If you’re resting after a nice meal, reading a book, starring at the celling, driving around on a sunny day or just fooling around with your person-of-romantic-interest, then my friends, this is the perfect music to set up the mood! Clara has an angelic voice that will mellow your mind and relieve your body of any tension. Give it a go and I guarantee that your Sunday afternoon chill playlist is going to suffer some changes

A member of Berlin’s Sonar Kollektiv roster, electro-soul vocalist Clara Hill has dabbled in the various genres of Germany’s urban dance scene since the early ’90s. Falling in love with the Fender Rhodes electric piano at age 17, she formed the local acid jazz duo Superjuice (though the duo later worked together as Hill & Funès), and the two gained a following in Berlin’s many dance clubs. At one of their shows, Hill met DJ Alexander Barck of Germany’s famed jazz-house ensemble Jazzanova. In 1998, Barck pressed her talents upon fellow Jazzanova producers Stefan Leisering and Axel Reinemer, who were taken aback by Hill’s soothing vocals. Leisering decided to produce one of her first professional songs, “No Use,” which would end up on Jazzanova’s landmark In Between album four years later. Before Jazzanova set up their Sonar Kollektiv record label, Hill had put together another group in 1997, the hip-hop jazz band Stereoton. The band cut some of the label’s first tracks, like “Kick Me Off,” which appeared on some early compilations around the turn of the century. It was clear that the experience with Jazzanova was helping her evolve into a singer who could stand on her own. Thus, in early 2004, Sonar Kollektiv suitably released her first solo album, Restless Times. Hill’s reflective song lyrics were featured over the dreamy, soul-inducing deep house produced by Leisering and Reinemer (known together as Extended Spirit) as well as her old friend Funès. The album caught the attention of some of the genre’s most reputable artists, including Vikter Duplaix, Atjazz, and King Britt. They each contributed to the making of her 2006 follow-up, All I Can Provide.

(AMG)

Clara Hill – Restless Times (2004)

With “Restless Times”, Clara Hill from Berlin enters the stage as a solo artist for the very first time. After the first few tracks you’ll notice: This is a great soul voice unfolding its beauty and versality. Weather its floating, as in “Maybe Now”, lucious as in “For Your Love” or dynamic as in “Restless Times”, Clara Hill surely knows how to bring bear her voice to different beats and various musical atmospheres.

To record a solo album, was one of Clara’s first goals. She wrote a few songs but then asked herself with whom she could record. Who could translate her musical ideas? She chose those with whom she had already worked earlier. Five tracks from “Restless Times” were produced and arranged with three friends (i.e. Funès, with whom she already produced the house track “Don’t Hesitate”). The remaining seven tunes of the album were recorded with Stefan Leisering and Axel Reinemer from Jazzanova.

Who are the other voices she cooperated with for “Restless Times”? Besides Clara there’s two male singers on the album. First, there’s New Zealand’s Joe Dukie (of Fat Freddy’s Drop), who is currently enjoying global success with soulful reggae tunes like “Hope” or “Midnight Marauders”. Dukie happened to be in Berlin while the recordings for Clara’s album were made so he joined in a session and contributed his suede voice for “Flawless Pt.2″. The second co-singer is Sascha Gottschalk, a.k.a. Thief, who co-wrote and co-sang “Morning Star” for and with Clara.

Clara Hills “Restless Time” is an album that instantly catches the listener. You’ll hear, how her songs have developed into twelve small, yet complex miracles that breathe some heavy soul. Songs, that despite their electronical production, sound deep and warm. Amongst her tracks there are three proper club tracks. “Here” for example, who works perfectly on the dancefloor. The other tracks have a laid back downtempo vibe that gets sugared by Clara Hills sweet soul voice. After you’ve listened the album through, you’ll instantly push the “repeat” button. With Clara Hill, it’s just like with candy sweets: You can’t get enough of them. (www.sonarkollektiv.com)

Label  Sonar Kollektiv
Release Date  Mar 9, 2004
Bit Rate  128kbps (wma!!)

Track listing:
01. Maybe Now  2:08
02. For Your Love  5:19
03. Silent Distance  4:47
04. Restless Times  6:49
05. Flawless  5:59
06. That Easy  4:46
07. Here  7:20
08. Flawless, Pt. 2 (ft. Joe Dukie)  4:17
09. I’m There  4:22
10. Morning Star (ft. Thief)  4:14
11. Reprise  5:48
12. The Source  5:12

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