of
the Yellow Magic Orchestra, one of Heikos of favourite volume.
With this mentioned appearance they played a Song of human
League as the all first title and as last piece of Just Can't GET
Enough of Depeche mode. After the first large Camouflage
appearance however Martin Kaehling left the group again for private
reasons, since he wanted to continue its law studies. The
friendship to it continued however. Smaller appearances in the
closer environment followed.In the cellar from Heikos parents' house in small Saxonia home only few kilometers from Bietigheim Bissingen far away, furnished themselves young the training room, which they called affectionately Boys Factory. The support of its parents Heiko were safe, because the married couple Maile arose in former times even in the Duett, and could reconstruct its enthusiasm for the music.
On 9 square meters stacked themselves there Synthesizer, Sampler, sound modules and other technical geraetschaften. The listing of the equipment, which devoured approximately 50,000 DM, reads itself like the rare piece list of a Synthesizer museum: Roland system 100, Korg Ms-20, Roland Jx-3p with Programmer (on the Marcus at home composed its demos), Roland Juno 60, Sequential Prophet VS, Moog SOURCE (o-clay/tone Marcus: with suctionhurried basses), Emu of system Emax, Kurzweil 250, Akai S 1000, Simmons SDS 5 (Olis e-Drums), Solina stringer ensemble, Vocoder plus, Akai S 612 and an upper home bungee cord.
From now on they worked continuously on their pieces.
In February 1985 they took up then its first Demotape Voices and
image, which was produced in an edition by 100 pieces. Oli sent
the Tape among other things also to the hessian broadcast. There
the Song "Fade in MEMORY" then also actually to 06.10.1985 in the
transmission "sound of the Synthesizer" with new people needs the
country presented. Fade in MEMORY even followed the Song Rain
Over Moscow/First time Approaching the volumes Couleur Trois, the late
under the name Okay with their title of the same name in March 1988 NO
right after. 2 hit in Germany landed. Now already times a Song from Camouflage in the radio and the resonance of the listeners nevertheless ran were upsetting. This encouraged Camouflage naturally in their efforts. In October and November 1985 followed the photographs at the second demo cartridge From Aye ton of Bee, which sold themselves likewise well.
The hessian broadcast decided from all titles, which were so far radiated in the transmission "sound by the Synthesizer", a winner to kueren and brought the Hr-3 talent competition into being. When then in the spring 1986 with the Entausscheidung of the winners one determined, Camouflage occupied the 1. Place and could the victory for itself book.
From now on it could actually go only uphill.
Since the music taste was coined/shaped by skirt music
in its surrounding field however still quite, Camouflage with some
friendly groups from the closer environment decided to publish a
common cartridge, on which exclusively electronically angehauchte
music should have to be heard. In the spring 1986 then also the
photographs for that began new Music Tape Sampler of the musician
combination Neckar Enz, which also appeared in the summer 1986 then.
It should represent a Gegepol to the skirt scene in Bietigheim. The contributions of Camouflage were called Suddenly Went Away and Pompeji. With Suddenly Went Away acted it around the original version of The Great Commandment.
Likewise on it contained the two Songs were station ton of station and vision OF were from Heikos Nebenprojekt Loss OF Sight, which he together with its friend Heiko end had based. It gave still substantially more title (altogether 2 CD's), which Heiko Maile with its closest friend circle had taken up, of which however finally none of the pieces ever officially one published.
The further groups on that new Music Tape were Endless Joy, Para and Asparagus, which presented together a mixture from Synthi Pop and new novel TIC.
Due to the large success of the new Music Tapes and it at that time also gave no larger Festivals there, with those they to arise can organized they would have likewise in the autumn 1986 short hand a Festival, which was called also new Music and a full success became.
Marcus Gabler, the singer von Couleur Trois placed the connection to Frankfurt labels the Westside ago in the meantime (Marcus operates meanwhile the CD dispatch totally Recall). The Great Commandment was the first title, the Camouflage Westside played and exactly this Song wanted the label also immediately to then produce. In the autumn ' 86 the Song was taken up professionally in the studio and to different larger disk companies was offered. Also several companies interest showed, however it should last still another whole time long, until the hoped for disk contract came.
It took metronome under Vertrag.The Great Commandment in
co-operation with the producer Axel Henninger again 1987 in its studio
was finally revised and in September 1987 published. The title
shot 14 as maximum placement in the Top 75 from 0 to 27 into the
Charts, held themselves over 13 weeks therein and reached on 05
November place. A grandioser debut success, on which none had
counted. The disk company wanted to wait for at that time only once the correct time, therefore also some TV appearances had been set for graduation, which took place still before the publication of the single. You completed their first TV appearance for this reason to 16.08.1987 in the pool of broadcasting corporations transmission ripe for decision.
