Moti Special
Moti Special was a West German new wave band formed in 1981 in Hamburg by Danish guitarist Nils Tuxen, German-Romanian keyboardist Michael Cretu, bassist/vocalist Manfred “Thissy” Thiers, and drummer Reinhard “Dickie” Tarrach. The name came from a spicy dish at an Indian restaurant in London that Thiers shared with artist Moti Argaman.
They started in 1981, but their breakthrough came in 1985. The first single Stop! Girls Go Crazy didn’t chart, while Cold Days, Hot Nights became a Europe-wide hit, reaching No. 3 in West Germany. The next single Don’t Be So Shy reached No. 9, and the debut album Motivation peaked at No. 20.
Cretu left the band to pursue a solo career and production work, later founding Enigma. He also collaborated with Thiers on the album Belle Epoque (1988) under the name Cretu & Thiers.
In 1989 the band returned with new material and a changed lineup. The single In Love We Stand and the album Dancing for Victory didn’t match the first album’s success. New members Frank Adahl (vocals/keyboards) and Anders Mossberg (bass) joined; Tuxen and Tarrach remained the only original members.
Thiers continued as a session bassist and, in 2005, played on The Voice of Leonard Bernstein project. In 2006 a club remix of Cold Days, Hot Nights by Arnold Palmer—retitled Cold Days—made the German Dance chart top 5, though no full release followed.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 05:48 (CET).