Not many people would have predicted a return to fashion of motorik, that krautrock sub genre specialising in mechanical, precise music with a love of an endless four on the floor groove. But here are we are, amidst a huge psych revival with space for a mini motorik revival thrown in. One of this pack is Camera, who can stake a claim to greater authenticity by being from Berlin. Whereas Warm Digits offer a cheeky Northern slant and Eat Lights Become Lights offer a more disconnected sci-fi realm, Camera are the most obvious in thrall to the creators of motorik: Kraftwerk and Neu! But they come out fighting…
Radiate! quite simply explodes from the speakers. ‘E-Go’ has a huge, thrumming power station where the rhythm section should be and uses sonar pings for good measure. Pure, unadulterated motorik so potent it feels noxious. It’s entirely possible that Camera have just neutered Neu! and beat them at their own game. Curious? Here it is…
The album can be split into two: heavy motorik beasts such as ‘E-Go’, the feet-shuffling-down-the-front tunes of ‘Ausland’ and ‘Soldat’ crank up the guitar, proving that space rock is the trippy, hippy brother of motorik. Muscular, powerful and committed to trance like repetition with the groove at the heart of the music, these songs go someway to confirm the suspicion that motorik is the ultimate in dance music.
Conversely, songs such as ‘Villon’ and ‘Rifd’ explore the more laid back, dreamy realm of the likes of Harmonia and ‘Lynch’ the lost in space approach of Tangerine Dream. ‘Morgen’ offers a rambling Eno-esque closer .
Sure, Camera may wear their influences for all to see, but they carry on the tradition in exquisite style.
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