In October in the proximity of Hamburg also the first video tie-clip was then turned. There were altogether three different versions, which came all of Rainer Tieding. The first version, which was meant as presentation video rather, was withdrawn by the disk company, before it could be radiated. It pointed Camouflage with the Fotoshooting with Jaques Sehy to the The Great Commandment Cover and had rather a Homevideocharakter. It was musical with a Edit of the Extended radio mixes underlaid.
The second version was turned in Hamburg and was actually as the correct video tie-clip planned (with kiss scene…!), however ran this version only abroad and on cables and was likewise rapidly withdrawn. The last tie-clip became then the final, us well-known version. The speaker behind the desk was Italian and spoke and/or cried the whole time only on Italian, the Komparsen had genuine trouble not to break out in laughters. None understood it, but on the video it looked rather dramatic.
Heiko played the turning tracing during the Entertainer
for the children, in order to hold it with mood. With difficulty
it was only the whole Kids, which was quite merry, to let solidify on
a certain indication before fright. One could by the way admire
the small Anna, the girl, who played the main role , in
the Scooter video I'm Ravin ' (and not as a dancer in the Bellini
video to Samba de Janeiro, like Heiko in the Vh-1 interview falsely
mentioned). The Cover to the plate, including the Camouflage
signature by Heiko and Oli themselves were sketched. Olis
artistic vein probably came from its nut/mother, that had already
created itself as a painter a name. Had composed Marcus The Great Commandment by the way already at the end of of 1983 as one the all first Camouflage Songs in the cellar of its former volume member Martin Kaehling. Heiko found the song interestingly enough always rather shits, but exactly this Song had finally provided and mauserte themselves the hoped for disk contract for them to one of their most successful titles. Marcus resisted also energetically rumors, which the Song was to come to a majority from Axel Henninger. That is naturally not like that, The Great Commandment originates completely from the feather/spring from Marcus.
From now on the Newcomer was guest in numerous TV transmissions. They were even in that Second Channel of German Television hit parade in December ' 87 place 1 and with the PopCorn choice to the Newcomer of the yearly landed you at place 2. Their first single was established even in different countries of Europe, like in France or Scandinavia, created it in addition, completely highly into the hit parade of Singapore. In addition the disk became single OF the Year - national, a price, which was selected by European DJ's on behalf of Music & Media.
Parallel to the whole graduation activities the first photographs for the first album were already completed. Owing to the closely put time schedule Heiko its 22 spent. Birthday on 12 January then also in the Tonstudio in darmstadt far city, in order to work on the coming debut album Voices and image. Only late in the night it could knock against still also a few buddy on its birthday. Singer Marcus was not present, since he for his Abitur examinations buffalos had. Also Oli prepared for its final examination as a diagram Design assistant.
Between the numerous Studio sessions the video was
turned off to the subsequent single Strangers Thoughts with 5 a
taegigen trip in the Spanish Alicante. As location an old
farmhouse in the mountains was selected among other things, which had
only two rooms. There a farmer married couple lived in the
middle in the no man's land without river. They had however a
television, which they operated with a car battery. The farmer
came each noon around 15.00 or 16.00 home, so that he could look the
Denver clan together with its wife! And in the middle in nature!For the scenes with the car one had lent oneself an old timer, which had to be umlackiert firstonce (black came now times simply better in the pictures). The car had to be carried afterwards quite pedantically into the mountains. When they heated now thereby over the dirt roads, thereby also still one of the axles broke. With the return of the car the director had concealed this circumstance however to the autolender. After this had determined the damage, there was a considerable annoyance with the police, which could be regulated however somehow. The A&R also a role got and played managers of Camouflage the bad one, which them referred the house.
Not only the old timer was suitably the pictures, which reflected the Flair of the 30's, also their clothes was original from this time. Camouflage referred your Klamotten from a Second hand Shop in the close Ludwigsburg, whose owner Winnie drove specially for the volume to England, in order to buy to their conceptions. Heiko had discovered the shop times by coincidence. Also their own progressive movement means appear from today's view nearly like old timers. Heiko drove at that time a Renault (mark gangster film), to Marcus a beetle year of construction ' 68 and Oli an OPEL Corsa.
On 10 February 1988 followed the second single Strangers
Thoughts, a further electrical Hymne, which entered at place 37 into
the Charts and climbed to 07.04.1988 up to place 20. The fact
that the three electronics engineers of Camouflage were also large
Bewunderer of Ultravox mentioned and shows themselves her often enough
particularly with this title well: It sounds nevertheless like a
slow version of the Ultravox classical author Love's Great Adventure.To 04.03.1988 the long-longed debut album Voices and image, which hit merciless and could with that it its position strengthen, appeared now finite. They proved to a large public that they were not One hit Wonder. The disk sold itself alone in Germany approx.. 200.000 times. A special Camouflage newspaper was appropriate for the first edition of its LP with in the some information around the album, which was to be found Songs and the volume. Its third single Neighbours was taken up in May 1988 again again and achieved when its publication a modest place 61 in the Charts. The video tie-clip in addition was turned in May/June in DIN (France) and Hamburg.
