Dear readers, we propose in this article the interview with Dieter Hoffmann, multi-instrumentalist
and creator of the starfish64 project, who in May released the new album “Scattered Pieces Of
Blue.“
Hi how are you?
Hi Jacopo, thanks for having us for this interview. Well, I’m fine. Two and a half months after the release of “Scattered pieces of blue”, it looks like our listeners really like it. We have already received some great feedback and reviews including the one on your site.It also does quite fine on all the streaming services, better than all our releases before. And surprisingly we even sold more CDs than expected. So we are really happy about it.
You created the starfish64 project in 2006, how did the idea for this band come from?
I had been a singer in a couple of bands from the late 1980s to ca. 2003. In the early 2000s however, I grew tired somehow of band restrictions, rehearsals, compromises and the way songs were developed. So I stepped back for some time. Starfish64 was born 2006, in those early days of social media with the now long gone “myspace”, where I posted some demo recordings with no real intention and just for the fun of it. To my surprise, I received some great feedback. An old friend of mine, whom I had lost touch with, discovered the song “On either side” on my myspace site and suggested to record it properly and release it on his then new own label. It was funny, I realised with social media, suddenly my music was able to go to places I ever thought of in the old analogue days. And that was only the beginning of it. It was possible to connect with musicians from all around the world. For me it was a whole new approach to make music and reach an audience who likes it. I think that was the point, where starfish64 became something that I really wanted to get into more seriously.
Your genre is a mix of Prog and Art Rock, what are your sources of inspiration?
I am a music addict since my early childhood days, a record-collector and always curious for new music and artists. My older brother introduced me to at lot of progressive rock and rock music very early. I was only maybe 8 years old then. I discovered Genesis in 1976 and became a lifelong fan. So progressive rock is in my DNA. But I am not a prog purist. There’s quite a range of other genres I love to listen to from hard rock, alternative to folk and pop. And still today, I am always eager to discover new artists. I like songs with a good melody and good lyrics. Also a pop-song may have both. So listening to music is always an inspiration and motivation for my own song-writing. Lyrically I am more a kind of observer nowadays. The songs on the album deal with the lives of it-Girls, stalkers, vanished people and of course an impact of an asteroid.
The new album “Scattered Pieces Of Blue” was released on May 2022, how would you describe this work?
As you already mentioned our new album is a mixture of styles. The utopia suite has a spacey prog-rock feel. The shorter and more concise tracks like „Blue piece“, „Birdsong“ and „Forget me not“ contain a scoop of eighties nostalgia combined with the more accessible side of bands like Marillion or Supertramp for example. We wanted a certain wingspan of styles that still go together well, to make the album a pleasant listen as a whole. All the tracks have their own character and trademarks, but they all work together well. It took us some time to decide for the track selection and running order, but I think it was worth it.
Numerous guests have been added to the lineup, what did they bring to the sound of the album?
Starfish64 is not a band in usual terms. It is more like an open collective with a core line-up. Usually I record a demo as the framework for a finished song. For example, Martin never listens much to my demo bass lines. He always comes up with his own ideas. It’s basically the same the guitar-players Nick, Jörg and Jan and other guests. With nowadays technologies it’s possible to fool around at lot with the recordings to test different ideas of arrangements and sound. As a result a lot of tracks develop quite a bit from the first
demo to the final version. The players surely leave their mark on it. In addition to it, often there is quite a discussion about the arrangements and songs itself. In a positive way, of course. Henrik and myself in particular have a very open sense of discussing our music. His influence is bigger than you would usually expect from a drummer.
Given the presence of many guests, it will be possible to listen to your live music, do you have any plans for this?
We have been rehearsing for a live-set during the time before Covid-19. We were only at the beginning of it and it became obvious, that we did need at least a keyboard/piano player and maybe an additional guitarist. But it all came to a halt with the pandemic. Thinking of it now, I have the feeling, that it is big commitment and it needs to re-arrange some of the songs for a live-performance. I would love to make it happen, but I think it’s a long way off.
From 2006 to today how has the sound of the band evolved and changed?
In 2006 it all started mostly as a true „Bedroom-rock“ thing. I had just started working with recording software. The first album was a different thing as well, as it was recorded with the production mostly handled by my friend Tobias and his then backing band. Over the years my recording skills developed to an extend, that I was able to handle most of the stuff myself. As a result I was able to develop kind of a signature sound for starfish64, which is heavily influenced by my own favourites.
The overall idea developed over a couple of years, is a sound in the classic prog-rock sound, but song-based and accessible. Personally I’m not much interested in music that shows of musical skills in first place. Weird time signatures for the sake of weird time signatures don’t make sense to me. So I find myself closer to the likes of Pink Floyd than with a band like Dream Theater. Both are great bands in their own terms, of course. A writer from Germany recently likened us to Icehouse, and I thought yes, their music has atmosphere and great song-writing.
That’s where my focus is as well.
Even if you have just released the new album, are there any future plans for other
releases?
Basically I am always working on something. However at the moment there is no concept for a follow-up to „Scattered pieces“. We have some left-overs from it. Some good tracks, that simply didn’t fit the overall idea of the album. Martin has recorded a couple of songs as well. Two of them seem to be suitable sound wise for a starfish64 album. There’s a suite in the making dealing with love in times of tinder and finally I occasionally work on remixes/re-recordings of past releases.
You see, there’s a kettle of opportunities for going into more seriously. But let’s see…
The Prog and Art Rock sounds have changed and evolved over time, how do you see the future of the genre?
It’s funny, but it seems that prog-rock does have quite a good reputation nowadays. Back, when I was young, it was mostly written down by the music-press. Even it was successful, like Marillion in the eighties, it was branded as uncool, dated and what-ever. These days you find young bands, still influenced by the heroes of their mums and dads. I think, the internet helps a lot to get people get into prog-rock as there aren’t gatekeepers who say: „Don’t ya, it’s crap…“ If there’s a good thing about Youtube and streaming, then it’s the fact that some walls have been turned down, so young people can discover prog-rock more easily. But let’s be honest, it’s only a niche, but it exists and it won’t cease to exist.
What advice would you give to young artists who decide to offer more sophisticated
music like yours?
Well, we’re not as successful to give much advice. But I think you need patience and some kind of stamina in this genre. First of all you need to make music for right reason. It’s not about seeing yourself on the stage. It’s about a good song, a good album. I think you can only be good as an artist, if you really feel at home with the kind of music, you are making. So if your true home is prog-rock, then try it.
I thank Dieter and starfish64 for the pleasant interview, wishing him the best for the continuation of his artistic career.
Thank you, it was a pleasure answering your questions.
All the best you and your loved ones.
Read our review of the album here: https://progrockjournal.com/review-starfish64-scattered-pieces-of-blue/