In the winter of 1999, Amish Records released the LP of METABOLISMUS’ Sprießwärtsdrall in a limited edition of 600 records, beautifully housed in the vivid full color artwork of German animation artist Petra Kolitsch. The CD version was unfortunately delayed but on January 16, 2001 Amish Records will finally release the CD version of this stunni...
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In the winter of 1999, Amish Records released the LP of METABOLISMUS’ Sprießwärtsdrall in a limited edition of 600 records, beautifully housed in the vivid full color artwork of German animation artist Petra Kolitsch. The CD version was unfortunately delayed but on January 16, 2001 Amish Records will finally release the CD version of this stunning record.
The Metabolismus collective has been making music since the mid-1980’s, self-releasing most of this early material on cassette and vinyl LPs. The band comes from the town of Stuttgart, Germany and creates music that is rooted in the rich tradition of German experimental bands such as Can, Amon Duul, Popul Voh and Kraftwerk with touchstones in rock, folk and electronic music.
Metabolismus is not just a band. Somehow it's the idea of musical substructure- exploration in time and space and demise and bloom. Evolving during the early 80's out of a typical East-Swabian street-folk-punk-band into an "exartperihoppmental workshop". They released 33 tapes in the first ten years of existence and 33 records in the second, always in search of new sounds & experiences, concepts & structures- with absolutely no concession to commercialism. In a blend of of purity in motive and inspiration grows the seed for “Metabolismusic”, which can be grasped as a sort of musical time bomb. Out of the feedback nothingness sprouts their music. Since 1982 they’ve seen their mission as evoking the 'metabolic force' through 'metabolic love' and it’s what they still attempt to express.
After years of recording and playing festival shows throughout Germany, the band started to reach out into other parts of the world. Mysterious label, Blackjack Records, emerged from the American desert long enough to release Metabolismus’ Terra Incognito in 1998, which was the band’s first domestic release in the U.S. and was soon followed by Amish Records’ release of Sprießwärtsdrall (AMI009). The album begins with subtle tones that shift and eventually build into a Silver Apples-like psych groove. Things move forward through layers of analog synthesizer orchestration, electronics and droning violin, all accentuated by ambient recordings of wind chimes, cow bells, birds, crickets, barking dogs and the sounds of Stuttgart.
Metabolismus marks the new millennium with increased activity. The band has just completed the wiring of their brand new state-of-the-art analog studio, circa 1971, courtesy of the Music Department of the University of Stuttgart who were actually going to just trash the whole thing! The spreading of “Metabolismusic” continues with a recent compilation appearance on a label from Canada and the band are currently recording a new collaborative album with late 60s /early 70is krautband, Limbus 4, who produced two fine LP`s of their own, 1969’s New Atlantis and 1970’s Mandalas, both on OHR records. This record will be released in Japan in late 2001.
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