Call it soulful dream pop, proto-trip hop or downtempo jazz - "Tender Rain" is the follow-up LP to the successful "This Is" album and continues to deliver Ghia's unmistakable sonic magic. On this release, the band shares a selection of previously unreleased vocal songs alongside instrumental pieces, all carried by their trademark chilled and almost meditative atmosphere. Most of the recordings date from the early 1990s, while early demo versions of "New Love" and "Teardrops in Your Eyes" may reach back as far as the late 1980s.

The album opens with the title track "Tender Rain," where smooth vocal jazz harmonies merge effortlessly with soulful pop elements. The track originally appeared only on CD in 1993 on the small Mikado label run by renowned German guitarist Ulli Bögershausen. The band recalls that the piece was first pre-recorded using MIDI equipment and a Tascam 16-track recorder before being completed in the studio with drums by legendary drummer Mickie Stickdorn (Carsten Bohn's Bandstand, Cyklus, Elephant, Lake), percussion by Corinna Ludzuweit, and the final touch-Lisa Ohm's remarkable vocals.

At the time, Mikado was also looking for instrumental material for radio and synchronization use. They selected the track "Tropfstein" for a sampler CD and requested more pieces. In response, "und recken ihre schlanken Glieder" (roughly translated as "and stretching their slender limbs") was composed especially for the project, as Frank Simon remembers. Both tracks appeared on the now rare Mikado sampler CD under the alias z. Zt., short for "zur Zeit" ("at present" or "these days").

Several further pieces in a similar vein were created during this period, including the previously unissued "Auf unserm grünen Sofa," "Reise bei Nacht," and "Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte." These tracks are beautifully crafted downtempo pieces featuring smooth, jazzy piano lines combined with touches of ambient and New Age aesthetics. "Auf unserm grünen Sofa" stands out in particular and will likely resonate with all downtempo enthusiasts. Lutz Boberg recalls that many of these recordings were captured during a single afternoon in the studio, fueled by spontaneous ideas and creative momentum.

On tracks such as "Teardrops in Your Eyes," "New Love," and the haunting Dark Spirits Mix of Ghia's song "What's Your Voodoo?", singer Lisa Ohm delivers soulful pop performances with her clear and captivating voice. "Change Your Sex," the third track previously featured on the Mikado sampler, leans more toward late-1980s funk and was aimed at radio and DJs at the time. Its subject matter was relatively daring for the period, telling the story of someone contemplating a change of sex "to get rid of the troubles."

Together with "This Is" and "Curacao Blue", "Tender Rain" forms another essential chapter in the rediscovery of the band's work. More than thirty years after their creation, these recordings still sound strikingly fresh, reflecting a unique style that in many ways anticipated the rise of trip-hop in the early to mid-1990s.

" VITAL SALES POINTS:

- Follow up to the successful albums "This Is" and "Curacao Blue"
- All tracks unissued on vinyl
- includes the Dark Spirits Mix of What's Your Voodoo?


Tracklist:

Side A
Tender Rain
Auf unserm grünen Sofa
Teardrops In Your Eyes
Reise bei Nacht
Change Your Sex

Side B
Und recken ihre schlanken Glieder
New Love
Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte
What's Your Voodoo (Dark Spirits Mix)
Letzter Tanz


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More

2026 repress

Vinyl Tracklisting:
A1 123
A2 Alone
B1 A Minor Thought
B2 Time To Reflect
C1 Woman To Woman
C2 Morning Groove
D1 Chemistry
D2 Unshaped

Info:
The ocean- the infinity, the beauty, the colour, the sound: a truly seductive place.
With the sound of ocean waves Smallville's beloved artist Moomin invites us to enter his second full length album "A Minor Thought". A selection of wonderful tracks initiate some exciting house music moments at our favorite clubs, improved at Panorama Bar, Robert Johnson and of course the Golden Pudel among many others..
Engaged with a fantastic collection of analogue synths and drum machines, Moomin is always on a hunt of the most delicate samples. After his big first album "The Story About You" and a number of beautiful works on his own imprint "Closer", he was already back on Smallville's new little baby "Fuck Reality" to deliver a 12" for the 2015 summertime. Of course Moomin was also part of the Smallville 10 years Compilation "Smallville Ways" and delivered again for Smallville 46. Now he appears with another string of beauty- A Minor Thought.

Fullcover artwork by Stefan Marx.


Sicherheits- und Herstellerinformationen / safety and manufacturer info (GPSR)
WAS - Word and Sound Medien GmbH
Liebigstrasse 2-20
DE - 22113 Hamburg
Germany
Contact: [email protected]More