Rotopops by Look Mum No Computer & Hainbach

I got the AUX on our drive back from London to Ramsgate and used it to fill the car with the best music to come of out Germany since the Berlin wall went up: Krautrock and Kosmische music. The minimalist sounds of 1970s freak music sounded fresh as always coming from Sam's car system - it is a music from the past that lacks patina.

Arriving at the place of technological wonder that is "This Museum Is Not Obsolete" I checked out the thousands of gizmos on display eagerly. By sheer coincidence I found an old Elka preset drum machine that I knew was one of the robotic forces behind the sound of bands like Neu! and Harmonia. We plugged it in and it started churning out rhythms that got our heads spinning. Quickly we assembled an ensemble of string machines and vintage synthesizers, as well as a vocoder. Within bare minutes we had recorded "Zukunftsmusik" on my failing Nagra tape recorder.

That could have been it - one track from a fascinating piece of half-working equipment, move on! But Sam had a surprise in store: while we were listening back to the tape, Johnny rang. He had picked up a massive wooden box from a church that looked like a confession stand. Inside was an obscure device none of us had ever seen before: a mean looking metal rotor of eight speakers. Everything we put through it was thrown around the room in wide and majestic arcs - strings, organ, voice - all became weightless. So we kept recording until this EP was done.

Rotopops is the story of two guys who love music and machines, treasure the odd and exploration, and don't take themselves too seriously. It is silly and fun, but also an earnest homage to electronic music from a future past.

Hainbach, Berlin 2023

Based out of Berlin, Germany, electronic music composer and perfomer Hainbach creates shifting audio landscapes THE WIRE called "One hell of a trip". His music has been released on Opal Tapes, Seil Records, Spring Break Tapes, Limited Interest and Marionette.

hainbachmusik.com