Posted in Whathaveyou on November 14th, 2024 by JJ Koczan
Holy smokes, check out that lineup. 10 bands and not a clunker or a filler in the bunch. Each offers something different, each occupies a different place in sound and has a different history. From heavy psych progenitors Colour Haze through up and comers like Lucid Void and Kant — both of whom have releases out through Sound of Liberation‘s label wing in addition to working with the booking agency — and being My Sleeping Karma‘s first-revealed date for 2025 (come on, Freak Valley; they’re a bucket-list band for me), it’s a stunner even before you tap 1000mods supporting their new record, Slomosa on the heels of their second, Greenleaf being Greenleaf, Gnome and Earth Tongue and Daevar all continuing to kill it. Damn. As all-dayers go, the SOL Sonic Ride — the 20th anniversary celebration of the aforementioned Sound of Liberation, ser for March 29 and happening across two venues in Cologne, Germany — looks positively epic.
You might recall what happened with Sound of Liberation‘s 15th anniversary shindig, which was to have been held in 2020 and became a 17th anniversary shindig in 2022. On more than a few levels, I wish SOL Sonic Ride a less fraught realization. And happy 20 years to Sound of Liberation, while we’re here.
From socials:
20 YEARS OF SOUND OF LIBERATION
Hey friends,
we’re celebrating two decades of heavy riffs!🪩
Join us on March 29, 2025 in Cologne for a one-day-only festival: SOL SONIC RIDE COLOGNE!🚀
Expect explosive performances from some of the heaviest and trippiest bands on the SOL roster, including:
There’s something unassuming about the way Lucid Void jazz into “Himmelheber,” the seven-minute opening track on their self-titled debut full-length, released through Sound of Liberation Records. But the first two minutes of that song, before it moves to the more grounded but still intricate series of jabs and bass flourishes, building like classic heavy prog jams, are emblematic of the subtleties on display throughout the record. Based in Darmstadt, Germany, and produced by René Hofmann (also of Wight) with mixing by Josko Joketovic Jole Joka (Willi Dammeier at Institut für Wohlklangforschung mastered), Lucid Void offer six tracks of krautrock-informed sans-vox heavy prog and psych.
Beginning with “Himmelheber” as both leadoff and the longest individual piece (immediate points), they go on to inhabit a range of vibes across the three-per-side-makes-six songs and 36 minutes, with “Gala Ballada,” following and opening wider to psychedelic-ish fluidity, mellow space rock throwing itself a twist in the last of its own seven minutes (opening with the two longest tracks is double points; please note there are no actual points) in giving due accent to its patient but not still movement. Like the quiet section of a latter-day Elder song isolated and extracted to stand on its own, it sweeps into its more shimmering conclusion of thoughtful lead guitar and keys, resides there for a while and then fades out, not looking to wear out its welcome but, especially in combination with “Himmelheber” just before, engaging and maybe a little hypnotic but still clear in its purposes toward exploring classy/classic progressive rock.
The listener might not always know where the four-piece of Jakob Schuck (guitar), Samba Gueye (keyboards), Béla Nitsch (bass) and Max Hübner (drums/percussion) are going, but if Causa Sui had already known they wanted to be psych-jazz when they started out, their first record might’ve sounded like Lucid Void‘s self-titled, and as they move through the willfully bumpy early rhythm and warm heavy-psych-toned procession of “Dorian,” definitely plotted in its structure but still feeling open on its journey into the proto-New Wave keyboard and molten bass and the concluding acoustic reveal in its second half, the grace in the band’s sound isn’t to be ignored.
One can hear hints of Colour Haze, the aforementioned Causa Sui and Elder, maybe some loose influence from fellow European instrumentalists like My Sleeping Karma on “Dorian,” but while Lucid Void are obviously schooled in the works of generational forebears, they come across as wanting to take on an array of different sounds and sub-styles within the proggier end of heavy music, and that ambition is realized across Lucid Voidin the varied but cohesive stretches of the songs that comprise it.
“Dorian” is shorter than either of its two side A companions, and no less thoughtful in wrapping the first half of the album than “Himmelheber” was in starting, the pastoral shimmer of its relatively quick guitar intro soon joined by toms seeming to preface some of the serenity of the is-that-running-water-I-hear ending. To be symmetrical and liquid in kind is not easy in any style, let alone on a first record, but a deceptively gentle delivery even at in the neo-space rock shuffle of “Gala Ballada” answers the insistence that emerges from the keys and chimes in the early going of “Himmelheber” in ways that make the album a deeper listening experience and give a more complex impression of the band on the whole.
