Lambert – I AM NOT LAMBERT

He doesn’t hide, but he does separate. The Hamburg-based pianist Lambert has worn his distinctive Sardinian carnival mask throughout his entire career. By separating his artistic persona from his true identity, he seeks to distance himself from doubt, expectations and self-examination. This creates more space for what really matters: the music. He has been playing with the mystery surrounding his identity for nine albums now. And now Lambert is back. Or perhaps he never really went away. He released a new album this year. It’s called I AM NOT LAMBERT.

I AM NOT LAMBERT sounds unmistakably like Lambert: minimalist yet atmospheric, repetitive yet exploratory. Yet the pianist takes a clear step forward here. For the first time, vocals play a prominent role on the record. Alongside his own vocals, often distorted with a vocoder, he invites artists Kat Frankie and GOODWIN to add more colour to the album. 

Although the title refers to what Lambert is not, the music reveals just how many layers there are to him. The inspiration for his songs comes from all over the place: from noughties indie-folk to jazz pianist Oscar Peterson and cult film composer John Carpenter. 

The result is an album that moves effortlessly between classical, pop and jazz, constantly drifting in a dreamy, cinematic atmosphere. With a diverse discography and years of experimentation across various genres, the question of who Lambert really is becomes only harder to answer. I AM NOT LAMBERT is not an answer, but an invitation. A game with who he is — and perhaps, above all, with who he is not.