Kurt Maloo
Encyclopedia
Kurt Maloo in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) is a Swiss singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. He first achieved international success in 1986, as the singer and front man of the pop-jazz duo Double
Double (band)
Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
, with the hit single “The Captain of Her Heart”.
Biography
Kurt Meier was born in Zurich, Switzerland, as the only child of Arnold and Babette Meier. His father's family emigrated to France when Arnold was four years old. After World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he returned to Switzerland, where he met Babette, a daughter of a locomotive driver, and married her. Her family was very musical; each played an instrument and performed at house concerts. When Kurt was born, Babette used to play the mandolin and sing and dance for him, and later, when he started to play the guitar, jammed along with him.
The early days
At school, Kurt was part of several bands that performed in local competition festivals, playing covers from The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
to Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
. From 1969 to 1972, he attended the Swiss Business School, but, after receiving his degree, chose a career as a conceptual artist and painter. He exhibited his works at local galleries in Zurich and founded, along with three artist friends, the performance group MAEZ.
At his own gallery openings, Kurt Meier, who changed his name to Kurt Maloo in 1975, always played the electric guitar. The solo performances metamorphosed into a band, including two other members of MAEZ. But Troppo, true to its name, grew to a nine-piece fusion art-punk band, influenced mainly by the New York Dolls
New York Dolls
The New York Dolls is an American rock band, formed in New York in 1971. The band's protopunk sound prefigured much of what was to come in the punk rock era; their visual style influenced the look of many new wave and 1980s-era glam metal groups, and they began the local New York scene that later...
and Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
. After its first show at the Rote Fabrik in 1976, Troppo became a cult act in Switzerland in the mid and late 1970s.
In 1979, Kurt Maloo released his first 7" single “Giant Lady/Kontiki” on the New Wave label Forum Records. A year later, he teamed up with the publisher Peter Zumsteg and released a hybrid format vinyl record with the title Luna, Luna + 7 Notorious Maloo Homeworks. On the A side was one song spinning at 45 rpm
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and on the B side, seven more at 33 rpm. The A side song was a studio recording, while the B side was recorded at home on his Revox B-77, using the ping-pong technique to simulate multitrack recording.
Ping Pong
He continued to play solo concerts until he met Felix HaugFelix Haug
Felix Haug was the drummer and keyboardist for the Swiss band Double from the time of its creation in 1981 to its disbandment in 1987. He died of a heart attack in 2004....
, later the other half of Double
Double (band)
Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
. Felix used to play drums with the Swiss techno band Yello
Yello
Yello is a Swiss electronica band consisting of Dieter Meier and Boris Blank. They are probably best known for their singles "The Race" and "Oh Yeah", which feature a mix of electronic music and manipulated vocals, as does most of their music....
. He joined Maloo and, with the addition of a bass player, they formed the trio Ping Pong. With the help of publisher Peter Zumsteg, they got the chance to record four songs at the Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...
studio with guitarist Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
as producer, but the tracks never got released. When they signed with Teldec
Teldec
The Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
's label Big Mouth, they re-recorded the tracks together with new material for their album From Exile (1982). The band played in numerous European festivals, including the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival
Montreux Jazz Festival
The Montreux Jazz Festival is the best-known music festival in Switzerland and one of the most prestigious in Europe; it is held annually in early July in Montreux on the shores of Lake Geneva...
.
Double
In 1983, Kurt Maloo and Felix Haug decided to make a go of it as a duo. As DoubleDouble (band)
Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
, they released three 12" maxi singles—“Naningo” (1983), “Rangoon Moon,” and “Woman of the World” (1984)—before they had a chance to record their first album. The black-and-white music video for “Rangoon Moon” became a cult clip in Europe and got air play on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
in the United States. Two years later, Double
Double (band)
Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
became known worldwide with their first hit single, "The Captain of Her Heart," from their first album, Blue
Blue
Blue is a colour, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 440–490 nm. It is considered one of the additive primary colours. On the HSV Colour Wheel, the complement of blue is yellow; that is, a colour corresponding to an equal...
, a best-seller that has been released in more than fifty countries. "The Captain of Her Heart" became a modern-day classic.
