DeVision Redux interview: ‘A Sense Of Renewal Rather Than Nostalgia’

DeVision Redux‘s Steffen Keth and Daniel Myer on “Echoes We Keep”, the Redux sound and why old songs sometimes need a different room

DeVision Redux starts with a simple idea, then immediately complicates it: familiar De/Vision songs, rebuilt with a more modern electronic body, carried by a singer whose voice already belongs to the material, and shaped by Daniel Myer, an artist who has rarely treated electronic music as a comfort zone. That combination could have produced a neat update of catalogue favourites. Instead, “Echoes We Keep” feels like a test of how much memory a song can hold before it needs another form.

The project also has a practical side, which Steffen Keth addresses directly. De/Vision Redux gives him more flexibility, a second live format and a way to play more often, while the original De/Vision remains active in a more limited capacity. Around that pragmatic decision, however, another question appears: what happens when songs that already belong to many listeners are placed under new pressure?

In this interview, Steffen Keth and Daniel Myer discuss the beginning of De/Vision Redux, the choice of “Synchronize” as the first recorded step, the title “Echoes We Keep”, the role of Daniel’s production, the live energy of the project, audience reactions and the balance between respect and risk.

DeVision Redux interview

Karo: DeVision Redux is described as a new format of De/Vision, not as the end of the original band. That distinction matters, but it also raises a deeper question: what did you need this second space for? Was there something in the De/Vision catalogue that could no longer be fully expressed through the familiar band format?

Steffen: I’d had the idea for a while. I just felt that I wanted to present various De/Vision songs with a more modern sound. I’d quit my job in the summer of 2024 and met Daniel at a party in Hamburg. He thought the idea was exciting, and in October we agreed to work together. This has allowed me to build up a second source of income alongside De/Vision, so I’m much more flexible and can simply play a lot more gigs. Thomas isn’t as flexible anymore because of his job, so with DE/VISION we’re focusing on just a few gigs a year.

Karo: Before “Echoes We Keep” became an album, De/Vision Redux already existed as a live idea. When did you realise that this was not only a different way of performing old songs, but a project with its own artistic logic?

Steffen: At first, we just had the idea of establishing DeVision Redux as a live act. After the first few shows, there was a desire to release something, so we expanded on the original concept. Now the aim is to establish and develop the Redux sound.

Daniel: If I may add something, to me its also a refreshing style in this scene, a lot of new music is getting released and it repeats the same formula, why not add something new, that listeners and dj´s can explore.

Karo: “Synchronize” was the first recorded step into this new chapter. It is interesting that you did not begin with one of the most obvious early classics, but with a later song. Why was “Synchronize” the right door into Redux?

Steffen: ‘Synchronize’ blends the old and slightly newer De/Vision sound very well, and as we wanted to release our first track quickly, we chose this particular song. It was already at a very advanced stage of production, and the positive feedback from live performances also played a part in our decision.

Karo: The title “Echoes We Keep” suggests memory, but not nostalgia in a passive or sentimental sense. An echo is never identical to the original sound; it is changed by the room that carries it. What did you want to preserve from these songs, and what did you feel ready to let go?

Daniel: I can answer that, I guess, because I also suggested the title. I felt it was necessary to bridge the old with the new, and sometimes an echo is just doing that, that’s at least how I use it sometimes, when I make music. My main idea was, to treat the material, the songs, as the classic songs they are. I was/am a fan of the classic songs, so I tried to keep the structures, the depth and emotions of the songs. I think, I only went a couple of times a little „too“ far and changed the feel a little bit, but in general my attempt was only, to give the old a new polish.

Karo: Daniel is not simply a producer brought in to modernise the sound. He has his own very strong language: physical, precise, detailed, sometimes severe, but also emotional in a different way. What did Daniel understand about De/Vision that made you trust him with material carrying so much history?

Steffen: I’ve known Daniel for quite some time; even though we’ve hardly been in touch, I’ve kept an eye on his work. I simply like the variety of his output; I like the fact that he doesn’t just focus on one thing. He loves music, and that’s important to me. Broadening horizons, not standing still, but always being on the lookout for new influences. That’s the approach I’d been looking for.

Daniel: Plus we crossed paths a few times before, I did a few remixes in the 90ies, we toured together and Steffen was even singing on one of our Haujobb Songs (Violator)

Karo: De/Vision songs have lived with you for decades, but they also live inside the audience, often connected to very personal memories. When you sing these Redux versions now, do you feel closer to your own past, or strangely freer from it?

