EARLY YEARS
Yonder started experimenting with music in his teenage years, and had his first release in 1998 while he was still a high-school student. The song was called Pink Solidism, which was a groovy instrumental cover of Riders on the Storm by The Doors. Later that summer his first five track EP came out on vinyl, called Cinnamon Kisses. Some of the songs got licensed to Western European compilations and soon after he received a record deal from a German label.
SHALLOW AND PROFOUND
He recorded his first long-player right after graduation, on his own budget, which was almost 300 USD. This allowed 2 days in a cheap studio to record the acoustic instruments, like vibraphone, accordeon, sax and vocals. Everything else like keys, synth, guitars, bass, scratches were recorded at home, and the material got produced and mixed on an average home PC. The album titled Shallow and Profound came out in 2000 and its success put Yonderboi on the international map of electronic music. He was amongst the pioneers of downtempo and trip-hop, the youngest member of the movement, and the only one from the former Eastern Bloc. His music was very much in sync with the global culture of the era, yet it was distinctly different with its Eastern European charm. The album invoked and melted together the romance of several decades of the 20th century, from 30's poetry and chanson throughout 50's/60's jazz to cinematic soundtracks. As the title also suggests the record is divided into two main parts, a more vivid and playful, sometimes cartoonish first part and a rather contemplative, dreamy second part. The most successful song of the album (which came out on single as well), the vibraphone ruled Pabadam was widely recognized. Even Laurent Garnier announced and played it on Radio Nova, not to mention that Gilles Peterson has supported the song on BBC Radio 1 in his program Worldwide. The listeners voted the track up to position 9 in the Worldwide Winners 2000. Still today Pabadam is a frequent guest on compilations, fashion shows and radio programs. Other notable tracks are Road Movie (also available as video), Fairy Of The Lake, Pink Solidism, Ohne Chanteuse. Yonderboi also started to perform his music live, supported by his temporary band called Yonderboi Quintet. They played various festival stages, amongst many others Sónar, Lowlands, Oslo and Rotterdam Jazz Festivals and several clubs throughout Europe and Russia, like Melkweg, Supper Club, Razzmatazz, 16tons.
SPLENDID ISOLATION
Yonder wanted the second album to be substantially different from its predecessor both in content and on the surface. There were more resources available this time, yet his basic approach to recording remained simple, he recorded almost everything at home, from electric guitars through male vocals to cellos and brass. Only one day was spent in a proper studio, to record the children's choir for the opening track All We Go To Hell, which obviously needed a bigger space than Yonderboi's bedroom. The post-production of the material ended up surprisingly in Los Angeles, thanks to the lucky meeting with Dutch producer Tom Holkenborg, who helped Yonder to finish up the record. The album was named Splendid Isolation and came out in 2005. Even though it does have some Eastern European qualities, it is much more melted into Western culture than Shallow and Profound. The record has three main parts, a rather downtempo-ish beginning, then a guitar pop inspired core and a mind bending soundtrack-like closing. Two songs were copied on singles, Were You Thinking Of Me? and People Always Talk About the Weather, each had a gorgeous cinematic video directed by Yonderboi himself. Both the songs and videos got played by several stations, amongst others MTV Europe, KCRW, Studio Brussels. Several songs of the album got licensed to films, TV shows and video games, probably most often the ultra-dark and cynical Before You Snap. On the Splendid Isolation Tour Yonderboi was supported on stage by his second temporary band Kings Of Oblivion. They visited many festivals all over Europe like Pukkelpop, 5 Days Off, Sziget and venues like Paradiso, Melkweg, A38 or Uebel and Gefaehrlich.
PASSIVE CONTROL
The goal was to create the female sequel of the quite masculine Splendid Isolation. Yonder found the female voice that he was looking for via myspace, in the person of a previously unreleased young German singer Charlotte Brandi. The recordings of the album took place in Yonderboi's home studio again. However this time only a few instruments got captured, like female vocals, acoustic guitar and a little cello. The rest of the sounds were played and programmed by Yonder, he also produced and mixed the album all by himself. His intention was to compose a rather coherent sonic universe, where the organic and the artificial creates harmony, and the border between them is almost unrecognizable. The album is difficult to place both geographically and in time, it does not really belong anywhere, however it has a strong European character. Both the soundscape and the artwork is created to be futuristic and outmoded at the same time, the album invokes the utopian art deco vibe of early 20th century, 70's folk and 90's electronic music. The new songs got already recognized and played by amongst others Jason Bentley on Morning Becomes Eclectic at KCRW. The German Vogue magazine reviewed the album and had Paint Hunting On The Wall on its monthly playlist at position 5.
YONDERBOI IN HOUSE
Last year Yonder started a remix project called Yonderboi In House, which will be released as an EP series on his own label Yonderland. Until then these tracks can be heard exclusively on his current, similarly titled live act. While creating the show Yonder used his DIY skills to design a matching, conceptual stage set: a glowing house frame and a Y-shaped DJ booth. So far the tour included venues like Palác Akropolis in Prague, Sziget Festival or Amsterdam Dance Event 2012. As a consequence he was able to cross off an important line on his childhood bucket list “tweak a real Roland TB 303 on stage”.
Trains in the Night
Yonderboi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Trains in the night
by Yonderboi is a song about the escapism that films offer from the harsh realities of life. The lyrics suggest that within films, there is more harmony than in the real world, where life is often chaotic, painful and unpredictable. The imagery of trains in the night represents the continuous motion and escape that individuals seek in watching films. The idea is that films keep going on, just like the trains that travel across the night, providing listeners with a sense of consistency and predictability that is often lacking in life.
The second half of the lyrics shifts the focus to the people who make the films, suggesting that they are the happiest when they are involved in their work. The line "People like you, like me are only happy in our work - making films," suggests that for filmmakers, their work allows them to find a sense of fulfilment that they cannot find elsewhere. The song seems to be both an observation on the nature of cinema and a celebration of the artistic process that goes into creating films.
Line by Line Meaning
Trains in the night
Just like the continuous movement of trains in the night, films keep moving forward without any disruption or pauses.
There is more harmony in films than in life
Films are made with precision and accuracy, unlike life where things can be unpredictable and chaotic. Thus, there is more harmony in films than in life.
No traffic jams, no death periods
Films do not suffer from any hindrances or slow-downs that we experience in daily life, such as traffic jams or periods of stagnation and boredom.
Films keep goin' on, you know, like trains in the night
Just like trains in the night keep moving forward, so do films, never stopping or slowing down until their final destination (i.e. the end of the film).
People like you, like me are only happy in our work - making films...
While life may not always bring happiness, those who work on films, such as the artist and the listener, find fulfillment and enjoyment in their craft.
Contributed by Taylor P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jackripper990
awesome song
agnisoma yoga and acro
I am Hungarian and I love his music. He is truly creative.
hdaniie
nem tudom megunni egyszerűen a 20. hallgatásra sem. Tényleg nagy kár, hogy kevesen ismerik. Minden tiszteletem az övé! :)))
Rhys WW
Yeah, I'm into everything, but I cant stop listening to this!!!
Mercurial
Loving Yonderboi for years!! Even in Belgium you have at least one fan!!
Eise Moonen
And in the Netherlands as well!
drzeworyj
this music is barely mainstream music. you can't expect the whole nation to give it recognition. same happens for many artists in my country.
nercoG
This is amazing!
Tamás Börzsönyi
HUNGARY Talent nem csak egy DJ attól sokkal több.... sokan nem is ismerik pedig egy modern zeneszerrző is egyben.
János Kiss
This song has everything what is Hungarian! I love it!