1988 adjusted itself also success in the USA. Flew the 3 Swabia to New York, in order to sign a contract with Atlantic records, a Unterlabel of Warner Bros. Above all Deb Brown (Music Director with WDRE on Long Iceland) and Denis McNamara (director of program of the trend transmitter) recognized fast the quality the German volume. The spectators of the progressive radiosenders selected a Camouflage to the No.1. Already soon thereafter Camouflage was placed with all Independent and college act ions on a stage with by far more well-known formation. In an inquiry of the transmitter Camouflage landed after The Cure and Depeche mode at place 3 of the popularity scale. Far before new order, Erasure or The Smiths.
Camouflage straeubten themselves at first against the
thought that someone bungled with a Remix in their Songs, but The
Great Commandment landed the Dance Charts in the USA with a rem
ix-version twice at place 1 (an absolute new fact!) and so also
the entrance was into the Billboard Top 100 only a question of the
time. Even in asiatic states, like Taiwan, Singapore or Korea
they belonged soon to the most popular formations in the range of
international Popmusik. In France Camouflage were gladly seen
guests in numerous TV transmissions and landed a Top 40 Chart
placement.At home in the Swabian Bietigheim Bissingen they looked meanwhile for a suitable spatialness for a new studio, since its old Boys Factory had become meanwhile much too small. In the areas of a former underwear factory in the highest stick of the water authority one became fuendig and in such a way finally developed in 2 months of hard work with the support of several friends a new, own studio. The "Boys Factory II" offered 16 trace Aufnahmestudio, one office on altogether 240 square meters a Live training room large with answering set and fax, as well as a 120 square meter.
The studio mauserte itself in wind hurry to a mini communication center. Each quantity of people went past, because it knew that always someone was in the house and there was coffee. Decisive for the removal the fact was simple that they had enough place for their expensive equipment in their new studio. In addition it gave to experiment here the free space around and to together-throw only at the conclusion everything, which was not possible on nine square meters before, so singers Marcus. The joy over its new studio was however also somewhat clouded, since the building end of the yearly of a federal highway should yield.
In the autumn ' 88 also in the USA its album Voices and image and a remixte version was then published by That Smiling Face. Thus the Trio flew in September again over the large pond to the USA, in order to make further graduation for the first work. During this graduation they stayed overnight to route also in New York. Marcus sat in the hotel and watched a film with Ernest Borgnine, as a man said and to another you know, love is A shield. That was the jumping spark for the Refrain of their next single, which wanted to take up her shortly. Since Oli had already written the strophen of the text, Marcus gave now the Refrain in addition.
To November 1988 and January 1989 Love Is A Shield was
then taken up again with Axel Henninger in the Dynaton studio.
In addition, with this Recording session the b-side The Story OF
The Falling Fighters and the album TRACK Feeling was down brought in.Several months long had taken up in addition, had again rejected it now ideas collected, demos. To this extensive preparation time it went in February 1989 for one and a half months into the Brussels Synsound studio from Dan Lacksman, in order to take up the second album "Methods OF Silence". With the help of most modern digital technique on 32 traces one produced. Dan lacquer man (part of the Belgian group telex) had worked among other things already with Thomas Dolby, psyche or the Sparks and was owner of some rare, old devices, as a Moog Synthesizer, to which as the first electronic clay/tone producer is considered. Evenly this combination in the sound equipment made the break with prefabricated sound samples for the musicians possible. Own creativity was in demand. For Marcus it played a central role in the music of Camouflage. They sounded now more independent, looked for own, new ways, whereby the disk company had given them in addition also free hand.
Camouflage were supported during their photographs among other things also by Ingo Ito and Thomas Doerr. Ingo Ito had learned it to know 1987, when it was with its group Bamboo Industry on Germany route. With Ingo Ito connected it a kind soul distorting shank. The other part of Bamboo Industry was at that time Susa Lee, which played the oboe with the later TV appearances of Love Is A Shield. The contact to Thomas Doerr, which with Two OF US the drum sticks vogue (largest hit Blue Night Shadow) came off over its music publishing house Blue box, with which Camouflage and Two were OF US under contract.
