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Jakob Skøtt Posts New Video for “Escape from the Keep”

Posted in Bootleg Theater on November 17th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

jakob skott

I don’t really know much about the plot of the 1983 film The Keep — seems to be about Nazis unleashing demons and something or other — but the images work pretty well with “Escape from the Keep,” the opening track from Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt‘s new solo album, Taurus Rising (review here). Whether the movie inspired the title of the instrumental cut is also a mystery, but I’d believe it given the feel of the drum/synth progression and the many pre-CGI lasers that seem to come out of nowhere in both the music and the video itself. Yeah, it all fits.

Taurus Rising is out Dec. 8  on El Paraiso Records as the second Skøtt solo offering of the year, following up earlier 2014’s Amor Fati. Video and info follow.

Enjoy:

Jakob Skøtt, “Escape from the Keep” official video

Jakob Skøtt: Taurus Rising coming december 8th, 2014 on El Paraiso Records.

Images from Michael Mann’s The Keep (1983)

3rd album from Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt expands his one-man-band experiments into vast new territories.

Taurus Rising is built from motoric synthesizer arpeggios and heavy duty live drumming. But rather than simply worshipping endless repetition, Skøtt reaches an impressive array of expressions on each of these five mini epics – each song is ALIVE – frequently whirling off track like the wind direction in a sand storm, leading to some mind-altering melodies and rhythms that’ll keep you on your toes. Washed currents of pulsating analogue synthesizer scores, pre-fusion jazz-sensibility and fuzz’ed out electronics all tied together by fevered rhythms.

Jakob Skøtt is the drummer in revered danish experimental psych act Causa Sui and has previously collaborated with artists from Tortoise and Sunburned Hand of the Man. In a number of different outfits he has also released thru esteemed labels such as Morr Music, Ghostly International, Darla Records. Furthermore Jakob has done exclusive live visuals and artworks for Amon Düül II, Earthless, Manual, cult actress Asia Argento as well as The Roadburn Festival.

Taurus Rising is released as a single LP as well as a 2xCD package also containing his previous album Amor Fati. All drums for each albums were improvised in a single afternoon.

El Paraiso Records website

El Paraiso Records on Thee Facebooks

El Paraiso on YouTube

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The Obelisk Radio Adds: Jakob Skøtt, Sleeping Pulse, Palm Desert, High Fighter and Sans Soleil

Posted in Radio on November 14th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

the obelisk radio

Managing to do rounds of adds to The Obelisk Radio two weeks in a row? Why, that’s almost too much on-it to bear. I’ll try really hard to contain my self-satisfaction. Okay no I won’t.

A pretty diverse bunch of records joining the playlist today. There are 11 total that went up, and in addition to correcting the oversight of not having put up YOB‘s Clearing the Path to Ascend yet (infinite apologies), there are also new ones from Lord Dying and PrimordialIt’s Casual and the recently-reviewed Elephant Tree. Also the Atavismo that I put up the info for the other day and which will be reviewed at some point soon, and five records I thought it would be worth highlighting out of the bunch. Some of these artists I’m sure you know, one or two maybe not, but again, it’s a fairly wide stylistic berth and that’s just the way I like it best.

The Obelisk Radio adds for Nov. 14, 2014:

Jakob Skøtt, Taurus Rising

jakob skott taurus rising
His third solo album, Taurus Rising is also the second of the year for Copenhagen-based Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt. Released through El Paraiso Records, it continues in the vein of earlier 2014’s Amor Fati in pursuing more of a full-band vibe, but strips that down somewhat to incorporate just synth and live drums. The result across Taurus Rising‘s five tracks is an unremitting progressivism, showcasing Skøtt‘s allegiance to krautrock in songs like opener “Escape from the Keep” while the centerpiece “Pleiades” has a little more of a psychedelic swirl. Keyboards arrive in multiple layers throughout, filling out the mix, and Taurus Rising becomes all the more impressive when one considers that Skøtt is essentially jamming with himself. He does so with a strong sense of evoking varied atmosphere from the tracks, the closing duo of “Bucket Brigades” (10:13) and “Taurus Ascendant” (7:59) pushing deep into spaced-out dynamics and, in the case of the latter, providing the album with its fullest wash and most satisfying linear build. Whether or not Skøtt intends to keep up this pace of releases, I don’t know — no reason not to so long as he’s inspired; it’s his playing, recording and label — but the prog-jazz sensibility of Taurus Rising seems ripe for further development. Jakob Skøtt on Thee Facebooks, El Paraiso Records.