Further evidence of an underlying plan at work is the manner in which “Flatlanders” picks up with acoustic guitar where “Dorian” left off, taking its first minute for an introductory exploration before the organ-backed swing and strutting lead electric guitar kick in to unfold the ‘meat’ of the song itself. There’s character in “Flatlanders” beyond the organic tonality of the band itself and the bit of tambourine they toss in shortly before mellowing out at the halfway mark. The patience in that trade, in pulling back, is crucial to understanding the band, and that they don’t rush back into ‘the heavy part’ communicates their potential all the more. Instead, “Flatlanders” makes its way through a build of guitar and keys.
Yes, the tambourine returns at the end, but the four-piece do well to focus on getting there as much as where they’re going, where they’ve been. The penultimate “Galyxo” is the longest cut on side B at 6:29, and by then the course is set. Lucid Void lean a bit into the rhythmic urgency of Slift but not necessarily the sensory-overload of volume, and when they turn from the buzz-fuzz and sharp snare to the more open flow for the second time, the result in what you might call the song’s payoff if the whole thing wasn’t the payoff arrives at thicker distortion and riffier push only as part of its overarching purpose toward heavy psychedelia.
“Galyxo” is satisfying enough to be the crescendo of Lucid Void, and is all the more appropriate to think of in those terms because it doesn’t lose itself in the moment it creates, but the concluding “Suns,” which is the shortest inclusion at 5:08 seems to allow the listener space to daydream. There’s definite forward movement, a particularly post-Koglek rhythm to the riff that some of the song works around, but in the finale as well, Lucid Void show they’re up to the task of incorporating influences into their own approach rather than carbon-copying what came before. More than an epilogue as the closer, “Suns” is languid in its groove and the last guitar solo and standalone-piano ending feel placed in order to leave off with no less consciousness-of-self (as opposed to being self-conscious in an insecure sense) than they executed “Himmelheber,” “Dorian,” or “Flatlanders.”
Which is to say, if Lucid Void didn’t write these songs specifically to be put where they are on the record, they sound like they did, and that might actually be more of an accomplishment. That’s doubly true on a debut full-length, where the task is as much about making a first impression on new listeners as establishing at least some facets of the aesthetic scope the band will explore. Lucid Void sound fresh in their not-overwrought, semi-psychedelic prog, and are able to shape their material in order to evoke and emotional response without vocals. Wherever they ultimately end up in terms of sound, that ability can only be an asset, as it most certainly is here.
Posted in Whathaveyou on April 4th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Just a couple weeks ago, Darmstadt’s Lucid Void were announced as having signed to SOL Records. The acronym there is for Sound of Liberation — if you were thinking “shit out of luck,” nope, though there may well be days where the European booking agency feels like it might apply — and the German four-piece join a nascent but already international roster of acts after already inking for tours. I suppose a big clue might’ve been when Lucid Void were invited to play the Sound of Liberation anniversary party last year, or 2022’s first edition of the Lazy Bones Festival in Hamburg, which the company also puts on.
In 2023, Lucid Void are already confirmed for Keep it Low in October — they’ll be at Stoned From the Underground as well this summer — and it only seems likely that will lead to more as they make ready to unveil their self-titled debut, produced like their 2020 SAAT EP by René Hofmann of Wight, on May 19. If that seems like a quick turnaround from signing to release, that might be a result of shellshock from the pressing delays of 2021-2022, which have reportedly abated to some degree this year, so take it as a good sign. And you could do far worse than, “my goodness we gottta get this record out asap,” as regards urgency.
Cover art and preorder link and other whathaveyou follow here, as per socials:
It’s official — Our self-titled album “Lucid Void” will be released on 19th of May via SOL Records
It will be available on limited coloured vinyl, black vinyl and cd. You can preorder your copy now on SOL Record’s website.
We’re also proud to finally present to you our magnificent album cover by the amazing artist Johanna Amberg from Darmstadt.
She took inspiration from our music and came up with a very cool idea. What you are seeing is actually a real miniature sculpture she manufactured herself.
