Zeitkratzer — Volksmusik

Over the last few years German avant/noise chamber orchestra Zeitkratzer have released a huge amount of sonically varied material going from noisy tributes to Iannis Xenakis, to retakes on Lou Reed's Metal Machine music, to acoustic renditions of Terre Thaemlitz work. And Volksmusik is another exciting, different & creative step for this project

It sees them boiling up a bizarre and exhilarating take on world/ folk music that takes in  gypsy, Jewish, Scottish music along with many other world music flavours to make a bombastic, vibrate and highly enjoyable ride. The tracks going from: manic yet joyful string sawing and pickings, to discordant lumbering horns stagger, to swelling banks varied foreign tongue vocalising and wavering harmonise. To bagpipe drone and climb with almost speed metal string attack and glamour. Or to mournful Baltic like cello fields piped with smoky & jazzy trumpet passion, to stomping manic horn Jewish melodic pumps. It’s also recorded live which  seems to heighten the albums power, spirit and exhilaration as you get the crowds cheers after every song.

I’d always been highly impressed with  Zeitkratzer varied output and passion for differnt forms of music and sound, but volksmusik is breathing taking album that flits between playful, manic, dramatic and atmospheric airs. Stealing sounds from all over the globe to come up with some very thrilling, varied and exiting.