"Roosevelt makes dance music for people who don't dance because they're too depressed. It's commercial but it cuts deep, like New Order in Ibiza".
Paul Lester, The Guardian
Dance-pop singer-songwriter and producer Roosevelt (Marius Lauber) may bring the 26th President of the United States to mind, but Lauber actually hails from Cologne, Germany. This geographic incongruence is mirrored in his music. Currently signed to UK-based label Greco-Roman (which also signed-on JeanGa and George), his ’80s balladeer aesthetic - which draws from shoegaze, disco and house - would seem right at home at a late night party in a LA mansion by the beach.
"Belong" is a single from his self-titled debut album, which was released this year. Its dance-floor ready production provides hypnotic momentum, while Lauber's thoughtful, understated and slightly morose vocals and pop-leaning lyrics help create a slightly grandiose and psychedelic portrait of introspection:
'Trying all this timeAll those passing daysChasing me in the nightMust know your faceSee you from inside
Running aroundHold me till you're gone, yeahSpinning aroundSee where we belong
Take me back in timeIt's tearing us apartI can make you mineFall back to the startAll those passing daysChasing me in the nightHas fallen into placeNow we're out of sight'
Lyrics:
Though the lyrics are relatively non-specific, the song's subject matter could have been inspired by Lauber's peripatetic music career, which saw him relocate from the small town of Viersen to the relatively small city of Cologne (population size: 1 million) to Berlin, and then to DJ exclusive clubs and play at festivals around the world as part of the extended family of his London-based label Greco-Roman. 'Spinning around/ See where we belong' could be a reflection of Lauber's loss of geographical rootedness, and the mild sense of excitement that comes with not knowing exactly where one is headed.