Briefly after the Studioaufnahmen they were located in the at the end of March 1989 already again before the camera, in order to turn the video tie-clip off to Love Is A Shield. The long Studio sessions had left their traces. Camouflage were overtired, had a few Kilos too much, owing to the good and obviously rich Belgian meal, and the hair was longer around some, which disturbed obviously however nobody!
On the first turning day at the Timmendorfer beach was
filmed, at which it was also still sow cold. Between the
photographs Camouflage and some children, which functioned as
statisten, had to be always warm-held with jackets and covers.
It was not pleasure, if one considers that they had to act
kurzaermlig! The pictures developed thereby are noteworthy,
radiate them nevertheless straight with these scenes a wohlige warmth.
Sensitive handling contents of the Songs had again once
perfectly converted director Rainer Tieding of Chopstick film and
fascinating sequences had produced, the tendency situation of the
Songs exactly to reflect.On the day after still some interior photographs were turned in a studio in Hamburg. The director had let fly the idea of hundreds of birds from a cage, and so became then also approx.. 400 Sittiche organizes. In addition also a net was stretched, so that one does not catch it, but only from the net to get had. The scene was rehearsed several times, whereby the camera constantly failed. Which one did not consider with the final admission was that the meshes of the net were just as large as the birds. Now the animals cross flew and crosswise in the whole resound around. Camouflage and that about 20 koepfige team, spent the next three hours to catch the plumage again and all this for a scene, which in the finished video tie-clip only perhaps 7 - 10 seconds to see is!
In April 1989 the single Love Is A Shield was published and climbed on 15 June 1989 up to place 9. Altogether it kept long 23 week (nearly 6 months) in the Charts and developed to their most successful number. Remarkably,
because Love Is A Shield was not meant as Camouflage single
actually at all. Heiko wrote it one year before for another
volume, which he liked. The singer had a high Falsettostimme,
similarly as Jimmy Sommerville and the Song prima him would certainly
have fit. Heiko took up demo and sent it into the A&R
department. Weeks later it found, who they had not even belonged
it, the package out lay still packed there. The Song was however
much too good the to be wasted and then succeeded to you thereby a
milestone of music history. To 05.06.1989 its second album Methods OF Silence stood in the shops, reached place 13 and kept themselves 22 weeks long in the hit list. The Songs sounded clearly more matured and again proved the Songschreiber qualities of Camouflage. The Covergestaltung for the single and the album originated from Olis former art teacher Klaus Paul from Berlin, who let itself be tempted from the musical ideas that volume to a expressionistischen maximum output. The bird was the symbol for the creative liberty young volume. The plate contained a Coverversion also for the first time. Thus they hauchten the Song on of Iceland new life, which came in the original from the group of new music, whose founder Tony Mansfield made itself also than producer a name later (among other things for A-hectar).
In the summer 1989 Heiko worked as a CO producer with Bamboo Industry (Ingo Ito and Susa Lee) at their debut album Tortured By Pleasure in the citizen of Berlin guessed studio. Many of the programming work and some of the sounds came from him. The Vorabsingle Catherine Wheel and album was then published 1990 with BMG Ariola. On the plate Robin Loxley had already participated, which should support Camouflage later also live.
The album sold itself alone in Germany 230,000 times and as it to 1993 in the Nice Price range slipped, could again 80,000 copies be set off. Although Methods OF Silence sold itself finally over 300.000 times gave it unfortunately no golden one, because of the Nice Price CD's!
Likewise in the summer 1989 the publication of the
single Love Is A Shield and the album Methods OF Silence took place in
the USA Marcus therefore also still flew in September for one week to
America, in order to make there for the single and the album
advertisement. The album went to 100,000 times to the time
already over the counter. In America was there merry-proves a
condom mark the Shield meant, and so the disk company distributed
Promo condoms, which were out of print however in wind rope.After the world-wide publication of the album Methods OF Silence in more than 20 countries at the end of of October ' 89 the first route followed by Germany, which became a triumphalen success for the volume. The route the second single uncoupling One Fine Day appeared suitable in October 1989. Therefore the video was turned also during the route with its concert in the citizen of Berlin Metropol to 05.11.89. Camouflage played the Song twice in this evening. Once as usually at the beginning of its set and still another second time in the addition block, where then also the cameras ran along.
The sight of an east citizen of Berlin television team had impressed Camouflage in this evening at most. The young journalists GDR transmission eleven 99 a permission had requested, in order to be allowed to travel after west Berlin, as it it for years always had done. As usually they did not have to receive also counted on it an agreement. The team of eleven 99 were pleased like the snow kings. It was almost a miracle that it was permitted them, without being allowed to visit problems the concert. Four days later the citizens of Berlin wall fell. Thus this day for Camouflage became somewhat completely special. Still today talk young the day mad over these (One Fine Day).
**page translated in English (source: www.spice-site.com)
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