MOTORIK PSYCHED-UP KRAUTROCK

 

In review from Alan Dearling

A Dark Matter Promotions live gig. Three contrasting bands. All really fairly frenetic in their own ways. Headliners, Kombynat Robotron, from Kiel in Germany. Kraut-ronica, head-banging, loud, fast and furious.

S W I M were more nuanced, lots of swirling synth sounds, the drummer sings…described as ‘complex, layered, subtly menacing pop’. Well, sort of…   

And The Mushroom Club joined us at the Golden Lion in West Yorkshire from Glasgow, Scotland offering, tribal, thundering drumming, amidst a mildly addictive melange of hypnotic noise. They were travelling in the company with Robotron to play at Kozfest this weekend down in Devon.  

Together with my words, here is a mix of images that perhaps capture the flavour, if not the sounds, of a motorik night…but there are a few links too…

This was billed as a special pre-Kozfest warm-up show for two of the bands.

Kombynat Robotron

The three, tall German guys arrived on stage in white lab coats. It all felt very much akin to Three Medical Wardens arriving at lock-up time for a real-time performance of ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’! Musically it was, at times, reminiscent of Hawkwind’s  ‘In Search of Space’ – but louder and more aggressively feral. Pounding drums and bass, swirling synths. Apocalyptic, indeed!

They really are purveyors of Sonic Boom and Doom. Heart-thudding, thundering, shuddering B-A-S-S. Robotronik music from the deepest subterranean realms of Hades…setting the controls not so much for the heart of the sun, but somewhere darker, a place where Thor’s mighty anvil is struck propulsively, arc-welding, showering sounds and sparks into the firmament with ear-shredding force.

They say that, “The three members were (and still are) playing in other bands before they met for a jam in April 2018. After a few jams we decided to form a band, but instead of writing songs, we’ve decided to stick to improvising which makes our live shows a unique experience.”

Visually, Kombynat Robotron brought head-banging, hair-shaking to spectacular pinnacle. A feast to be shared with the head-bangers, shakers and groovers in the crowd.

Kombynat Robotron tells us: “The robotronic music is based on repetitive patterns but features a wide range of influences due to the different sonic backgrounds of the musicians. Krautrock-grooves that smoothly evolve, from cosmic spheres into psychedelic fields and back to Krautrock. In 2018, the band started to work with several prolific labels like Tonzonen, Cruel Nature, Drone Rock Records, Misophonia, The Weird Beard, Little Cloud Records, Acid Test Recordings, Cardinal Fuzz and Clostridium Records. We’ve released 12 albums and splits on vinyl, CD and tape, plus a handful of digital albums.”

This is a sample from Kombynat Robotron live at Desertfest, Berlin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_jB742OLvc

Here’s what was said after a jam at Devon’s Kozfest:

“Kozfest in Devon is a special place…

This kind of thing wouldn’t happen anywhere else.

German Krautrockers Kombynat Robotron were introduced to the excellent Scottish Psych band The Cosmic Dead for the first time and minutes later they were on stage in a tipi tent doing the most mind-blowing jam together!”

 

Support came from

S W I M: who are self-described as producing: “Fairground horror space rock.”

Their music includes some catchy ear-worm moments, especially where the distinctive synth kicks in. The main singing duties are managed by the drummer. According to their local website, ‘Glossop Creates’:  They, “…draw on personal musical, art and film influences to create something that doesn’t want to be put in a box. The band comprises singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gary Phethean, Max Elliott on funky bass and bass synth, Clare de Lune on lead synth and floaty vocals and writer and producer Paul O’Brien, who delivers spacey guitar riffs and synth.”

Their publicity announces that: “The S W I M sound feels big – cinematic, even. Seeing them live brings to mind an eclectic array of influences. Imagine John Carpenter taking The Flaming Lips, The Duffer Brothers, Duran Duran and David Lynch for a coffee (a damn fine coffee) – think synth-led, complex, frenetic, layered, subtly menacing pop.”

‘Supernatural Love’ is their latest single, and features the band’s signature, spacey, synth vibes and experimental beats, complemented by dreamy harmonies and a dark, dramatic edge. We are told that the single has also been made into a Bulletproof remix, a dance version which is guaranteed to get you up on your feet!

‘Supernatural Love’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMmPybxtnYY&list=OLAK5uy_k8ZdGOtGYP-nu0P1oGsuxTYopOIA1Jg20&index=1

 

The Mushroom Club

They were billed as an Ayrshire/Glasgow based Psychedelic Shoegaze Garage Rock & Roll Band.  But this rock ‘n’ roll comes with a fair degree of psychotic menace. And by their finale, it was a thunderous noisome freak-out. More motorik music with a Scottish edginess, typified by the manic stares from the singer/guitarist, who obviously has perfected the Glaswegian ‘hard-man’ look!


This is a very old video from The Mushroom Club  – ‘Dreams (Demo’s from outer space )’, but it definitely doesn’t really represent their current sound, which features guttural vocals, a wall of often hypnotic sound and repetitive sonic  drone attacks. They also managed to provide some inventive passages of bass and doomy keys interplay.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogklEaftPEQ

 

 

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