angel
21. Wake Up
22. Defenceless
23. Children Of The Ghetto
24. Aquarius
25. Defenceless
26. Wake Up
27. You Only Live Twice
    • The Night Garden (2001)
28. Slowly
29. The Night Garden
30. Tears Running Dry
31. Waiting
32. Fallen Angel
33. Cat People Dub
34. Floater
35. I Talk To The Wind
    (cover version of King Crimson
    King Crimson
    King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
    
    's song I Talk To The Wind
    I Talk to the Wind
    "I Talk to the Wind" is the second track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King....
    
    )
36. It Comes From You
37. Morning Light
38. This Isn't Maybe
    • The Night Garden Reflowered (2002)
39. This Isn't Maybe
40. Fallen Angel
41. Slowly
42. I Talk To The Wind
43. Cut More Cheese
44. Floater
45. Tears Running Dry Part 1
46. Tears Running Dry Part 2
47. This Isn't Maybe
48. Catpeople Dub
49. Out Of Trumpets
    • Ballroom Stories (2007)
50. Make My Day
51. Jerry Weintraub
52. Memories
53. Addicted
54. So Black & Blue
55. Midsummer Night Blues
56. Why Did We Fire The Gun?
57. Dope Noir
58. Get Up... Carmen
59. Bei Mir Bist Du Schön (Dub)
60. Our Day Will Come

Singles

• Aquarius (1997)
• Wake Up (1997)
• Children of the Ghetto (1998)
• Defenceless (1999)
• This Isn't Maybe (2000)
• This Isn't Maybe (12" release) (2002)
• Tears Running Dry (2002)
• Make My Day (2006)

External links

• Klaus Waldeck's official site
• Biography at Yahoo! Music