Post by Admin on Jul 5, 2023 16:36:00 GMT -4
Double - Kurt Maloo (vocals, guitar) and Felix Haug (drums, keyboard) - joined forces in 1981. Before that, the two Zurich natives had pursued different but parallel musical paths. Maloo, a former painter, made his first musical appearances in the early '70s at gallery openings and similar events in Zurich. From 1976-78, he was part of Troppo, a nine-piece experimental band of which he was a founding member. In 1979, he released "Giant Lady", a solo single; the following year came the innovative Luna, Luna + 7 Notorious Maloo Home Works, the format for which consisted of seven songs at 33 1/3rpm on one side and a 45rpm "maxi-single" on the other. The album side, made at home as the title suggests, was originally intended for demo purposes but met with considerable success as a commercial release.
Haug spent the mid-'70s drumming his way around Europe, the Far East, Asia and the United States. In 1977 he joined the Lipschitz Orchestra, an experimental big-band; two years later, he joined YELLO for the recording of the album Solid Pleasure. The European electronic ensemble made their mark in the States on the notorious Ralph Records label, home of the Residents, Snakefinger and other leaders of the rock avant-garde.
When their paths converged in '81, Kurt and Felix, with the addition of a bass player, formed a trio called Ping Pong. Along with recording several never-released (due to legal entanglements) tracks with guitarist Phil Manzanera of Roxy Music, Ping Pong built a following through their own recordings (among them a minor hit single entitled "Rhythm Walk") and live appearances at a number of European open-air festivals, including the Montreux Jazz Festival.
In 1983, Maloo and Haug decided to make a go of it as a duo. As Double, they first recorded a 12" single called "Nanningo". It was followed in 1984 by two more singles - "Rangoon Moon" and "Woman of the World", both of which appear on Blue in updated or remixed versions - and a self-produced black and white video, that became a cult classic on a variety of European television formats and got several plays on VH1.
In the fall of 1985, Switzerland's Double started invading the world with their beautifully crafted, catchy single "The Captain of Her Heart" from their first album Blue. The sound of Double certainly has caught on. Blue has been released in more than 50 countries and „The Captain of her Heart“ became a modern-day classic.
In 1987 Kurt Maloo and Felix Haug recorded their album DOU3LE. Guest musicians on the album include Herb Alpert (trumpet) and Michael Urbaniak (violin).....and not to forget the unique performance of the legendary "Mummenschanz" in the music video of „Devils Ball“, a weird easy-listening tune, feat. Herb Alpert on trumpet. The video, directed by Hannes Rossacher and Rudi Dolezal was an award winner in Cannes in 1988.
After a studio session for a third album both, Maloo and Haug needed a rest from Double and went separate ways for a while. Haug wrote some music for films, while Maloo released two solo albums „Single“ (1990) and "Soul and Echo (1995).
By the end of the 90s they joined forces again in the legendary Can Studio near Cologne, where they‘ve already recorded parts of „Blue“ back in the 80s. There were plans to record more songs together for the 20th anniversary of the band, but in 2004 Felix Haug unexpectedly died from a heartattack.
In 2006 Kurt Maloo decided to cast a retrospective glance at the work of Double and asked Pit Baumgartner of De-Phazz to rework a selection of old and new songs from the group‘s repertoire. The result is the album Kurt Maloo vs. Double - Loopy Avenue, where you hear the hits from the 80s together with the previously unheard songs from the 90s as well as brand new compositions.
The that 80's mellow sounds 