Sleeping Pulse, Under the Same Sky

sleeping pulse unde the same sky

Sleeping Pulse are not yet fully through “Parasite,” the opening track on their Prophecy Productions debut, Under the Same Sky, before Mick Moss lets loose the full emotional juggernaut of his vocal delivery. The duo is a collaboration between Moss, best known as the frontman and founder of Antimatter, and Portugal-based guitarist Luís Fazendeiro of Painted Black, who wrote the music. At 10 songs and 55 minutes, Under the Same Sky is tied together both through Moss‘ voice and a persistent airiness that, were it not so cleanly presented, I’d almost be tempted to call post-rock. It is darkly progressive, and the lyrics match, weaving tales of manipulation in the subtly building “The Puppeteer” (also watch out for the sampled applause about a minute in) and betrayal throughout moody cuts like the later “Noose” and “War.” For those who know Antimatter — whose latest full-length, Fear of a Unique Identity (review here), was released in 2012 — Sleeping Pulse finds Moss well in his element across the board, but Fazendeiro varies the style such that the piano-led “The Blind Lead the Blind” and emergent distortion chug of “Painted Rust” fit well alongside each other, and Under the Same Sky flows smoothly to its concluding title-track, a minimal piano piece backed by ebow-style tones and once more showcasing the resonance in Moss‘ blend of fragility and defiance. A sleeper not to be slept on, particularly with winter ahead. Sleeping Pulse on Thee Facebooks, Prophecy Productions.

Palm Desert, Pearls from the Muddy Hollow

palm desert pearls from the muddy hollow

Perhaps unsurprising when one considers they take their name from the hometown of California’s ’90s desert rock movement, but Poland’s Palm Desert owe a large sonic debt to Kyuss. In the Wroc?aw four-piece’s style of riffing, tonality and propensity for the occasional stoner jam on their third album, Pearls from the Muddy Hollow (Krauted Mind Records), they show their allegiance to the desert style and its blend of fuzzed-up punk and laid back psychedelia. Vocalist Wojciech Ga?uszka helps change things up, however, with some elements of Soundgarden-era Chris Cornell to go with periodic John Garcia gruffness, so that Pearls from the Muddy Hollow‘s nine tracks make a suitable companion piece to Steak‘s 2014 full-length debut, Slab City, which basks in a similar mindset. That’s not to say Palm Desert bring nothing of their own to the style — both the quick “Rise Above” (not a Black Flag cover) and extended closer “Forward in the Sun” (8:19) branch beyond idolatry to an individualized moment — just that the resounding impression throughout Pearls from the Muddy Hollow is Kyuss loyalism. Within the style, they do well in portraying a warm-toned feel and shift smoothly between movements both inside of and between their songs. They’re not revolutionary, but Palm Desert do justice to a familiar sound and sometimes that’s plenty to make for a quality record. Another decent bit of output from Poland’s fertile scene. Palm Desert on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

High Fighter, The Goat Ritual EP

high fighter the goat ritual

Formed earlier this year as an amalgam of members from A Million Miles and Buffalo Hump, Hamburg, Germany’s High Fighter storm out of the gate with the five-song The Goat Ritual EP, a 21-minute thrust of modern metal and heavy rock ideals. Vocalist Mona Miluski shifts readily between a bluesy clean delivery and searing screams over the nod-ready riffing of guitarists Christian “Shi” Pappas and Ingwer Boysen, bassist Constantin Wüst and drummer Thomas Wildelau trading off between riding the grooves on “2Steps Blueskill” and energizing the bounce on “Fire in the Sun.” Second cut “Breaking Goat Mountains” seems to be particularly geared toward Kyuss‘ “Green Machine” in its riff, but bleaker, screamier centerpiece “Black Waters” shifts between the EP’s heaviest assault and a guitar-only peaceful moment that rounds out with a bit of fading feedback that leads to the wakeup punch of “Fire in the Sun,” in turn given over to the mosh fodder of “In Veins”‘s early going, which somehow transitions into more laid-back heaviness in its second half, of course building back to the initial riff to round out. In its production and much of its execution, it’s metal, but High Fighter keep command of heavy rock elements in such a way as to showcase the nascent moments of what has the potential to be a fascinating progression. The ritual, it would seem, is only beginning. High Fighter on Thee Facebooks, on Bandcamp.

Sans Soleil, A Holy Land beneath a Godless Sky

sans soleil a holy land beneath a godless sky

Calling a string-infused, instrumental post-metal release “atmospheric” seems completely superfluous, but Austin fivesome Sans Soleil put enough of a focus on ambience throughout their four-track Tofu Carnage Records debut long-player, A Holy Land beneath a Godless Sky, that to not say so would be worse. Eva Vonne‘s viola plays a major role in the band’s sound on “A Holy Land” and is complemented there and thereafter by guitarists Dustin Anderson and Lee Frejyalune and bassist Theron Rhoten, but it doesn’t come across as trying to fill a gap where vocals might otherwise be, instead just a weaving current between the distortion and sub-doom plod of drummer Zach Hoop, whose crash distinguishes itself on “An Umbral Plain” in keeping a slow march together early and moving fluidly to double-time in the middle third. Dense but not claustrophobic, the subsequent “Across Brilliant Sands” opens direct interplay between Vonne and a line of lead guitar before moving into Grayceon-style sparseness and explosion, or at least a more doomed interpretation thereof, and building to what feels like an apex for the album until the 11-minute closer “Beneath a Godless Sky” busts into a gallop as it passes the halfway point and relents from there only to resume again with greater force, closing out A Holy Land beneath a Godless Sky with a fitting push to coincide with the tonal weight preceding. An exciting and engaging debut from a group who arrive with a firm sense of what they want to convey sonically and emotionally. Sans Soleil on Thee Facebooks, Tofu Carnage Records.

