"Samthauch" (German for "Velvet Breath" ) is a project by Harald (guitars, ukulele, composition) and Sylvie (vocals, melodies, lyrics). The project was founded during the corona-lockdown and works remotely as the musicians live apart from each other, in Germany and England. Together they create a unique mixture of neofolk, chanson and baroque pop.
Essential. A language beyond words.
Performing live together on a real stage with a real audience.
Sylvie: Introducing the concept of empathy as the central principle of society. Making people live in harmony with each other, the planet and it's beings.
Sylvie: For me probably Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures Of An Exhibition" or "Sound Of Silence" by Simon and Garfunkel...
Sylvie: Dead Can Dance, Jethro Tull, Fairport Convention, Sandy Denny, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Franz Schubert, Carl Orff, Simon and Garfunkel and a few others...
Sylvie: The beauty of nature, the need to express my feelings, the wish to create soundscapes (I guess this is the sort of thing you get born with)...
Sylvie: Don't be afraid to feel deeply with every fiber of your body - allow all the feelings in, the pleasant and the painful ones...
Sylvie: A mixture of terrified to the bone and energized...
Sylvie: I guess a universal basic income would be helpful for all creatives. Being able to create without the need to make money to survive... So much needs changing, don't really know where to begin...
Sylvie: So far it's great.
Sylvie: Crippling stage-fright and how hard it is to get exposure, to get known, to be recognized...
Sylvie: Sure. Sharing local musician friend's content on social media, visiting their concerts and buying their music if I like it.
Sylvie: I really don't know. Not all the musicians who are able to be heard are necessarily unique or more talented than lesser known artists... Guess it helps to have a thing going beyond the music, an image, an attitude, being controversial, looking good on social media? I guess a lot of things I don't really care much about...
Sylvie: Check out Withania (on Bandcamp), Harald Wittig (on Soundcloud), Heather Devona (on Facebook), Solunasonic Sounds (on Bandcamp), Jahresringe (on Bandcamp) and watch this space for more...