Music and Emotions

There are many people who find it difficult to deal with emotions. Mental injuries or childhood traumas are only two of many reasons. The protective mechanisms of the soul (e.g. irony) are just as varied. But this does not mean that these people are emotionless. On the contrary, it can be observed that it is usually very sensitive people who are particularly affected.

In my stage play “From Ape to Human”, this idea plays a decisive role. On the surface, the play is about an intelligent machine that shows emotions, which leads to amusing confusion. At its core, however, buried human emotions are the profound theme.

After finishing work on the stage play, I decided to make socio-critical themes the new focus of the Entprima Jazz Cosmonauts. Specifically, it is mainly about empathy. Especially in times of the Corona pandemic and climate change, it should be clear to every rational person that the big problems of this world can only be solved globally. However, it is a bitter experience that reason alone does not move people to act. As long as we are not emotionally moved by the fate of population groups with which we have no direct contact, there is no impetus for action. But what does all this have to do with music?

I am one of those people who have spent a lifetime largely suppressing emotions in order to survive in the struggle for existence. Now that I’m sliding into so-called retirement, it’s also breaking through against the resistance of the barriers I’ve built up. And this is reflected in my music. However, it is noticeable that my socio-political titles have a hard time with the audience, especially since they are still spiced with a good portion of irony. But what is this irony good for when you have made peace with your own feelings?

It has something to do with truthfulness. If I allow emotions in music now, they should be truthful. But if we take a critical look at the music charts, we see that the most ostensibly emotional titles often follow a sales calculation. The most successful producers know exactly how to appeal to the listeners’ feelings. And these are more likely to be self-pity than pity for distant, tormented people.

It’s hard to separate truthfulness from deceit, because there are truthful elements even among the titles that carry the feeling before them almost like a monstrance. A song brushed with feeling, written by professional and calculating creators, can be transformed by an honest performer into truthfulness in its entirety. However, for the artist crafting a work from start to finish, extreme caution applies.

An ironic refraction of the basic emotional attitude, which is undoubtedly a condition for truthful music, can be helpful. Merging this irony with the emotion in such a way that it is not buried is an extremely artistic act. In my track “Emotionplus Audiofile X-mas 1960”, which will be released on 18th of December 2020, I feel that I have succeeded as never before. I would be happy if the audience feels the same way. I almost believe that the song would have touched the 4-year-old child Horst Grabosch, even if irony was not on his mind at the time.