A sneak preview video builds anticipation for Stefan Drechsel's debut album Here and Now; release date moved to Christmas

(PRWEB UK) 31 July 2012

The video released on YouTube plays a selection of six songs from Here and Now and displays beautiful and mesmerising video sequences. Stefan Drechsel who directed, shot and edited the videos uses simple ideas to visualise his music. For some songs he displays a running fountain in close-up, a slowly floating ice shield, a reflection of the sun bouncing on water, or a leaf held against the dazzling sun. The music is equally imaginative, as Stefan Drechsel?s music stems from the simplicity of voice and acoustic guitar, occasionally layered with piano and electric guitar, resulting in rich and moving sounds.

?Completing the album is like a dream come true. I am currently adding the finishing touches and I don?t see why I should rush the release.? says Stefan Drechsel. ?Publishing the preview video now is very special as people can already explore parts of my album before its release?

The preview video shows that Stefan Drechsel music, which has been described as an unusual blend of Leonard Cohen, John Martyn and early Coldplay, is inviting by nature. Here and Now welcomes the listener to explore hidden moments of magic, infinite possibilities and reconnects one with things extraordinary, precious and real. Original and moving, Here and Now is familiar like an old friend leading you home, with a soulful energy that will warm your heart.

The Blue Yonder is the first single from the album and lays the blueprint for the journey ahead. Soft vocals lead you through quiet melodic memories before the heart-soaring crescendo of the chorus throws you into an uplifting world filled with emotions, eventually sliding down into a lucid interval of stillness, as if from beyond.

Stefan Drechsel?s passion and sensitivity are engrained in his lyrics. In the soulful St James Park he contemplates ?The leaves on the trees that rustle in the air create a space, that makes me aware of the warmth and the sunshine of her face?. He intends for his lyrics to be open so that everyone can experience the song as their own.

Optimism weaves through every song on the album, even those exploring the darker aspects of life. Stefan Drechsel says: ?Here and Now covers the whole spectrum of emotions. I want my music to be accessible and real, but nothing stays dark forever. Even from the most murky places light and hope will always exist.?

Fools of Love ? an enchanting duet with Honduran/British singer Cecilia Delgado ? is one such song, where both the longing and uplifting side of love can be felt, and will be the second single released from the album. September, the one of two songs sung in German, tells of death and separation but expressed peacefully in lightness.

Early Morning Sun illustrates how Stefan Drechsel masterfully arranges his music around pauses, creating an undeniably calming effect and moments to breathe. ?The space in between the notes is where the music happens? reflects the singer songwriter, echoing Miles Davis famous statement. He sets a rhythm in the listener without using any percussion on Here and Now. As Stefan Drechsel says, ?rhythm is something that happens in everyone naturally.?

The video journey concludes perfectly with Peace where Stefan Drechsel?s intricate handling of the acoustic guitar echos the Malian Ali Farka Toure. The song is about the freedom found when we stop ?running hard to be fast enough?. When we accept the mystery of life and stop struggling to know, suddenly we are in the blue yonder.

Here and Now will be released on Moving Closer Records in December 2012. Stefan Drechsel?s European tour will follow take place in winter 2012/13.

Watch the preview video with samples from Stefan Drechsel's debut album Here and Now on: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPuPfb6L9Gg