‘Tomorrow's Here to Stay’ by Andy Korg
He returns after a break that lasted a little longer than planned. Months turned into years, and a band member transformed into a solo artist.
With ‘Tomorrow's Here to Stay’, Andy Korg delivers electropop flavoured with the essence of the 80s. This amazing electro-pop sound is in a class of its own, impresses with catchy melodies harmonising with a pulsating synth bass groove, sailing to new musical shores in the wake of a driving beat. The song's mood is both melancholic and euphoric, with a playful and meticulously chosen sound palette creating a grandiose spectrum that, if described in colours, ranges from pastel to neon.
‘Tomorrow's Here to Stay’ is a wonderful piece of music and promises to be just the beginning. If the following singles maintain this quality, we can eagerly look forward to the coming months.
Q&A
How did your passion for music begin and what are the main influences behind your musical style?
My passion for music began at an early age. Having been in the business for over 20 years, it was a completely different time back then. It became exciting for me when it suddenly became possible to produce music on any PC without having to invest in outrageously expensive samplers. Just a few years earlier, this would have been impossible without taking out a loan for equipment.
Suddenly, everyone could tinker with Logic or Cubase. Ableton Live also came out around that time in its first version. This development was definitely the spark for me.
My major influences were certainly the big heroes of that time. From Aphex Twin—pretty much all the Warp acts—to Daft Punk and Prodigy, all the way to Amon Tobin and everything that was being released on Ninja Tune.
What's the story behind your stage name "Andy Korg"?
In Austria, there’s a famous Schlager star named Andy Borg. I found it funny back then to combine the name of this Schlager star with the music brand "Korg"—I had a lot of their equipment at the time. For my comeback, I spent a long time searching for another name, but unfortunately, I couldn’t come up with a better one that wasn’t already taken on Spotify.
What was the inspiration behind your fantastic release, *Tomorrow's Here to Stay*, and what’s the story behind it?
You might think it has a bit of *Empire of the Sun* or *Tame Impala* when you listen to the song. In reality, the song just came out of me without much thought. Of course, during the process, you listen to tracks by other artists and get influenced by them. But in the end, I always end up with something completely different.
Right now, I’m simply searching for the perfect pop song :) That’s really the whole story behind it. Trying to get as many people as possible hooked on an earworm.
How would you describe your creative process?
It usually starts with a simple beat. Then a melody comes in. At some point, the beat becomes more complex, the arrangement develops, and then you get dissatisfied, throw everything away, and start again. It’s basically absolute hell until you suddenly hit upon a good idea. From that moment on, it becomes fun, and sometimes things happen really quickly.
What was the reason for the return after such a long time?
After the end of my two bands, *A.G.Trio* and *AGES*, I took an 8-year break. Not intentionally, but a short break suddenly turned into an extremely long one. And during that time, I didn’t miss anything. But apparently, something was building up, and it had to come out suddenly. This resulted in me standing there with 15 new song sketches, wondering what I was supposed to do with them. And since my former bandmates have gone into early musical retirement, the logical step was to try it solo this time.
Reflecting on the period since your debut, what aspects of the music industry have improved, and what areas have declined?
Streaming has changed everything. Albums have lost all significance and are basically just a side product now. Thousands of new acts appear on Spotify every day, as anyone can now release music with online distributors and completely without a label. And, of course, they’re all fighting for attention. So it’s become both easier and harder at the same time. Who is your dream conversation partner for music, regardless of their living status?
Before I released *Tomorrow's Here to Stay*, I met with Parov Stelar, played him all the new tracks, and had a little chat about the business. I’ve been friends with Parov for a long time—although we’ve unfortunately lost touch a bit in recent years.
But I’ve kept up with everything he’s been doing. I honestly can’t think of anyone else I would have a lot of questions for. I once met Aphex Twin at the Ars Electronica Festival. But I was so starstruck that I didn’t dare to speak to him. Besides, they say "never meet your heroes."
What are your goals for the near future?
To keep releasing music. My current plan is to release a single every 6 weeks. And, of course, to find the perfect pop song :)
NenesButler - Indie Music Blog