The album was recorded by René Hofmann and mixed by Josko Joketovic Jole Joka. The mastering was done by Willi Dammeier at Institut für Wohlklangforschung.
TRACKLIST: A 1 Himmelheber A 2 Gala Ballada A 3 Dorian B 1 Flatlanders B 2 Galyxo B 3 Suns
Lucid Void are Jakob Schuck, Samba Gueye, Béla Nitsch and Max Hübner.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 23rd, 2023 by JJ Koczan
Darmstadt, Germany’s Lucid Void are the second band to be picked up for the roster of SOL Records, the label wing of European booking agency Sound of Liberation. The imprint released Slip Through the Cracks (review here) by Athens’ Half Gramme of Soma last year and will follow sometime in the coming months with Lucid Void‘s yet-untitled debut. If you saw the word “Darmstadt” there and thought to yourself, “Gee, I wonder if they know Wight and/or Bushfire,” well, Wight‘s René Hofmann mixed and mastered their 2020 SAAT EP — streaming below; it’s pretty cool — so at least there’s that.
I don’t know what they call this generation in Europe. Is it still Gen-Z? I think we’re really starting to see a generational turnover in bands. Some are aging out, some new ones are coming in, it’s great. If I was the listicle type, I’d put together a ’30 under 30′ or some such, but I’ve got neither the time, the inclination, nor the will to fact-check the age of a bunch of dudes when it’s secondary to the point of the band’s existence anyhow. I wouldn’t count someone out because they’re 32, is what I’m saying, and the whole thing suddenly becomes an overthought pain in the ass because that’s how I do.
Whatever. I asked the AI robot what Gen-Z is called in Europe and it’s Gen-Z, mostly. See? Fact-checking matters. Though I’m not sure I’d call that robot a reputable source at this point. In any case, congrats to Lucid Void on the signing and here’s looking forward to the record. I’m kind of assuming it’ll be out this Fall since after playing Stoned From the Underground this summer, the band will also play Keep it Low in Munich this October. Would be a hell of a release party, but I guess we’ll see how the timing works.
Sound of Liberation sent the following in their newsletter:
SOL RECORDS: LUCID VOID SIGNED
We are proud to announce the signing of the super talented psychedelic krautrock band Lucid Void from Darmstadt, Germany.
Some of you might know them already from performances with My Sleeping Karma, Colour Haze and Greenleaf at some of our festivals.
We are stoked to have them on board. Their first full length album will be released soon via our new SOL Records Label.
Stay tuned about what’s coming next. A lot of good music cooking in our label pot. We are sure you will love it!
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 20th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
And so the Fall tourscape continues to unfold. King Buffalo heading abroad again is news, I think. They’re playing RippleFest Texas at the end of September, and between Keep it Low 2023 on Oct. 6-7 and the also-Sound–of–Liberation-affiliated Lazy Bones Festival in Hamburg, for which they were confirmed last week, it looks like they’ll once more spend at least the better part of a month on the road. Good to know these things.
Joining them in this whopper of an announcement is the e’er aggro Mantar, reinvigorated doom legends The Obsessed — who seem to be hitting the touring circuit that much harder with their revamped lineup — the reliably-unhinged Eyehategod, upstart rockers Slomosa, and Humulus, Dirty Sound Magnet, The Moth (who rule and hopefully have a new record coming), Eremit, Lucid Void and masked marauders Iron Walrus. It’s a busy one, but check out the generational blend between the likes of Colour Haze, The Obsessed, Eyehategod and Alabama Thunderpussy and the likes of Slomosa, King Buffalo, and Lucid Void.
Seems to me like we’re in a pretty killer moment of established acts still getting out and releasing quality material (The Obsessed have a new album that hopefully will be out concurrent to this tour) and newer bands on the rise. As the 2020s play out post-pandemic, this may be the shape of the next few years. Let’s learn from the past and support the shit out of the next generation of bands, hmm?
Here’s the latest:
NEW BANDS ADDED TO KEEP IT LOW FESTIVAL 2023
Hey Keepers,
we’re super stoked to present you the latest additions to our Keep It Low line up!
