Blinkgurtel / Drone Schlager
In a music world currently overflowing with krautrock re-enactment societies Hallo Gallo 2010 should come as something of an antidote. This is the current solo project of Michael Rother, an artist synonymous with the '70s krautrock boom, having spent time as a member of Kraftwerk and Harmonia, and most famously of all, co-founding Neu! For Hallo Gallo this iconic musician teams up with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and bassist Aaron Mullan of Tall Firs. These two tracks are just what you'd want to hear from Rother in 2010: 'Blinkgurtel' deconstructs the motorik sound into something primal and hypnotic, the stringed instruments hovering around octave notes with patience and precision while Shelley lays down a firm, yet playfully elaborate beat. The SY drummer puts in a star turn on this first track, seemingly taking centre-stage in the mix, but 'Drone Schlager' proves to be a less restrained affair and Rother let's loose with effects-sculpted arcs of fuzz while Mullan gravitates towards low-slung bass melodies. For this piece the band seem a great deal looser, almost approaching a sludgy, psych-rock feel with their shifting rhythms and solo flourishes. It's all great stuff, and significantly, while it certainly acknowledges former triumphs this music is by no means a slave to the storied past of its principal creator.
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In a music world currently overflowing with krautrock re-enactment societies Hallo Gallo 2010 should come as something of an antidote. This is the current solo project of Michael Rother, an artist synonymous with the '70s krautrock boom, having spent time as a member of Kraftwerk and Harmonia, and most famously of all, co-founding Neu! For Hallo Gallo this iconic musician teams up with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and bassist Aaron Mullan of Tall Firs. These two tracks are just what you'd want to hear from Rother in 2010: 'Blinkgurtel' deconstructs the motorik sound into something primal and hypnotic, the stringed instruments hovering around octave notes with patience and precision while Shelley lays down a firm, yet playfully elaborate beat. The SY drummer puts in a star turn on this first track, seemingly taking centre-stage in the mix, but 'Drone Schlager' proves to be a less restrained affair and Rother let's loose with effects-sculpted arcs of fuzz while Mullan gravitates towards low-slung bass melodies. For this piece the band seem a great deal looser, almost approaching a sludgy, psych-rock feel with their shifting rhythms and solo flourishes. It's all great stuff, and significantly, while it certainly acknowledges former triumphs this music is by no means a slave to the storied past of its principal creator.
In a music world currently overflowing with krautrock re-enactment societies Hallo Gallo 2010 should come as something of an antidote. This is the current solo project of Michael Rother, an artist synonymous with the '70s krautrock boom, having spent time as a member of Kraftwerk and Harmonia, and most famously of all, co-founding Neu! For Hallo Gallo this iconic musician teams up with Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley and bassist Aaron Mullan of Tall Firs. These two tracks are just what you'd want to hear from Rother in 2010: 'Blinkgurtel' deconstructs the motorik sound into something primal and hypnotic, the stringed instruments hovering around octave notes with patience and precision while Shelley lays down a firm, yet playfully elaborate beat. The SY drummer puts in a star turn on this first track, seemingly taking centre-stage in the mix, but 'Drone Schlager' proves to be a less restrained affair and Rother let's loose with effects-sculpted arcs of fuzz while Mullan gravitates towards low-slung bass melodies. For this piece the band seem a great deal looser, almost approaching a sludgy, psych-rock feel with their shifting rhythms and solo flourishes. It's all great stuff, and significantly, while it certainly acknowledges former triumphs this music is by no means a slave to the storied past of its principal creator.