Like I said at the outset, a little all over the place this week, but hopefully you find something to dig one way or another. To check out the full list of adds for this week and every week back to late 2012, and to see what’s been played on The Obelisk Radio today (some good stuff there), check out The Obelisk Radio Updates and Playlist page. It’s where the cool kids hang out, or something.

Thanks for reading and listening.

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Jakob Skøtt’s Taurus Rising LP Available to Preorder

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 20th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

jakob-skott

Causa Sui drummer and experimental solo artist Jakob Skøtt will issue his third full-length, Taurus Rising, in December through El Paraiso Records. The Copenhagen-based Skøtt issued his previous album, Amor Fati, earlier this year, and El Paraiso has unveiled the song “Pleiades” on the occasion of Taurus Rising being available to preorder as if to ensure listeners that the Krautrock-style progressivism of the last outing will indeed push even further this time out. Causa Sui reportedly have some new stuff in the works as well as they continue their ascent to the fore of European heavy psychedelia, but in the meantime, Skøtt demonstrates that even one-fourth of the band can still provide a rich and engaging listen.

Go anywhere progressive psychedelia; the motorik lives:

jakob skott taurus rising

Jakob Skøtt: Taurus Rising LP PREORDER

3rd album from Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt expands his one-man-band experiments into vast new territories.

Taurus Rising is built from motoric synthesizer arpeggios and heavy duty live drumming. But rather than simply worshipping endless repetition, Skøtt reaches an impressive array of expressions on each of these five mini epics – each song is ALIVE – frequently whirling off track like the wind direction in a sand storm, leading to some mind-altering melodies and rhythms that’ll keep you on your toes. Washed currents of pulsating analogue synthesizer scores, pre-fusion jazz-sensibility and fuzz’ed out electronics all tied together by fevered rhythms.

Jakob Skøtt is the drummer in revered danish experimental psych act Causa Sui and has previously collaborated with artists from Tortoise and Sunburned Hand of the Man. In a number of different outfits he has also released thru esteemed labels such as Morr Music, Ghostly International, Darla Records. Furthermore Jakob has done exclusive live visuals and artworks for Amon Düül II, Earthless, Manual, cult actress Asia Argento as well as The Roadburn Festival.

Also available as a 2xCD package also containing Jakob’s previous album Amor Fati.

http://elparaisorecords.com/releases/jakob-sktt-taurus-rising
https://www.facebook.com/elparaisorecords

Jakob Skøtt, “Pleiades”

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Causa Sui’s Jakob Skøtt to Release Amor Fati on March 17

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 23rd, 2014 by JJ Koczan

On March 17, El Paraiso Records will release Amor Fati, the second solo offering from Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt. No audio from the album has surfaced publicly as of this moment, but as described below, it does follow a much different course than Skøtt‘s 2012 solo debut, Doppler, trading out electronic ambience for a fuller “band” feel.

Preorders? Not yet. But the announcement of the record’s release follows here courtesy of the PR wire if you’d like to get acquainted ahead of time:

Jakob Skøtt: Amor Fati

Causa Sui drummer Jakob Skøtt returns with his 2nd full length in his own name. Taking the leap from his debut Doppler’s introvert kosmische synthesizer dronescapes diving into a full blown mad scientist one-band mode, Jakob straps on a wide array of heavy percussive modes to fuel his vivid utopia of analogue synths and drums. It’s one man’s vision as crazed and intoxicated as it is soothing and compelling, borrowing as many clues from afro-beat, latin-grooves and new age-ambience as it does from the booming legacy of krautrock. The proceedings are distanced from both coolness and kitsch, and a refreshing break from any standards.

Mantis in Lace kicks off the record with a thick repetitive bass synth riff, on top of two drum kits battling to spontaneously combust. On top of that a heavy percussive layer of echo-addled synthesizers is working out a path of it’s own: An opening statement constantly collapsing on itself. Synthemesc takes a calmer, yet insisting percussive mode of full bodied Moog-tone carrying the track into a John Carpenter-ish landing. Araucaria Fire straps on congas for a more exotic journey into an organ riddled percussive climax, recollecting Trans Am and Tony Williams Lifetime. Side B lends to a more subtle start, with two tracks of electroorgasmic psychedelic bliss, leading the way into the heart of the title track – a heavy slice of funk as dense as any 4-piece band could have cooked it up. Earth of no Horizon lands the spaceship safely with echos of Terry Riley or Vangelis.

Amor Fati is unique blend of improvisation, as well as carefully structured climaxes and shifts. All drums were recorded first take in a single afternoon, soloes slashed out in impulse mode, albeit everything was creatively mixed, using the editing process as yet another instrument in the vein of Bitches Brew, in line with the album’s title, giving apollonian structure to a dionysian chaos. It’s music that acknowledges both the glorious and the illfated in the unpredictable current of music.

www.elparaisorecords.com
www.cargorecords.co.uk
www.forcedexposure.com

Jakob Skøtt, “Longevity Suite” from Doppler (2012)

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