MIND OVER MATTER

An Eastern Wind Full of Sound and Feeling by Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock "I´ve always felt more at home with what came blown across from Asia than what I´ve found here". Of course, anyone who can convey the feel of Rishikesh and the river Ganges in his music so well, while living at the Lower Rhine must have India deep inside of him. The name of Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock´s musical project is "Mind Over Matter" and that´s no accident.

The spirit does overcome the material: melodies control sounds, individual expression transcends clichés, timeless messages leave behind short-lived trends. Born in the sign of Aquarius on the 30th of January, 1951, Klaus certainly didn´t miss out on the "Flower-Power" era. At first he found the guitar useful as a drum but soon realized that it also worked well (and even better) for accompanying songs and playing solo melodies. Two semesters of studying jazz guitar proved the fact. In the early seventies he started touring with his own first band IMPULS. "Pink Floyd" of course served as the main role model. Yet the and played on stage with groups like "Earth and Fire" and "Nektar", groups that could also offer far-out "space lightshows". "The Nektar guitarist played in a way that really blew my mind. Even today I often find myself playing in a style similar to that of Nektar", Klaus admits thirty years later. In 1976 he became the solo guitarist with the group Alma Ata. Their first LP- recording introduced him to the world of studio technique. He got to know and to appreciate electronic instruments like the Mellotron and the Mini Moog synthesiser. Although nowadays digital instruments can produce every possible sound, experts like Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock alias M.O.M. like to use the "old" warm sounds of analogue keyboards. "Even today l favour Mellotronsounds. They just sound great." Although the group Alma Ata was very professional and in that sense supported Klaus" development, he found "the conditions too chaotic" and left after two years. Meanwhile his own studio had grown. In 1981 he signed a contract with EMI. As "Cosmic Hoffmann" he achieved a certain standard of success with his single "Weltraumboogie" and had a TV-performance. But - as the title already suggests - it was a superficial and commercial track that didn´t hit the deeper emotional levels. Not very fulfilling for a musician like him.

He started preparing for his own first LP in 1983. WDR-(radio) presenter Andreas Hub was so enthusiastic about one piece of music called "Paradise" that he offered a 22 minutes-version to the IC-label. They liked it and a contract was signed. "Music For Paradise" was released in 1986 and the project "Mind Over Matter" was born - which more specifically defined means: stillness within movement, meditative journey, a melodic thread through "Ambient Trance Space". Klaus had brought home lots of voices and sounds from his long Asian tours: peace messages from tribal chiefs, mantric prayers from monks in Kathmandu, sounds of elephants trumpeting in the Burmesian jungle and ocean waves on Bali beaches. All these voices and sounds are interwoven with filigreed rhythmic patterns and form a magic web which grows and blossoms together with guitar and flute melodies, sometimes fading away sometimes becoming pristine clear again: a flowing dynamic space. The birth of his son Tim inspired Klaus - whose last name changed to Hoffmann- Hoock - to produce a second LP entitled "The Colours Of Life", released in 1988, Little Timi participated as "guest musician" in this music which expresses the wonder of life and the mystery of birth and death using a rich mixture of feelings.

The third release on ICDigit Music "Trance ´n´ Dance" is also Klaus" first CD, "Originally I come from a blues and rock background", he explains why this time his music reaches from rock and blues out into some kind of future music which at that time, in 1990, no one could foresee the impact of. Only now one can clearly say that "Trance" with its different versions of Techno, Ambient and Ethno is more than just a fad. M.O.M. has been giving live-performances all over Europe since 1989, Klaus on guitar and flute while "the guys" support him on keyboards and percussion. "For the audience this is of course more interesting than me sitting alone behind the keyboards", he remarks. The liveshow includes tasteful dances in colourful costumes, theatrical effects and a special stage setting. On "In Search of Eternity" the music is full of improvisational dynamics and demonstrates in its composition the expertise of an experienced live musician. A well-balanced synthesis of electronic music, rock and ethno. For his up to now nine CDs Klaus Hoffmann-Hoock won several electronic music prizes for "The Best Song and The Best CD of the Year" and his music is often used for TV films about Asia. With "Mind Over Matter" Klaus observes an audience listening in a way which is very different from what he had experienced in his early rock concerts. "Fans of electronic music are able to really listen and to reflect on what they hear. They have taken my music in, I think l have found many new friends." According to him "M.O.M. will keep on overcoming this stupid barrier between the "star" and the audience by having fun and enjoying a playful fantasy together."