From the percolator to the synthesiser – By Enid Chua

Locals at the Wanneroo Markets will know Guido Negraszus as their resident coffee maker. Ask him anything about coffee, from what an affogatto is, to the best way to store coffee beans and he can tell you what you need to know. But mention his music and you may see a twinkle behind the glasses of a man living his two dream careers.

As far as the genres of new age, chill out and electronica music go, people may only recognise a small handful of artists. But the challenge of composing and producing music in these non-mainstream genres has not stopped Negraszus from his lifelong passion. His CDs sell throughout The Netherlands and Germany, as well as at his weekend café business. Together with overseas sales, more than 2000 copies of his work are sold annually, which is considerable by independent musician standards.

At 39, Negraszus speaks with a hint of a German accent and often rests his index finger and thumb on his chin while in thought. “I think there’s a lot of bad music out there in terms of aggressive loud sounds,” he says. “If you just switch on the TV there’s a lot of noise. . . I want to be on the other side to calm people, so they can really chill out.”

The boom in online music download portals such as Apple iTunes have allowed Negraszus’ music to spread globally, with sales in other parts of Europe, South-East Asia, America and Canada.
Over the past 15 years, Negraszus has independently written and produced 11 CDs in his home studio, appropriately named Time-2-Dream. “Composing music is an emotional thing,” Negraszus explains.
“You’re not just sitting there, but are completely away with your thoughts. “It takes so much concentration that if the phone rings and it’s a telemarketer, I go completely nuts.” He laughs with an undertone of seriousness, and savours every drop of his espresso between conversation.

Negraszus uses websites such as artistlaunch.com to promote his melodic compositions. He likes the way the Internet allows him to interact with fans directly. “The Internet is good for independent artists like me, because we can now expose our music to practically anywhere,” he says. “Before we were dependent on record labels and if [record companies] didn’t like you, they wouldn’t sign you. “With the Internet, it’s a different game.” Dutch radio station Radio Ridderkerk host Tim van Veen has been playing Negrazsus’ music for 15 years. Van Veen says the new age and electronica scene is not as popular as it was 10 years ago. “The possibility to produce a CD is now within reach for everyone,” he says. “But. . . to make a real living out of it is difficult for almost everyone in this scene. “The big ones like Vangelis, Kitaro, Jarre and [Australia’s] own Ken Davis are excluded from that of course. “Good music will always survive.” Perhaps Negraszus is heading in the right direction.

Days before Christmas last year (2004), the track Westcoast Heights from Negraszus’ CD Mirage was chosen by the National Film and Sound Archive to be catalogued and preserved as a contribution to Australia’s contemporary music culture. Tracks from his other CDs have also charted highly on online music charts, such as mp3.com.au ― where Negraszus was most popular new age artist last December ― and Internet music platform BeSonic.com. BeSonic was the most trafficked legal music download site in Germany before going offline last December.

Negraszus’ track The Blue Planet stayed at number one on their new-age chart for many weeks and was the Best Title of 2003 in Germany’s popular radio program, Schwingungen (Waves).

But the journey to the top was after years of hard work, dedication and countless episodes of The Simpsons. For Negraszus, his love for music started in humble beginnings. The youngest of three sons, Negraszus was born in a small town near Cologne, Germany.  At 13, he started playing the organ, which was an unused Christmas present belonging to his father. Four years later, Negraszus used his hard earned pocket money to buy his first Casio keyboard. Negraszus says his family’s skeptical attitude towards music did not prevent him from pursuing his career.

After serving his time with the German army, Negrazsus studied at the School of Audio Engineering Institute in Sydney for two years. SAE is the largest multimedia, audio engineering and digital film college in the world.  SAE Perth college manager Dean Pearson says there is a big emphasis on dance and independent bands in today’s music industry, but equipment usage across all music interests are similar.
“The main change in the industry is that there are a lot more of the home studio musicians coming through,” he says. “Twenty years ago [graduate students] were specifically looking for a sound engineering job.”

Negraszus graduated as a Tonmeister, Master in Sound Engineering. His sound expertise gave him the opportunity to travel abroad working for various electronic companies and engineering schools, including Sony. It was in Singapore, Negraszus met his wife Serene. The couple migrated to Perth in 2001.
As his number one fan, Serene is supportive of her husband’s dream. “I think his music is like a mistress,” Serene giggles. “It demands a lot of his time. . . but it gives him a lot of joy.”

Negraszus’ other passion, coffee, encouraged him to open a branch of The Coffee Connection in Wangara, which keeps him busy on the weekends. “It was hard to make a living out of just music when you’re not signed,” he says. “I knew I never wanted to work for anyone again and the café meant I still had time for my music.” He receives his musical inspiration from landscapes and people he meets, often while travelling. These are often reflected in Negraszus’ song titles. Another source of Negraszus’ inspiration comes from the lyrics and melodies of his favourite artists including Sting, Peter Gabriel, Enya, Pink Floyd and Jean Michel Jarre. Negraszus has no desire to be recognised in public like a celebrity superstar. He rarely performs live and gladly prefers his anonymous appearance. “There’s a lot of people in this world who always say they wish they did something,” he says. “I’m just happy I’m doing what I love.”

Negraszus considers his lifestyle far from the glitz and glamour, but enjoys the occasional luxury of a Cuban cigar, and Indian or Thai dinner. His advice to aspiring composers reflects his ambitious personality.
“Always do what you want to do and don’t get distracted by people who tell you not to, because they are only thinking of the commercial side,” he says. “Never give up. “Believe in what you’re doing and go for it.”
Negraszus now plans to learn the piano to further expand the variety of sounds in his music.
“There are probably a million better ways to make a living,” he laughs. “But having said that, I would always do it again.”

Enid Chua in 2005