Steffen: Personally, I don’t associate the REDUX versions with the past. They’re meant to work in the present, and that works brilliantly for me. Of course, everyone associates something different with De/Vision, and we’ve also made sure that the basic essence of the songs isn’t lost. For me, however, DeVision Redux represents a slightly more modern sound, which is also intended to convey that feeling.

Karo: The REDUX versions are more electronic, more direct, more club oriented and often more reduced. Reduction can be merciless, because it removes places where emotion can hide. Did this new sound make your voice and the lyrics feel more exposed than before?

Steffen: There’s a different energy on stage, and as a singer, I naturally try to convey that. The fans’ reaction shows me that I’m on the right track.

Daniel: My idea was also, to give the voice more space, not for every songs, but sometimes, he needs to breathe and shine, so for some tracks I tried to give that space and momentum….

Karo: Some songs survive transformation easily, while others resist it. How did you decide which De/Vision tracks were strong enough for this treatment? Were there any songs that surprised you because they suddenly opened up in the Redux format?

Steffen: Daniel and I made the selection together. We wanted to create around 20 songs as REDUX versions. Daniel was solely responsible for the production. And yes, there were a few tracks that really blew me away. ‘Strange Affection’, “Addict”, ‘Deliver Me’ and a few more. There were also tracks we struggled with at first. Sometimes it just takes a while to find the right approach.

Daniel: Exactly, for some songs the new treatment felt foreign, alienated, even though I tried my best to keep the original feeling and I think, that was the mistake there. Sometimes a little too much respect to the original material is not good;)

Karo: De/Vision have always balanced melancholy and movement, romanticism and clarity, emotional directness and electronic control. Did working on “Echoes We Keep” make you recognise certain patterns in your songwriting that have remained constant across the years?

Daniel: Steffen didn´t answer this, so I am not sure, if I am here to fill in, but for me it felt like, that Steffen has no patterns, as you can see in his other new project Bittersweet Dance Club. He is somehow true to himself, writing pop music, but always exploring new ground, I like that about him.

Karo: The stage seems essential to this project. Devision Redux is not just a studio reinterpretation, but also a live experience with a different physical pressure. What changes in the room when these songs are performed in this leaner, more electronic form?

Steffen: As I mentioned earlier, the atmosphere on stage is changing, and the audience seems to be acting a bit more freely too. I sense more movement in the room, a certain relaxed, laid-back vibe. And the most important thing about the whole thing is that everyone should enjoy themselves and spread a bit of joy.

Daniel: And joyful it is. Sometimes it is even a little standup comedy on stage. We have so many stories to share between Steffen and me, and the audience, of course. We both have a history of more than 35 years on stage and we see familiar faces in front of us, but we also try to keep it entertaining and fun. I improvise a lot in between the more or less structured set and sometimes happy accidents happen. But I also love all my music and I feel a lot the emotions in the songs and when I have the monitors on stage extra loud I really dive into the music and let myself go and vibe with it;)

Karo: The audience comes to these songs with recognition, memory and expectation, but Redux also asks them to accept disruption. What has surprised you most in the reaction so far? Do people respond more to what they remember, to what has changed, or to the tension between both?

Steffen: We were quite surprised that most of the fans who came to our shows reacted very positively. Of course, there are also fans who don’t like the new format, but we’re also hoping to attract new listeners with it. There were, and still are, many listeners who thought De/Vision no longer existed. After all, it’s been eight years since the last regular De/Vision album. But what we found funniest was the comment that some people thought we were a De/Vision cover band. The most important thing for us is that we must feel good about it, that the tracks must feel right.

Karo: Reopening one’s own history can easily become nostalgic, decorative or too respectful. DeVision Redux avoids that by sounding very present, sometimes almost uncompromising. When you look at this project now, does it feel like a way of preserving De/Vision’s past, or more like a way of protecting its future?

Steffen: I think that DeVision Redux speaks more to the present and the future. Of course, it’s not meant to deny the past, and there are certainly plenty of old elements in the tracks, but REDUX signals a sense of renewal rather than nostalgia. I’ve also noticed, however, that there are listeners who only became aware of De/Vision through DeVision Redux. After almost 40 years, there are still surprises to be had.

Daniel: Amen;)