Happy 20th Solo Piano!
Amongst the deluge of Gonzales-related events lately that we’re busily writing about (Paralympics, single releases, forthcoming new album, concerts and so on), there was a fairly low-key milestone celebration that caught our attention as long-time fans: the 20th anniversary of Gonzales’ …
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Slaying the Dragon: "Fuck Wagner" Unpacked
“Fuck Wagner” can easily be mistaken for just another provocative song. It is provocative. Thought-provoking. It addresses nothing less than a question almost as old as time: Do art and artist form a firm unity, or can they be separated? And there’s more to it than meets the eye, …
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The Reign on Notre-Dame
In “I am Europe”, Gonzales’ brilliant lyrics metaphorized major European cities and countries within a catchy Boys Noize soundscape. At the time, having lived in and travelled around Europe for a decade, Gonzales explained that he still had an “outsider” view of …
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Consumed In Key: devouring the void
A ‘crossfader’ is a convenient left/right control on the front of most DJ mixers that is invaluable to mixing tracks, since it allows the DJ to control just how much of one song is heard at the same time as another. Move the crossfader all the way over to one side, and only one music …
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The Gonz That Saved Christmas
It took me one year to write about this album. When "A Very Chilly Christmas" came out, I was simply too overwhelmed with emotions. When I say I love Christmas music, don't imagine an American tourist accent, but rather an R'n'B type timbre. 9 years ago, Andrew and I (together we are …
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Burning Men: Chilly Gonzales, Malakoff Kowalski, and Igor Levit
When the hair on your arm is in a state of permanent erection and your eyes become instantly wet, you know you're experiencing something extraordinary. In this case, it was the ménage à trois of some of the greatest piano artists of our time at the prestigious Rheingau Musik Festival: Chilly …
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Orinoco Runs Deep
“Enya: A Treatise on Unguilty Pleasures” – review and reflection
It's been almost 9 months now, since the virus has turned the world upside down. Time, in which Chilly Gonzales birthed a song with Gary Barlow called "Oh What a Day" (alongside Barry Manilow on the same album), recorded a …
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Solo Piano III: Un, Deux, Trois (Battre Sync)
For most of us, hard work achieves short-term goals that will likely be consumed and seen by a few people — ourselves, co-workers, friends, and so on. Even people whose work is seen by millions of people know that change is relatively constant; web designs that work today will be overrun in a few …
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Solo Piano III – Pure Pianodom
Being futuristic these days means being futuristic on your own terms
It appears that Gonzales took his own “Entertainist” lyrics to heart; Solo Piano III represents a gorgeous evolution of solo piano music – a way forward that attracts new fans without alienating current ones. In our eyes (or ears), …
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Solo Piano III: A Triad of Life
Tomorrow is the day we have all been waiting for: Solo Piano III will finally be here. Fortunately, we were at the premiere in Geneva. Unfortunately, Gonzo didn’t play the full album – however: Fortunately, the few pieces made my soul rejoice. Unfortunately, the Ostinato made me aware …
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