LP – Standard Edition Black Vinyl restored and mastered by Zoey Cairns. Lacquer cut vinyl by Frederic Stader and housed in a thick 320g picture sleeve. Includes insert with lyrics.

Call it soulful dream pop, prototrip hop or downtempo jazz Tender Rain is the follow-up LP to the successful This Is album and continues to deliver Ghias unmistakable sonic magic. On this release, the band shares a selection of previously unreleased vocal songs alongside instrumental pieces, all carried by their trademark chilled and almost meditative atmosphere. Most of the recordings date from the early 1990s, while early demo versions of New Love and Teardrops in Your Eyes may reach back as far as the late 1980s.

The album opens with the title track Tender Rain, where smooth vocal jazz harmonies merge effortlessly with soulful pop elements. The track originally appeared only on CD in 1993 on the small Mikado label run by renowned German guitarist Ulli Bgershausen. The band recalls that the piece was first pre-recorded using MIDI equipment and a Tascam 16-track recorder before being completed in the studio with drums by legendary drummer Mickie Stickdorn (Carsten Bohn’s Bandstand, Cyklus, Elephant, Lake), percussion by Corinna Ludzuweit, and the final touchLisa Ohms remarkable vocals.

At the time, Mikado was also looking for instrumental material for radio and synchronisation use. They selected the track Tropfstein for a sampler CD and requested more pieces. In response, und recken ihre schlanken Glieder (roughly translated as and stretching their slender limbs) was composed especially for the project, as Frank Simon remembers. Both tracks appeared on the now rare Mikado sampler CD under the alias z. Zt., short for zur Zeit (at present or these days).

Several further pieces in a similar vein were created during this period, including the previously unissued Auf unserm grnen Sofa, Reise bei Nacht, and Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte. These tracks are beautifully crafted downtempo pieces featuring smooth, jazzy piano lines combined with touches of ambient and New Age aesthetics. Auf unserm grnen Sofa stands out in particular and will likely resonate with all downtempo enthusiasts. Lutz Boberg recalls that many of these recordings were captured during a single afternoon in the studio, fueled by spontaneous ideas and creative momentum.

On tracks such as Teardrops in Your Eyes, New Love, and the haunting Dark Spirits Mix of Ghias song Whats Your Voodoo?, singer Lisa Ohm delivers soulful pop performances with her clear and captivating voice. Change Your Sex, the third track previously featured on the Mikado sampler, leans more toward late-1980s funk and was aimed at radio and DJs at the time. Its subject matter was relatively daring for the period, telling the story of someone contemplating a change of sex to get rid of the troubles.

Together with This Is and Curacao Blue, Tender Rain forms another essential chapter in the rediscovery of the bands work. More than thirty years after their creation, these recordings still sound strikingly fresh, reflecting a unique style that in many ways anticipated the rise of trip-hop in the early to mid-1990s.

The album will be available on vinyl and digitally. The digital edition includes the bonus tracks Wooden Floor as well as the instrumental Tropfstein.

Features 10 tracks, of which 7 are completely unissued
All tracks unissued on vinyl including the Dark Spirits Mix of Whats Your Voodoo?
Thick 320 g picture sleeve
Contains 30×30 cm insert with lyrics
Fully Licenced
Restored and mastered by Zoey Cairns
Vinyl Cut by Frederic Stader

Tracklist:

Side A
1. Tender Rain
2. Auf unserm grnen Sofa
3. Teardrops In Your Eyes
4. Reise bei Nacht
5. Change Your Sex

Side B
1. … und recken ihre schlanken Glieder
2. New Love
3. Was ich Dir noch sagen wollte
4. Whats Your Voodoo (Dark Spirits Mix)
5. Letzter Tanz