Krautrock – 7th Level Music

Maquina release powerful industrial psych single – “denial.”

Lisbon trio MAQUINA. (‘Machine’) are today announcing album ‘PRATA’ (‘Silver’), due out April 5th on Fuzz Club, and sharing the first single ‘denial’. In support of the release, MAQUINA. will head out on a European tour with A Place To Bury Strangers, followed by festival appearances at Primavera Porto, Sonic Blast and Fuzz Club 2024.

Drawing from minimal krautrock repetition, pounding industrial techno and EBM, MAQUINA. explore the boundaries of these genres with force, carving out an adrenaline-fuelled sound that’s equally suited to dark, sweaty back rooms and the dance floor. On the new single, MAQUINA. write: “denial is about an inner turmoil and restless contemplation. The raw, haunting lyrics explore the struggle to find solace within oneself, amidst a sea of conflicting emotions. The plea to ‘shut me down’ echoes the yearning for respite in the face of overwhelming darkness.”

Listen to single “denial”:https://youtu.be/8QyfC_O3mDc
Pre-order/pre-save album ‘PRATA’:http://maquina.lnk.to/prata

Though their sound might have the club in its sights – ‘PRATA’ follows their aptly-titled 2023 debut EP ‘DIRTY TRACKS FOR CLUBBING’ – this is an organic dance music that’s equally punk and psychedelic, played by a guitar-drums-bass power trio formation firing on all cylinders, without a synthesiser in sight. Having already amassed a notorious reputation in Portugal for the all-out energy of their live shows (as evidenced in this live video broadcast by Canal180), it’s no mean feat to replicate that in the studio but on ‘PRATA’ they have managed exactly that – owing to a creative approach largely rooted in improvisation, both on stage and in the studio.

Describing ‘PRATA’, recorded and co-produced by Carlos de Jesus (Sunflowers) at Arda Recorders, they write: “This album was composed spontaneously in the studio throughout the year 2023. It’s music of colour, delving into depths and dimensions that resonate with scale and contrast. Pushing sounds together to make noise and pushing noise together to make sounds. Emphasising textures that evoke feelings and soundscapes rather than relying solely on textual narratives. The music breathes life into auditory canvases, painting sonic panoramas pushing into a world of tactile sensation and immersive experiences.”

MAQUINA. tour dates:
06/04 – Köln, DE @ Club Volta*
07/04 – Karlsruhe, DE @ P8*
09/04 – Milan, IT @ Arci Bellezza*
10/04 – Bologna, IT @ Covo Club*
11/04 – Rome, IT @ Monk*
15/04 – Zurich, CH @ Bogen F*
17/04 – Marseille, FR @ La Makeda*
18/04 – Toulouse, FR @ Le Rex*
20/04 – Madrid, ES @ El Sol*
21/04 – San Sebastián, ES @ Dabadaba*
04/05 – Eindhoven, NL @ Fuzz Club 2024
07/06 – Porto, PT @ Primavera Sound
8-10/08 – Âncora, PT @ Sonic Blast 24
* with A Place To Bury Strangers

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[Thanks to Kate at Stereo Sanctity.]

TUTUPATU bring us a sweet “Tangerina” with their new single.

Madrid, Spain band TUTUPATU share the lead single today from their forthcoming album IV, alongside an in-depth interview with It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine. Hear/share “Tangerina” and read about the immersive, meditative process they used to capture its sound HERE. (Direct Bandcamp.)

The band’s desire to capture TUTUPATU’s essence led them to secure an underground location in Madrid, where they set up a private recording studio. They locked themselves for a 72-hour recording session. They aimed for unfiltered creativity: 32 tracks rolling at all times, doors locked, lights dimmed, and volume cranked.

The result? A mesmerizing blend of motorik drums, throbbing basslines, howling guitars, wailing saxophones, ethereal synths, and a myriad of flutes and folk instruments intricately woven into their debut album, “IV.” Comprising five expansive tracks, this collection immerses the listener in an auditory journey, guiding through intricate inner landscapes, transcending conventional musical boundaries.

The album serves as a sonic memoir, encapsulating five distinct moments, blending krautrock, synth ambient, noise, and free jazz. Each track beckons the listener into dreamlike soundscapes, creating a truly immersive experience.

