Hauschka Abandoned City

Abandoned City was recorded in Hauschka's home studio in a burst of creative energy following the birth of his first son. "With the exception of Elisabeth Bay, which is based on a piece of music I wrote for a reinvention of Wagner's Flying Dutchman, the music was composed and recorded in ten days", says Hauschka. "After the baby, I had to concentrate to find time to work, so the process was very intense." The songs were recorded using nine microphones. Six recorded the sounds coming from the piano strings through an analogue console feeding directly into a computer to preserve the instrument's full, warm sound. Three others passed the tones through a mixer full of effects - delay, distortion, echo - that can be triggered separately or used simultaneously. Hauschka creates the music and the arrangements as he goes, trusting the music to take him in the proper direction. "Most of the songs were played on one piano; I was mixing as I played. If I needed more piano, I overdubbed with another twiddling of effects. All the sounds - harp, balafon, Melodica, drums - are produced by the keyboard," he explains.