Hear and purchase physical editions of the group’s 1992 now.
Brooklyn institution Captured Tracks have released a second compilation of material from dormant German studio project Saâda Bonaire.
Originally helmed by Ralph “von” Richthoven and singers Claudia Hossfeld and Stephanie Lange in collaboration with an international cast of instrumentalists, Saâda Bonaire’s lifespan was a fractured one that faced its tribulations. The Bremen group’s trajectory suffered at the hands of an ill-fated deal with EMI, leading their alluring and genre-agnostic output to remain largely unheard for decades until Mike Sniper’s burgeoning independent label signed up for the release of the self-titled compilation album Saâda Bonaire in 2013.
Now the two entities have convened once more for the release of a sophomore compilation album. 1992 excavates material from the little-known second incarnation of the band that materialised during the early 1990s and steeped in prevalent sounds of the time such as hip-hop and trip-hop. Richthoven believed the music birthed from this iteration of the group to be lost until last year when he fortuitously found a cassette tape labelled “Saâda Bonaire ’91” at a relative’s home, subsequently igniting the search for a usable copy of the sequestered recordings.
In addition to compiling a slew of newly unearthed original material, 1992 also offers up the group’s interpretations of Stevie Wonder and Syreeta’s ‘To Know You Is To Love You’ and James Brown’s ‘Woman’.
Stream Saâda Bonaire’s 1992, inclusive of their heady take on ‘Woman’ below.
1992 is out now via Captured Tracks. Purchase the album on black and sea blue vinyl variants here.
Words by Sam Wilkinson.
Like this article? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more.
Fruit and Grooves Collective 