The Airstrip by Heinz Emigholz w/ concert by Kreidler at Volksbuehne Berlin / Wednesday, 17.09.2014

Earlier in the year the band from Düsseldorf celebrated their 20th anniversary and the release of the new ABC album on Buero B. Now they return to Berlin for a special concert at the Volksbühne to accompany a screening of The Airstrip, a film by Heinz Emigholz for which songs from the new Kreidler album such as ‘Moth Race’, ‘Sun’ and ‘Rote Wüste’ were specially composed.

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=5X4y4mBQ6yM

Imagine an airspace into which a bomb has been dropped. The bomb has not reached the site of its detonation, but there is no way to stop its speedy approach. The time between the bomb’s release and its explosion is neither the future (for the ineluctable destruction has not yet happened) nor the past (which is unavoidably about to be extinguished).

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=rkuIMV-tUGc

The flight time of the bomb thus describes absolute nothingness, the zero hour, consisting of all the possibilities that in just a moment will no longer exist. Thus, this story will end before it has begun; here it is told in defiance: an architectural journey from Berlin through Arromanches, Rome, Wrocław, Görlitz, Paris, Bologna, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Atlántida, Montevideo, Mexico City, Brasilia, Tokyo, Saipan, Tinian, Tokyo, San Francisco, Dallas, Binz and Mexico City back to Berlin – into the abyss.

In 1994 Kreidler was founded in Düsseldorf by Thomas Klein, Andreas Reihse, Detlef Weinrich and Stefan Schneider who was to leave Kreidler in 1998 in order to form To Rococo Rot.His place on bass-guitar was taken by Alexander Paulick (Coloma, Narrow Bridges) until 2001, and again from 2008 on. Kreidler have been asked to remix artists such as Depeche Mode, Einstürzende Neubauten and Faust among 20 others and cooperated with artists like Klaus Dinger (NEU!), Add (N) to X, Young Gods, Theo Altenberg, Momus, Leo Garcia, Pyrolator and Chicks on Speed

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=pLdIafgGRrQ

It could be said that TANK – Kreidler’s critically acclaimed previous album – is a drum album. Not in the sense of the brute force of a Ginger Baker or a John Bonham, but more in terms of the elastic muscularity of a Budgie, a Robert Görl or a Klaus Dinger. So in the case of DEN, if attempting yet another such broad categorization, one might draw attention to the album’s viscous musicality. Indeed, for recording and mixing, Kreidler chose to work at LowSwing, a studio renowned for its round sonic character, with the magnificent Guy Sternberg at the controls.

httpv://https://youtube.com/watch?v=-Efw_Zpg71E

The band has said that they were initially considering making a record without any drums. Fortunately, they did not follow through with that idea. Thomas Klein’s playing is an essential component of the Kreidler sound. And if any reference is missing here, then it might be to Jaki Liebezeit of Can, who cultivates a similarly angular groove. All in all, in addition to the musical subtlety and elegant dialogical interaction which is celebrated on Kreidler’s new album DEN, it can be stated with enthusiasm that the band has not taken a single step back from its rhythmic force.