TUTUPATU, founded by Tomas Garrido, Matías Tangerina, and Olivares, fuses their diverse musical backgrounds in classical, jazz, rock, electronic, experimental noise, drones, and ethnic music. After more than a year of dedicated rehearsals, they’ve meticulously crafted a unique sound that invites exploration.

Their collective aim is to shape an auditory landscape that defies convention, drawing inspiration from trance-inducing repetition—a musical odyssey transcending genres, resonating with the eclectic blend of their individual influences. Through their explorations, they guide listeners on an introspective journey into uncharted realms. Join TUTUPATU in the immersive experience unfolding through their debut album.

IV will be available on LP and Bandcamp download on February 14th, 2024 via Broken Clover Records. Pre-orders are available HERE,

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[Thanks to Dave at US / THEM Group.]

Top 25 albums of 2023: #’s 15 – 11

We’ve reached my top 15 albums of the previous year, so let’s get to it.

#15: Skull Practitioners – Negative Stars

This one came to me fairly early in the year and was an immediate favorite. It’s full of jagged guitar lines, weird drum fills, and plenty of power equal to the cosmic cover imagery.

#14: Auralayer – Thousand Petals

Speaking of heavy cosmic riffs, this album from Auralayer is full of them and plenty of Buddhist philosophy to boot. This trio about floored me when I first heard this album and were one of my favorite discoveries of the year.

#13: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord

Would it be a “best of” list without a King Gizz album? I mean, they release at least two albums a year, and this year they released an electro / krautrock album full of synths and drum pads that turned out to be a fun time. You can tell they enjoyed stretching muscles they don’t often use, and they filled it with references to Egyptian mythology, which just made it weirder and cooler.

12: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – The Silver Cord extended version

Yes, that’s the same cover image, and it’s almost the same album, but KGATLW decided to release two versions of the same record, with the extended version having long mixes with additional lyrics for each song – the short of which is just under eleven minutes long. It’s even better than the regular edition of the album and lets them do lengthy synth-jams that often move into rave territory.

#11: Ki Oni – A Leisurely Swim to Everlasting Life

Speaking of long synth-jams, Ki Oni‘s tribute to his deceased grandmother and his meditation on peace and death has tracks with minimum lengths of seventeen minutes, and all of them are beautiful. This is the kind of record that takes you away from anything you’re doing and drops you into a warm pool of peace and presence.

Who’s in the top ten? Come back soon and find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Minami Deutsch – Fortune Goodies

I’ve been waiting for a new album from Japanese kraut-rockers Minami Deutsch for a while. They were too good to fade away without at least one more record of their intoxicating music. Thankfully, Fortune Goodies came along last October and gave us a nice record for sitting back and contemplating our higher selves.

Starting with “Your Pulse,” the album gets off to a thumping start by mixing electronic and physical beats with breath sounds to simulate the rising, enjoyable tension in you as the song grows. You might feel “Still Foggy” by the next track. It blends repetitive bass notes with what sounds like clinking glasses, shuffling papers, and other subtle, odd noises that bring to mind going to work after staying up too late. “Grumpy Joa” is so fun and peppy that you really can’t be grumpy during it.

The guitars on “Pueblo” fire up a sense of adventure and a few nods to Carlos Santana. “Interpreters of Forest” slides like a lazy cat into psychedelia, and the title track (appropriately the longest on the record) is nearly eight minutes of toe-tapping, trippy delights. They pump up the fuzz a bit on “Whereabouts,” which has a bit of a 1960s garage rock touch. It’s also one of multiple tracks in which lead singer and guitarist Kyotaro Miula adds an interesting vocal effect that makes it sound like his voice is coming out of an old radio. It’s a neat touch that adds to the otherworldly sounds they create.

“Steller Waffle” is wonderfully weird with its percolator beats and synths. “Floating Fountain” is just as relaxing and meditative as you hope it will be with a title like that, and the final track, “The Border,” is even more elevating. It might cause astral projection if listened to at the right volume and in the right space.

I’m glad Minami Deutsch is back, and hope to see them tour the U.S. again soon. A live show of this new material would be transcendent.

Keep your mind open.

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