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I realized while listening to Wallensteins Garage, the debut album by Berlin's SEK, that I've referred to bands having a Krautrock influence many, many times. It also occurred to me that some readers may only have a vague sense of what that actually means. We're going to get into it, because SEK is essentially impossible to write about without getting extensively into Krautrock. I'm certainly not an expert on the subgenre compared to some of the real devotees out there, but I'm not a complete novice, either. The lesson begins below!
Krautrock was originally known as kosmische Musik (cosmic music), and is a style of experimental music that developed in West Germany in the 1960s and 70s. The genre blended psychedelic music, rock, and early electronic music with its embrace of keyboards and synthesizers. The element of Krautrock, I believe, that is most likely to get a modern band tagged with the "Krautrock influenced" label, is its hypnotic, minimalist rhythms. Krautrock very frequently features very simple repeating drum patterns, typically stretched out for long sequences that make it easy for the listener to fall into a trancelike state.
Some bands take dashes of Krautrock and mix it into their formula. A band like SEK, however, could have existed at the height of the Krautrock movement and felt like a completely natural fit. If you're the type of music fan who has CDs by bands like Neu!, La Dusseldorf, or Faust in your collection (as I am), then you don't need to read any further: SEK is a band you'll love. Wallensteins Garage is a loving throwback to the glory days of Krautrock.
Wallensteins Garage is five tracks of instrumental psychedelic rock powered by three musicians with long histories in Berlin's music scene: guitarist Paul-Willy Stoyan (Gavial, Jacke Schwarz), drummer Georg Edert (Elder, Gaffa Ghandi), and bassist Lucas Kazzer (Gaffa Ghandi, Borders Down). The band has been performing together for four years and is named for the first letters of each member's last name, a longstanding jazz tradition. Also in the jazz tradition, their music apparently grew out of many improvisational settings together, and that shows in the final product. While all five songs have sturdy, repetitive rhythmic spines, there are moments in each track that burst out in unexpected directions. Each song is precise and tight, yet unexpected and lively. And while SEK is most certainly a progressive rock album and not a metal album, there are certainly moments when heavy guitars take center stage. The final track, "Amore Mios Ende," is a prime example.
You may have caught above that SEK's drummer is also in Elder, and that connection alone is enough for the band to warrant coverage on a metal blog, in my eyes. But even if there wasn't that connection, I'd still encourage my readers to check out this record and to dive further into the Krautrock genre. Its influences are still felt in surprising places all across the musical landscape, and, as evidenced by Wallensteins Garage, a blast of pure, uncut Krautrock is a hell of a lot of fun.
SEK's Wallensteins Garage is out October 30 via Exile on Mainstream Records.