Claudia Brücken / Night Mirror Dolby Atmos Mix, reviewed 

Jonathan Cornell on the new David Kosten Dolby Atmos mix of Night Mirror 

German singer/songwriter Claudia Brücken first found success during the mid-1980s as lead singer of the synth-pop Propaganda, who went on to release the chart-topping debut album A Secret Wish through ZTT Records in July 1985. Following Propaganda’s dissolution, she joined with Scottish musician Thomas Leer to form a short-lived project called Act (the duo’s sole studio outing, Laughter, Tears and Rage, was released in June 1988). Her first solo LP, Love: And a Million Other Things, arrived via Island Records in February 1991. 

In 2022, Brücken unexpectedly reunited with former Propaganda bandmate Susanne Freytag and A Secret Wish producer Stephen Lipson to record new music under the name of xPropaganda. The resulting album, The Heart Is Strange (No 2 in the SDE Surround Series), received critical acclaim and went on to reach No 11 on the UK album charts. Now, just over three years later, she’s back with a new solo release – Night Mirror – due out via Demon Music Group on 4 July.

Night Mirror was written and recorded in London between 2023 and 2025, with longtime collaborator John Williams (The Housemartins, Alison Moyet, Blancmange, Simple Minds) serving as producer. The album is available in a variety of physical editions, including CD, vinyl, and a standalone blu-ray audio disc sold exclusively through the SDE Shop. In addition to the high-resolution stereo stream, the blu-ray also contains a Dolby Atmos mix of Night Mirror created by acclaimed British artist and producer David Kosten. 

Though he’s still relatively new to the world of immersive music (his first spatial remix, Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, was released in June of 2023), Kosten has quickly made a name for himself in this space. Over the past two years, he’s gone on to create stunning new Atmos mixes of iconic releases such as Paul Young’s No Parlez (1983), Keane’s Hopes and Fears (2004), the Thompson Twins’ Into The Gap (1984), and Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s 2001 single ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’. 

I’m pleased to report that the Dolby Atmos mix of Night Mirror is an absolutely-thrilling experience on my 7.1.4 system. The densely-layered production lends itself perfectly to the immersive format, and Kosten’s isn’t shy about engaging the side, rear, and height speakers to fully-engulf the listener with sound. xPropaganda’s The Heart Is Strange remains one of my favorite entries in the SDE Surround Series thus far – Stephen Lipson did an incredible job mixing that album in Atmos – and I’d argue this spatial mix is just as impressive, if not more so. 

The opening track, ‘My Life Started Today‘, sets the stage for the immersive experience. Claudia Brücken’s voice appears mostly confined to the front, spread across the left, center, and right speakers. Mellotron strings take the left side surround, with lead guitar highlights floating way off to the right–touching the front right, side right, and front right height channels – and the rhythm section firmly rooted upfront. Towards the end, the vocal refrain (‘you better change…’) amusingly jumps into the side speakers. 

The sequencer intro to ‘Rosebud‘ travels from front-to-rear, quickly giving way to the pulsating rhythm section from upfront. Keys and hammond organ hover over the listener’s left shoulder, while the electric rhythm guitar stays locked to the side right speaker and percussion floats overhead from the rear height channels. During the second verse, vocal harmonies (‘…a lot less smoke’) suddenly emerge from behind. An acoustic guitar part suddenly appears in the side surrounds just after the three-minute mark, followed by different sets of vocals alternating between the front (“havе we used our time wisеly?”) and rear (“have we lived each day?”) height channels. 

The piano moves primarily to the front height speakers for ‘All That We Ever Have‘ with the bass synth in the side surrounds. Backing vocals (“call when you’re feeling wise…”) ping-pong between the side surround channels to extremely cool effect. A sequencer partner continuously drifts back-and-forth between the front and rear speakers, while the lead vocals (“rise when you try to fall…”) again move to the sides at a key moment. 

‘Sound and the Fury‘ the second single released ahead of the full album, kicks off with different keyboard parts battling diagonally between the front left and rear right speakers as percussion emerges from the sides. There’s an especially fun moment just before the one-minute mark, where the electronic snare drum travels counterclockwise from the front left speaker up into the rear right height. A pair of chugging electric guitars pop up on the side during the second verse, along with percussion from the rear. 

Moving into ‘The Only Ones‘, electronic percussion emanates from the left side surround as different guitar parts trade off left-to-right behind the listener. Harmony vocals (“is this the start of something new?”) gently emerge from the rear height speakers. The front heights supply acoustic strumming, while strings float behind and above the listener. 

Electronic percussion appears suspended between the front and front height speakers for ‘Funny The Things‘ with guitars in the sides and what sounds like a double-tracked banjo popping up in the rear right around the 30-second mark. Strings and backing vocals (“when I think of all the twists and turns…”) appear from behind for the chorus. The narration towards the end sits mostly in the front right height speaker, while a higher-register harmony moves to the left side surround on the fade. 

‘Sincerely‘ is one my favorite tracks on the album both musically and from a spatial mix perspective, as Kosten makes particularly playful use of the extended space. The “sincerely” vocal refrain appears over your left shoulder, while repeating chants of “waited so long” rain down from overhead. Electric rhythm guitars percolate from the sides, with double-tracked harmonies (“all I know right now…”) locked to the back speakers. 

The funky ‘Shadow Dancer’ is another standout. It starts with a pinging synth line in the left side surround, giving way to the bass synth upfront and percussion from behind. Guitar licks burst from the right side, while backing vocals and strings hover between the rear surround and rear height speakers. 

‘To Be Loved‘ is the longest track on the album, clocking in at just under eight minutes. The piano floats out between the front and side speakers, with a sequencer line percolating in the rear heights. Strings extend across the side and rear speakers, while the echo on the title refrain bounces around the height array. 

Night Mirror then concludes with ‘Dancing Shadows‘ a reprise of “Shadow Dancer” with a slightly-different arrangement. Digital percussion moves to the side surrounds, along with the electric rhythm guitars. Synthesizers effortlessly swirl around the height array, while additional vocal layers emerge from behind. 

For those who’ve yet to make the leap into full object-based immersive audio, fear not as the blu-ray also contains a dedicated DTS-HD 5.1 audio option. The 5.1 mix – rendered from the Atmos master – offers up a stellar listening experience in its own right: core elements like the rhythm section and lead vocal stay upfront, while the rear speakers supply synthesizers, guitars, percussion, and vocal harmonies. The instrumental mixes provide an equally fun, alternate perspective, bringing newfound clarity and insight to John Williams’ brilliant production. 

In a first for the SDE Surround Series, the disc also features a dedicated binaural stream rendered from the Atmos master. Unlike Apple Music’s ‘spatial audio’ system which requires the use of AirPods, this binaural mix can be experienced using any pair of headphones. Though not at all comparable to listening on a proper home theater system, there’s a width and depth to the binaural presentation that isn’t as apparent in the standard two-channel stereo version. Certain sounds, like the electric guitar panned to the right in the opening track, seem to extend beyond the confines of the headphones. 

Overall, for fans of synth-pop and immersive audio, Night Mirror marks yet another stellar entry in the SDE Surround Series. Unlike many new blu-ray audio titles, this release takes full advantage of the format’s extended storage capabilities – coming fully-loaded with a record eight(!) different audio options. Regardless of which stream you choose, the blu-ray edition is undoubtedly the best way to experience this fantastic new album. 

Review by Jonathan Cornell for SDE. Read more of Jonathan’s reviews at ImmersiveAudioAlbum.com. 

Night Mirror is released on 4 July and the last copies of this 1500 unit limited blu-ray are now available via the SDE shop using this link or the buttons below.

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