My Work as a Composer

My Journey as a Composer

At the age of 4 I already discovered music. In my parents' home I would play the same records over and over again, fascinated by Mozart (Eine kleine Nachtmusik), Jacques Lousier (Play Bach – jazz improvisations), an album of original Samba-Batucada from Brazil, and numerous German pop singles.

At 6 I began piano lessons. Very early on I started making up stories and setting them to music.

"For me, the piano was a way to let my imagination run free. I thought everyone who plays the piano did the same. It felt completely natural to search for the notes that pleased me and reflected my mood."

My interest in pop music was reinforced by American hits like "Monday, Monday" by The Mamas & The Papas and "Bridge over Troubled Water" by Simon & Garfunkel. When I began to get interested in The Beatles around 1971, I decided to form a band with friends. The Lennon/McCartney compositions had a very strong musical and compositional influence on my work.

I stumbled upon the Bossa Nova – a completely new style for me at the time.

"When I first heard the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and the guitar playing of Joao Gilberto, I was beside myself – because although I didn't know this music, it seemed so familiar."

In 1979 I rented a recording studio with my band to record original songs. My drum studies with Siegfried Fink introduced me to a new world of timbres: classical music, jazz/pop, Latin percussion, African percussion, avant-garde and minimal music. I also studied film and stage music with Joachim Ludwig.

Around the same time my band "Neuland" signed a record deal with BMG-Ariola. From 1988 to 1995 I was a member of the German pop group "Relax". Since 1996 I have been writing increasingly for percussion, with works now performed worldwide. My close collaboration with Leif Dramstad of Norsk Musikforlag began with "Ghanaia" and has grown into an extensive catalogue over nearly 20 years.