Strange
things are happening in the Far East………..Always a hotbed of outthereness, there
is currently a vibrant Japanese Psych scene with many bands making waves in the
West and here is another band that look like breaking out. A Japanese band playing Krautrock???? This
certainly sounds like something that would be on a Julian Cope fantasy wish
list……….The debut album from Minami Deutsch is all this and more.
Taking
inspiration from the classic early 70s German bands but adding a new twist to
the genre, Minami
Deutsch embody the ‘Endless Straight’ motorik of Neu!, La Dusseldorf and
Harmonia, yet feel very part of the here and now. From the opening track,
‘Vocalism Ali - Forever Takemitsu’,
Minami Deutsch lock into the groove with laser guided precision, tracks drone,
while shimmering chimes coalesce into some sort of cosmic Ur-drone, punctuated
by thuds and epic swooshes, resulting in a grand and gorgeous ambience. The
hypnotic ‘ Futsu Ni Ikirenai’ is driven by a throbbing metronomic pulse…..somnolent vocals drift in
and out of the mix until it all explodes into a cacophonous, fuzzed up, guitar
wig out ala Moon Duo. Flip the disc and the awesome ‘Ubergleich Part 1’ kicks
in………channelling Can’s ‘Mother Sky’ it hurtles along at a blistering pace,
laying waste to everything in front of it until it is brought to an abrupt halt
after 4 minutes, definitely a track you want to go on for at least another 10
minutes and some. ‘Ubergleich Part 2’ closes the album and again this has a
massive Can vibe with rhythms that would not be out of place on Ege Bam Yasi and
repetitive Damo Suzukiesque dream like vocals that ease you into a blissed out
state. There is a lot to love on this record……..there is a mix of beauty and
brutality that harks back to an era when some of the most innovative music from
the last 50 years was coming out of small studios in Cologne and Dusseldorf and
this is also an album that holds its own against the current wave of bands who
have also been influenced by this period.
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