Description
2023 marks the 30th anniversary of DIGITAL FACTOR’s eventful history. For the occasion, Mike Langer decided to make his new studio album “G.B.A.-General Behavior Abrogate” a very special release in many ways.
First of all, DIGITAL FACTOR decided to make this album a charity project where all proceeds will be donated to a foundation for disadvantaged children (https://www.kinderstiftung-altenburg.de/), bringing back some humanity to our crazy world and reminding all of us that music is a perfect media to set up connection and bring us all together. We count on everyone for supporting us in this charity adventure!
Mike Langer also took the challenge to collaborate on each new song with a different local artist from his hometown of Altenburg (Germany) giving to this new album a very eclectic and collaborative dimension. “As a musician, you always tend to say that the current album is THE special album. (laugh) But the current work with numerous musicians from my hometown, all embracing my musical style, is truly something special”, explains German artist Mike Langer.
This approach also marks a break from the usual quite dystopian lyrics DIGITAL FACTOR served us so far. “G.B.A.” carries hope and gives the positive message that “Even in difficult times there are situations and people who are the light at the end of the tunnel”. The song “But Not Today” probably best symbolizes the whole project thanks to the collaboration with the samba/drummer group COMO VENTO who actually started themselves their musical adventure as a socio-cultural project and has since attracted attention
nationwide.
DIGITAL FACTOR continues writing complex electronic music with an edge lead by melodic synth pop lines and catchy vocals, the whole this time fully reinforced by the diversity of the featured guests. The previous successful single “I Am What I Am” was written this way with the punk singer Gwendolyn Gaffa from the band MORAFFA. Another highlight should also be the song “Hold The Hope” with singer Manuel Schmid from STERN MEISSEN. Other attention grabbers will surely be songs like “Don’t Speak For Me” with soul singer Rebecca Klukas or yet “Who Is The Architect” with singer-songwriter Franziska Haucke.
Another collaboration that should also be of particular interest to the hardcore fans of DIGITAL FACTOR, as the album opens with “Take Me To The Limit” which features none other than DIGITAL FACTOR’s founding member Torsten Heise!
Mike Langer who works in both music and film for theater productions, even recorded two songs together with two fellow actors: Manuel Kressin (for the club hit “Ouvre”) and Manuel Struffolino (“Change It”). Mike Langer’s daughter Josephine can also be heard on one of the songs, as well as guitarist and bassist Georg Kostron, who once again contributed to the album…
“For the album I did a massive remodeling of my studio. The aim was to dive into the production technologies of the 80s and to transform them into today’s, sometimes quite harsh, sound of DIGITAL FACTOR” says Langer, describing the production. “That’s why 80% of the tracks on “GBA” are analog synthesizers. Hardly a song illustrates this better than “The World Is Analog”. The goal with this song was to work exclusively with analog synths. Before and during the production I read a lot about the production of electronic music in the 80s, with all the innovations, but also limitations. I wanted to implement this consistently in the song. Even the bass drum doesn’t come from a drum machine, but from an Arp Odyssey” explains the musician.
“G.B.A.” is that kind of album where each song, and talented guest vocalist, offers its very own sonic journey but where the top notch meticulous production work of Mike Langer and the intricate catchy electronic compositions evoking the industrial/EBM roots of DIGITAL FACTOR bring a certain consistent red line to the album as a whole, what give to this collaborative charity project its very own colorful identity.
Happy Birthday DIGITAL FACTOR!
