In July 2022, the Saxony Cultural Department commissioned John Blek to write a suite of songs about the city of Dresden. The resulting compositions were then recorded at the beautiful Castle Studios in the countryside just outside Dresden with German musicians Filip Sommer (Viola) and Moritz Brümmer (Cello). These recordings form John’s forthcoming 6-track EP, “Digressions #3 – In Dresden”, due for release in early 2023.
The City Sleeps, an ode to the vibrant nightlife of Dresden’s Neustadt district, is the first song from this new record, inspired by the city’s relaxed atmosphere and its stunning cobbled streets drenched in history. It’s a place where the neons hum peacefully, and the tobacco smoke hangs in the evening air.
The City Sleeps will be released by Bigger River Recording Co. on all digital platforms on Friday 20th of October (including Bandcamp).
“It was an insanely hot German Summer, too hot for a pale Irish man like myself. I had just completed a short run of festival gigs around Europe and went straight into my residency at Castle Studios in the countryside just outside Dresden. The studio was equipped with a great selection of vintage instruments, but the most used tool that week was the air conditioning unit. Seconds before the take of The City Sleeps that you see in the video, the air con was switched off to avoid any noise. If you look carefully, you can probably see me melting. Drop by drop.
“I had tasked myself with the job of writing a suite of songs that would be my impressions of Dresden. It was a very fruitful experience. I’m excited to share the whole EP with everyone, but first, here is The City Sleeps. It is nighttime music, a reflection on the active but relaxed Dresden Neustadt life after dark. It’s a part of the city I love and has always felt like a second home.”
Blek’s gentle and tender delivery, with the addition of strings from Filip and Moritz, perfectly captures the feeling of a city asleep at night. It’s a song that’s easy to be swept away by; beautifully crafted, as always.
Video by Maximilian Giese (LensFlair Productions). Recorded by Arno Jordan at Castle Studios Röhrsdorf
Website: https://johnblek.com/
