ES7133 seven-inch features Propaganda
‘DR MABUSE – THE FIRST LIFE’ (DAVID KOSTEN MIX)
The lead track on this month’s seven-inch is a smart update of Propaganda’s 1984 debut single, ‘The Nine Lives Of Dr Mabuse’, an alluring slice of synthpop brilliance with a haunting gothic edge. Its memorable refrain of “Selling your soul / Never look back” outlines a Faustian exchange, while the orchestral synths, hefty bassline and gorgeously bittersweet third act feels almost like a film score, a fact emphasised by the stylish video that Anton Corbijn made to accompany the original single.
First released on ZTT and produced by Trevor Horn at the label’s Sarm Studios in London, ‘Dr Mabuse’ represents a high point of both songcraft and mixing desk trickery.
“I remember being in the studio with Trevor and his team, which included Gary Langan and Fairlight operator JJ Jeczalik,” says Claudia Brücken. “It was incredible to see how Trevor worked. We sat on the sofa, observing the way that he was trying things out and thinking it was amazing.”
“Trevor would not finish where other people would usually finish,” adds Ralf Dörper. “He would see levels beyond that.”
A close partnership developed between Propaganda and Horn during the recording, with the producer helping to fashion the track and contributing musical elements to fully flesh it out.
“I’d written the middle section and other parts of ‘Dr Mabuse’, but Trevor changed many of the fundamental things,” continues Dörper. “The chorus suddenly got a different bassline and the entire production took on a shape that we would never have been able to achieve by ourselves.
“If you’re a great band who can play really well, you go into an expensive studio and do a great record, but we weren’t like that. We came along with our project and we basically just had machines. We had drum boxes and we had sequencing. But I think that was interesting for Trevor too. It was very exciting and very good for everybody.”
‘DUEL’ (DAVID KOSTEN MIX)
The B-side of this release refreshes ‘Duel’, Propaganda’s gleaming follow-up single to ‘Dr Mabuse’. First released in 1985 and produced by Stephen Lipson rather than Trevor Horn, on the surface it sounds like it could be the work of a completely different band. Exactly like their debut, however, it’s distinctly and uniquely Propaganda.
“I think releasing ‘Duel’ after ‘Dr Mabuse’ was a bit of a surprise and quite risky,” says Ralf Dörper.
“If you liked ‘Dr Mabuse’, you wouldn’t necessarily like this next record. The music of ‘Duel’ was not so hard, but the meaning of the words was. In a pop context, if you listen carefully, you may find yourself shocked by it.”
With Claudia Brücken’s catchy vocals augmented by the jaunty keyboard melody and breezy chords, ‘Duel’ feels like it’s designed for the charts. But the group’s shadowy side is once again evident, the lyrics emphasising the duality of their irresistible tunes and subtly subversive storytelling. It’s a love song like no other, either before or since.
“The words definitely have a dark twist,” notes Susanne Freytag. “That was down to Ralf’s good writing. He always wanted to have those contrasts in the songs.”
The juxtaposition may well account for why the track still feels so hugely powerful all these decades later.
“I went to Mallorca with some friends around 10 years ago,” remembers Michael Mertens. “We came out of the airport and got into a taxi. We started driving, the driver switched on the radio, and there was ‘Duel’ coming out of the speakers. The same happened to me in France in the early 2000s too. I went into a public place of some kind, I think it was some restaurant, and they were playing ‘Duel’. The song has a long life and that’s simply because a lot of people really love it.”
