Klaus Waldeck, the grand vizier of the Viennese electronic music scene, dedicates his seventh studio album to genies and Scheherazades. The Moon and the Orient enchants with an oriental atmosphere and a great sense of mystery, wonder and surprise.

With the usual precision, the compositions explore the playful forms of the chosen genre and yet ultimately fit into the unmistakable Waldeck sound, which is familiar and likeable. The album relies slightly more on electronic means than its predecessors, but still remains subtle and approachable; tasteful anyway. The rhythms often creep out of their baskets like cobras and maintain the tension from the first to the last bar. Longing and exoticism caress and fuel cool arrangements, hidden desires urge for resolution and return. The genie is never completely free, but never completely powerless either. Whoever releases the 12 Waldeck genies locked in their oil lamps will inspire ears and hearts for at least 1001 nights: on the dancefloor, in the ballroom or wherever the heart is looking for love.

Featured vocalist Patrizia Ferrara is also back again. She has been a constant musical companion since 2017 and gilds the album with a beguiling performance. Zeebee and drag artist Lucy McEvil can also be heard on the album. Other members of Waldeck's oriental salon orchestra include bassist Philipp Moosbrugger, drummer Alex Pohn, clarinetist Herbert Swoboda and guitarist Thomas Hechenberger.

Under expert guidance from Patrizia Ferrara, the lively single “Come with me Mambo” invites you to dance barefoot, “Bring on the Thrill” turns into a Technicolor panorama of the lost splendour of Beirut or Tehran, “Sweet Surrender” joins the Great American Songbook as an addendum and the hymn of longing “Someday” lets you dream of a peaceful future.

The album is released on Waldeck's own label Dope Noir Records, which recently celebrated its twentieth anniversary.