Album Review
by Dan B. Cutter
13-9-2005
   
   
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Official website:
  www.raumschmiere.com/blitzkriegpop/
Label website:
  www.shitkatapult.com
   
   
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T.Raumschmiere: 'Blitzkrieg Pop'
T.Raumschmiere: 'Blitzkrieg Pop'
(novamute)
T.Raumschmiere: the punk-rock ambient album


According to T.Raumschmiere, ‘Blitzkrieg Pop’ is an punk-rock ambient record. There are many of the various details from the flora and fauna of his vast analogue equipment park, as well as rage and psychedelic bathed moods along with either catchy choruses of the boss rocker himself, or as balladesque appearances by his circle of friends-in-music, the T.Raumshmiere family. “I actually wanted to produce the loudest pop record in history. Less epic techno, more short and crisp songs”, says Raumschmiere.

Debates on what pop actually means are of no interest to T.Raumschmiere - a.k.a. Shitkatapult label boss Marco Haas - whose concept has always been to deny having a concept. He has however, always known exactly what he is up to - sharing his wild desire for music with others; ‘Blitzkrieg Pop’, the supplant to ‘Radio Blackout’ (2003), presents the man’s excellent vocals for the first time. On rockers like ‘Sick Like Me’ [the album’s lead single] and the titular cut his vocals are a revelation and the tracks truly rock. Big time. On ‘A Mess’ the mic passes to his American colleague Quasimodo Jones, a troublemaker who also features as an artist on Raumschmiere’s own label Shitkatapult.

The album reveals the two sides of T.Raumschmiere. High octane Rock’n’Roll energy tracks for the live show and more ambient sounds for the ear and heart. Whilst recording the album T.Raumschmiere hid himself in his studio for a year to relentlessly study “sounds with no beat”, to which tracks like ‘Untitled’, ‘Rumpelkammer’, ‘Der Grottenholm’ or ‘Patridiot’ bear witness on the album. Other tracks were given a different slant which inspired the females to sing.

‘Diving In Whiskey’ features Berlin’s BPitchcontrol label boss, recording artist and DJ, Ellen Allien, ‘A Very Loud Lullaby’ featuring ex-Guano Apes singer Sandra Nasic pays a dedicated tribute to Stadium Rock history [a future hit?] and on ‘3 Minutes Happiness’ guest is French chanteuse Judith Juillerat. Judith had sent a demo to Shitkatapult which instantly grabbed Raumschmiere’s attention. “Judith also won a Björk cover song contest in aid of Unicef. Her first album will be released soon on Shitkatapult”, Raumschmiere proudly announces.

As a happy ending and for all those early fans of Raumschmiere, the man gets his hands dirty on monster tracks like ‘All Systems Go!’ and ‘An Army Of Watt’ once more just to prove that the force is still with him. Whether as T.Raumschmiere, as drummer of his punk rock band The Crack Whore Society, as label boss or as promoter of various club events in Berlin.

Although T.Raumschmiere has been famous for his hyper energetic, stage-breaking solo live shows, he has formed a three piece live unit featuring drummer Dirk Mielenhausen and bass player Andreas Paruschke along with sound engineer Allert Aalders as his stage band for all live concerts which premiered in London last May, performing solo as DJ only as a consequence. "It’s tougher work to play as a band of course, but it’s more Rock’n’Roll", says Raumschmiere.

8/10


Dan B. Cutter
27-9-2003
T.Rauschmiere’s ‘Blitzkreig Pop’ is released 12 September by novamute