Press Info:
Up next on Token Records is Kr!z for his first release on the label since his acclaimed ‘Atlantis’ EP late last year. Keeping his sound pure, Kr!z presents a cohesive collection of decisive tracks for ‘Marbles’, his third release of 2023.
Kr!z’s A1 ‘Flare Gun’ introduces a loopy synth sequence, foreshadowing a minimal but rhythmically effective release from the Belgium based artist. Shuffling hi hats, sprinkled rides, and a round-bodied kick complement the nail biting lead, mapping out the mood for the tracks to come. The sharp quality of ‘Flare Gun’ quickly smoothes out for its follow-up ‘Surge’, in which a flexible chord creates a more bubbly atmosphere, competing with anxious white-noise transitions and high paced percussion line. The deeper aspect of Kr!z’s work on this last track is quickly subdued by the other side of the record, starting with ‘Marbles Lost’ – a chaotic club record that holds well to its name. A high pitch arpeggio lines Kr!z’s arrangement, sweeping through the spectrum and bursting at the seams with its genre-defining tension. The low end drives the record along, pulsating with the lead to accentuate groove under the drum machine. The outro to ‘Marbles’ is characterized by an intriguing use of chord triggering over a contained structure. Refined yet effective, Kr!z keeps his promise to honor the true spirit of techno in ‘Delirium’ with this classically efficient closer for his third EP on the label.
Press Info (English):
An empty club. Shrill beats echo through the deserted darkroom, rich synths waft across the space. Suddenly, a sad trumpet sound fills the dancefloor like a ghost: welcome to the world of DIE SELEKTION.
With thirteen years of shared history under their belt, the bandmembers Luca Gillian, Hannes Rief, Samuel Savenberg and Max Rieger turned DIE SELEKTION into an influential band that manages to bring both goth kids and techno fans onto the dancefloor – at the same time. With ZEUGE AUS LICHT (Eng.: Witness of Light), the quartet (which however performs as a duo live) releases their third studio record into the wild and throws a rave on the ruins of the present, somewhere between the apocalypse and the rampant insanity of our times.
DIE SELEKTION always knows how to balance the fine line between seriousness and self-irony with confident swagger. We see that in the charming call-and-response of DREI GESICHTER (Eng.: Three Faces), which, delighting in its provocation, mixes manspreading rock’n’roll poses from the last century with a Mardi Gras-esque trumpet. We also hear it in the euphoria of ASCHEREGEN (Eng.: Ashfall) and DER ROTE FADEN (Eng.: The Red Thread). And we experience it in the cold precision of the title track ZEUGE AUS LICHT, of course, which beautifully weaves together all the threads from which the principle of DIE SELEKTION is spun: pop harmonies, ice cold drum elements, hopeful synths, a radiant trumpet and lyrics that could deal with contemporary horrors like the imminent climate catastrophe as well as with failed relationships or an accidental fall into a K-Hole.
On ZEUGE AUS LICHT we hear the band coming into its own as a collective eschewing traditional hierarchies. From DER GRUNDSTEIN (Eng.: The Cornerstone) to MEIN FUNDAMENT (UNS GEHÖRT DIE WELT) (Eng.: My Foundation (the World is Ours)), it’s the shared vision of Gillian, Rief, Savenberg and Rieger that creates this sonic edifice full of sonic glitter and darkness we’re only too happy to queue up for. The admission fee is nothing but our sanity.
ZEUGE AUS LICHT will be released on September 29th, 2023.
Text by Aida Baghernejad.
Press Info (German):
Ein leerer Club. Klirrende Beats aus dem Drumcomputer hallen durch den verwaisten Darkroom, satte Synthesizerflächen wabern durch den ausgestorbenen Raum. Plötzlich ertönt von irgendwoher eine traurige Trompete gespenstergleich über den Dancefloor: willkommen in der Welt von DIE SELEKTION.