In 1987, Kurt Maloo and Felix Haug recorded their second and last album, Dou3le, visualized best in the performance of the legendary Swiss mime group Mummenschanz
Mummenschanz
Mummenschanz is a Swiss pantomime troupe who perform in a surreal mask- and prop-oriented style. Founded in 1972 by Bernie Schürch, Andres Bossard , and the Italian-American Floriana Frassetto, the group became popular for its play with bizarre masks and forms, light and shadow, and their subtle...
in the award-winning music video for their song “Devils Ball,” featuring Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
on trumpet.
Double started to work on a third album in late 1988, but, due to artistic differences, disbanded a few months later.
Solo career
Maloo continued his career solo again and released, under his own name, Single (1990), Soul & Echo (1995), Loopy Avenue (2006), and Summer of Better Times (2009). Since 2007, he has been performing with his own band and played several concerts and festivals, including NuNote Lounge Fest in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
.
Personal life
In 1986, Kurt met his future wife, Anja Muller, a fashion model from HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Together, they moved to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, where they lived for seven years and where their daughter was born in 1991. Then they relocated to Hamburg, Anja’s hometown, where their son was born in 1994 and where they still live.
Solo
- 1979: "Giant Lady" single (Forum Records)
- 1980: Luna, Luna + 7 Notorious Maloo Homeworks (Recordz/Z-Music)
- 1990: Single (Philips RecordsPhilips RecordsPhilips Records is a record label that was founded by Dutch electronics company Philips. It was started by "Philips Phonographische Industrie" in 1950. Recordings were made with popular artists of various nationalities and also with classical artists from Germany, France and Holland. Philips also...
) - 1995: Soul & Echo (Sony Music)
- 2006: Loopy Avenue (Edel Records)
- 2009: Summer of Better Times (Verve Forecast)
Collaborations
- 1982: From Exile, Ping Pong (Big Mouth/TeldecTeldecThe Teldec is a German record label in Hamburg, Germany. Today the label is a property of Warner Music Group.-History:...
) - 1983: Naningo, DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
(Metronome/PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
) - 1984: "Rangoon Moon," DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
(12" maxi single; Metronome/PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
) - 1984: "Woman of the World," DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
(12" maxi single; Metronome/PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
) - 1986: Blue, DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
(A&M/PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
) - 1987: Dou3le, DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
(A&M/PolyGramPolyGramPolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...
)
Solo
- 1990: "Lovegrow," directed by Alexandre Hotton
- 1991: "End of the Season," directed by Pascal Helbrock
- 1995: "Young King," directed by unknown
- 1996: "The Captain of Her Heart," directed by Frederik Boklund
- 2006: "Rangoon Moon," directed by Kurt Maloo and Dania Hohmann
- 2010: "Day of the Man with a Heart of Gold," directed by Christian Aeby
Collaborations
- 1982: "Rhythm Walk" (Ping Pong), directed by Paul Grau
- 1983: "Naningo" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Sergio Galli - 1983: "El Dorado" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Sergio Galli - 1983: "Es" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Sergio Galli - 1984: "Rangoon Moon" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Ernst Spycher and Christoph Braendli - 1985: "The Captain of Her Heart" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Francis Reusser - 1985: "The Captain of Her Heart" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Andres Bruetsch - 1986: "The Captain of Her Heart" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Nick Haggerty - 1986: "Woman of the World" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Andres Bruetsch - 1987: "Devils Ball" (DoubleDouble (band)Double was a Swiss music duo best remembered for their hit single "The Captain of Her Heart".-Biography:Double formed in 1983 in Zürich, Switzerland by Felix Haug and Kurt Maloo out of the trio Ping Pong of which both Maloo and Haug were members...
), directed by Hannes Rossacher and Rudi Dolezal
External links
- Kurt Maloo's official website
- Kurt Maloo on FacebookFacebookFacebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
- Kurt Maloo on TwitterTwitterTwitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
- Kurt Maloo on MySpaceMySpaceMyspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
- Kurt Maloo on FlickrFlickrFlickr is an image hosting and video hosting website, web services suite, and online community that was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and acquired by Yahoo! in 2005. In addition to being a popular website for users to share and embed personal photographs, the service is widely used by bloggers to...
- Kurt Maloo on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....