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”.
Were You Thinking of Me?
Yonderboi Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They found the corpse in the back of a mercury
They got het labtop picking all the numbers
Trying to reach they never meant to reach
They called a top doc messing with the data
Trying to help but they couldn't eventually
She's a rough cut
Were you thinking of me?
With a love like that
It was a night, a night just like the others
Picked up the pack that she always gave to me
She wore her lacquer top
Tripping undercover
Got in her car, just to never get back to me
Sneak in her room, she's missing all her lovers
I really hope I can get away with it
She's a top cop
She's a top ten stuff
These lyrics tell the story of a woman who has ended up on the cover of a magazine, presumably for some sort of success or accomplishment. However, at the same time, her body has been found in the back of a car. The police are investigating the situation, trying to track down leads and find out what happened. Along the way, they come across some mysterious data that needs to be sorted out by a top doctor. Meanwhile, the singer of the song is dealing with his own personal loss - a woman who was important to him has disappeared without a trace. He is hoping that he will not be blamed for her disappearance.
The lyrics are full of tension and unanswered questions. We don't know who the woman on the magazine cover is, or how she ended up dead. We don't know who the singer's missing lover is, or whether she left willingly or was taken against her will. The repeated refrain of "were you thinking of me?" adds an emotional layer to the song that hints at the idea that these characters are all connected, perhaps in ways they don't even realize.
Line by Line Meaning
It was the day when they put her on the cover
On that specific day, they put her on the cover of something
They found the corpse in the back of a mercury
They discovered a dead body in the back of a Mercury vehicle
They got het labtop picking all the numbers
They have her laptop retrieving all the data
Trying to reach they never meant to reach
They are attempting to access information they were not supposed to see
They called a top doc messing with the data
They reached out to a high-ranked doctor to interfere with the information they obtained
Trying to help but they couldn't eventually
Their interference did not have the intended outcome
She's a rough cut
She's not polished or refined
She's a tough top stuff
She's strong, resilient, and remarkable
Were you thinking of me?
Were you contemplating or missing me?
With a love like that
With a love as strong as ours
It was a night, a night just like the others
It was a typical evening, like many others that have passed
Picked up the pack that she always gave to me
Picked up a group of things that she habitually gives to me
She wore her lacquer top
She was clothed in a shiny, coated blouse
Tripping undercover
She was moving quietly or secretly
Got in her car, just to never get back to me
She drove away, and I haven't seen her since
Sneak in her room, she's missing all her lovers
I entered her room clandestinely to find that all her significant others are gone
I really hope I can get away with it
I'm anxious to avoid blame for whatever has happened
She's a top cop
She's an exceptional law enforcement officer
She's a top ten stuff
She's in the highest rank of individuals in terms of worth or quality
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: IMRE PONIKLO, LASZLO FOGARASI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@abrakebabra464
It was the day when they put her on the cover
They found the corpse in the back of a mercury
They got het labtop picking all the numbers
Trying to reach they never meant to reach
They called a top doc messing with the data
Trying to help but they couldn't eventually
She's a rough cut
She's a tough top stuff
Were you thinking of me?
With a love like that
It was a night, a night just like the others
Picked up the pack that she always gave to me
She wore her lacquer top
Tripping undercover
Got in her car, just to never get back to me
Sneak in her room, she's missing all her lovers
I really hope I can get away with it
She's a top cop
She's a top ten stuff
@Kyle_00
I wonder if there's anyone from FIFA 08 still on this track
@hector6056
yes hehehehe
@BlaudracheLP
every loading screen
@cs7a30piyushjoshi2
Yee
@justindesouza977
right here
@paulm6995
YES BROTHER ABSOLUTELY
@JJ-mx3gh
It's been 14 years since I first heard this song in FIFA 08. The memories hit hard. It is crazy how my mind gets transported to that time when I would sit in my room and just jam out to the game soundtrack. The world was so simple then I did not even realize it.
@frostforus98
The song for when you're waiting for the match to load on FIFA 08.
@luisluis1722
Yesss
@kurtwhylde8004
YES