Über die letzten dreizehn Jahre Bandgeschichte entwickelte sich das Projekt von Luca Gillian, Hannes Rief, Samuel Savenberg und Max Rieger zu einer stilbildenden Band, die die Gothkids und Technojünger*innen auf einen Dancefloor zu vereinen weiß. Mit ZEUGE AUS LICHT veröffentlicht das Quartett (das mittlerweile allerdings Liveauftritte als Duo absolviert) sein drittes Album – und lädt ein zum Rave auf den Ruinen unserer Gegenwart zwischen Apokalypse und Wahnsinn.
DIE SELEKTION weiß immer stilsicher den schmalen Grat zwischen Ernst und Selbstironie zu balancieren. Das zeigt sich etwa im Call-and-Response von DREI GESICHTER, das mit Lust an der Provokation breitbeinige Rock’n’Roll-Posen aus dem letzten Jahrhundert mit Mardi-Gras-esker Trompete kreuzt. Oder in der Euphorie von ASCHEREGEN und DER ROTE FADEN. Und vor allem natürlich in der kalten Präzision des Titeltracks ZEUGE AUS LICHT, das alle Fäden, aus denen das Prinzip DIE SELEKTION gesponnen ist, aufs Schönste vereint: Popharmonien, klinisch-klare Drumelemente, hoffnungsfrohe Synths, eine strahlende Trompete und Lyrics, die sich mit Gegenwartshorror wie Klimakollaps genauso auseinandersetzen könnten wie mit gescheiterten Beziehungen oder einem unfreiwilligen Fall in’s K-Hole.
ZEUGE AUS LICHT ist das Resultat eines Zu-sich-Findens der Band als hierarchiefreies Kollektiv. Von DER GRUNDSTEIN bis hin zu MEIN FUNDAMENT (UNS GEHÖRT DIE WELT), es ist die gemeinsame Vision von Gillian, Rief, Savenberg und Rieger, die dieses strahlend-düstere Klanggebäude erbaut hat, vor dem wir nur allzu gerne Schlange stehen. Eintritt kostet nur den Verstand.
Press Info: Mechanical Moon
Irakli’s new album is due to come out September 2023 on Live at Robert Johnson. Mechanical Moon is a retrofuturistic adventure of beautiful compositions and pulsating rhythms which are weaved together over the span of eight tracks.
We are immersed into evocative atmospheres, full of intricate textures. This is techno where you close your eyes and board an ocean liner that slowly rises and floats towards the moon.
Happy human with sad eyes roamed the neon-lit streets of the artificial island. This section of the metropolis had been designed as a necessity more than any other amenities. It had been allocated a budget surpassing the one for waste management in a city housing over a billion inhabitants.
Society had managed to eradicate love, yet it still grappled with untamed primal instincts such as dancing, sex, or violence. The island provided a discreet haven, away from the prying eyes of telescreens that silently stared into all souls. Similar to Las Vegas centuries ago, it was a safe space where anything was fair game.
Once there, night time lasted all day. Everything retained an analog essence. Music emanated from vintage record players. Amidst the laughter and tears, the artificial glow of the mechanical moon had become the last reminder
of life outside.
A life so repetitive that he had been consumed by the desire to transform into a machine or a human satellite. Yet, breaking the cycle in such a manner remained impossible. And so, he wandered for hours on the island, among the weary faces.
Happy as one could be.
Irakli
From Georgia to Berlin, Irakli embarked on an artistic journey that encompassed ethereal soundscapes and vibrant club experiences. With notable contributions to books, performances, and the creation of the Intergalactic Research Institute For Sound and I/Y labels, he has forged a career that defies easy description. Always pushing boundaries, he played a crucial role in shaping the STAUB collective. More recently, he released his debut album „Major Signals“ on Dial Records in 2021. All in all, Irakli has always been true to his underground ethos and has become a fascinating multidisciplinary artist with no limitations. Mechanical Moon highlights again his talent as a producer and gives us another chance to glimpse into his world. The record will come out on Live at Robert Johnson in September 2023.
Robert Johnson does not really need an introduction. The beloved Offenbach club opened in 1999 and has been the home of Perlon and Frankfurt’s scene ever since. Its label arm Live at Robert Johnson has released music from residents such as Roman Flügel, Mano Le Tough, or Massimiliano Pagliara in the past years.
