Melodic Reflections

Dubai-based artiste Michael Richter releases his latest album of adult contemporary music.

It is rare to come across an international recording artiste residing in Dubai. Pianist-composer Michael Richter is one of them.

So what brings him to these shores? "Firstly, to be with my wife who's been here for the last six years and secondly, my gut feeling that Dubai has a lot of potential for adult contemporary music, my kind of music," he says. For a feel of that music, check out his latest, an album titled Reflections - The Instrumentals II that was released last week.

It's been a long trip for Richter from Berlin to Dubai. Born in Germany and adopted by a German couple, Michael was raised in the United States where he trained in piano for 13 years. He then received a degree in audio engineering from Full Sail Center for the Recording Arts in Orlando, Florida.

Richter has been hooked on music from a very early age. "My parents used to play a lot of classical records at home, like Beethoven, Mozart and other composers, those were my early influences," he says. No surprise then that he composed his first minuet at the age of 6.

"My music is purely instrumental, more on the lines of Yanni and Richard Clayderman," says Richter.

"My music is very different," he claims, adding, "It's relaxing and very soothing; you can listen to it while driving or when you want to chill out. It's different from the regular charged stuff that you hear today such as chart or DJ music. People really need to slow down these days and my music offers that luxury." His earlier album Lost For Words was released in Dubai last December and has done very well, he says.

Richter's skills are not restricted to making music. He has designed and engineered a line of organs together with a team while working for the Thomas Organ Company in the United States. The company has already sold 10,000 of that line of keyboards. Besides that, he has also been a concert artiste for Roland, one of the foremost professional keyboard manufacturers in the world.

But his first love endures. Richter composes his own music, plays all the instruments on his tracks and also masters his own recordings.

So how long does it take Richter to compose a Track? " Anything from 5 minutes to 5 months, it all depends on the mood. I am currently working on some new material which will be out soon, hopefully, in December," he says. His forthcoming project is titled Imagine.

Richter also has scored music for companies such as Sony, MBC and other regional broadcasters in Dubai. He has also composed part of the soundtrack for the documentary film, From Dust, which was screened at the recent Dubai International Film Festival and the Tribecca Film Festival last month in New York.

For a musician, inspiration is the key, and for Richter, Dubai provides plenty of it. " Dubai is a great place," he says. "There's so much to inspire you here and to which you can look towards for inspiration, the fabulous beaches, the great outdoors." And its venues. "I'm planning to perform for a concert at the Madinat Theatre soon." he reveals.

What is reflections about

Reflections is a cross-cultural instrumental album which has Richter's distinctive sound and soothing compositions. The tunes are sure to put listeners in an uplifting mood.

"The album came about from my belief that life is about reflecting and learning from your enriching experiences. After spending time in silence, away from the stage, I had the time to travel and exchange ideas with people from all over the world and from all walks of life. Being influenced by different cultures is a creative process. I feel we are all connected in someway," says Richter.

"In each of my tracks, I have tried to describe my personal experiences. My album is a reflection of the sum of those experiences. I believe this album is global," he says.

"My dream is to unite lifestyles with my music making it easy for people from all over the world to relate to. That's why I decided to launch Reflections in Dubai which I believe is a melting pot of all cultures," he says.

Reflections - The Instrumentals II is available at Virgin Megastores in the UAE.