Please welcome to the bill:
MANTAR The Obsessed King Buffalo EYEHATEGOD Slomosa Dirty Sound Magnet Humulus THE MOTH Eremit Lucid Void IRON WALRUS
Posted in Whathaveyou on January 19th, 2023 by JJ Koczan
You’ve got the forerunners of Greek heavy rock in 1000mods as a headliner and Black Rainbows who should have a new record in the can by then, Dutch out-there-searchers Temple Fang and burly Osnabrückian sludge metallers Iron Walrus, Gnome who are frickin’ everywhere right now, Acid Mammoth who crush and I hope have a new LP out this year, Mother Engine, dreamy Darmstadt instrumentalists Lucid Void, plus the eternally weird Beehoover and DŸSE, and did I miss anybody? I don’t think so. In any case, this is pretty strong first announcement from the venerable and long-running Stoned From the Underground Festival in Germany. Set to take place July 13-15, it’s always a spot on the summer’s heavy circuit and an event I’ve admired from afar for a long time even if I haven’t always necessarily covered it. I don’t have an excuse, I’m only one person and I think more than 20 years on from when they started out, the fest needs me to write words about it not in the slightest. They are an institution.
In any case, it’s already a solid assemblage and obviously there’s more to come. Earlybird tickets seem to be on sale now, so if you know you’re going to be in the neighborhood or if you’re putting yourself there for the festival, traveling, etc., you might as well get the bargain. For the rest of us, a bit of daydream fodder:
Dear Stoned community,
So far we’ve been holding back on band announcements, but now we’re really getting started. Enjoy with us:
1000mods BLACK RAINBOWS Temple Fang Acid Mammoth Mother Engine DŸSE Gnome Beehoover IRON WALRUS Swan Valley Heights Lucid Void …and more
Daniela Uhlig is already working at full steam on our new artwork for 2023, which will follow in the next few days – stay tuned!
Posted in Whathaveyou on May 23rd, 2022 by JJ Koczan
First I was like, ‘Oh damn, that day one lineup rules!’ and then I was all, ‘Oh damn, but look at day two!’ and that’s how I know this festival will be a good time. Lazy Bones, in the spirit of Up in Smoke or Keep it Cool — both in the autumn season — is a new festival helmed by the obviously-capable hands of Sound of Liberation, set to take place July 29-30 in Hamburg, Germany. And yeah, the lineup rules so far. There’s apparently more to come — I’m not sure how much more because I’m not sure how many stages there will be; figure one or two for a first-time-out kind of fest — but anytime Sound of Liberation plants a flag on a weekend and says they’re doing a festival, it’s worth paying attention.
The end of July puts Lazy Bones a respectful two weeks apart from Stoned From the Underground in Erfurt, and Hamburg is over three and a half hours by train anyhow, so not much stepping on toes there. Where it is, Lazy Bones is in a good position to catch some tours just ending and others just beginning, and I continue to look forward to a day when Europe has a different festival to offer — at least one — somewhere on the continent every weekend of the year. Think it can’t happen? I mean, it most likely won’t, but stranger crap certainly has.
Some day I will see My Sleeping Karma. This’d be a cool way to do it.
From social media:
Lazy Bones Festival: WITCH, Colour Haze, My Sleeping Karma, King Buffalo & many more
29. & 30. JULY 2022: LAZY BONES
Friends, today we’re super excited to present you what we’ve been working on in secret lately…
Please welcome a brand new SOL Festival in the beautiful city of Hamburg: Lazy Bones!
Two days of finest stoner & psychedelic rock in the legendary „Gruenspan“ club in one of the most beautiful maritime cities.
LINE UP Friday 29.07.2022 Witch King Buffalo Valley of the Sun & more to be announced
Saturday 30.07.2022 Colour Haze MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL monkey3 Wo Fat Lucid Void & more to be announced
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 28th, 2022 by JJ Koczan
Pick your poison here, it’s all killer. Makes sense when you think about it, too. If you’ve been waiting to have a party for two years, don’t you want to do it up? Thus it is that Sound of Liberation‘s plague-delayed 15th anniversary celebrations have become 17th anniversary celebrations — and frankly, having survived those extra two years is no mean feat either for a booking concern, or, you know, anyone — and the parties will be held June 10-11 in Munich and June 24-25 in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Simply put, the lineups aren’t fucking around. Colour Haze, Fu Manchu, High on Fire, 1000mods, Elder, Ufomammut, My Sleeping Karma, Yawning Man, Monkey3, The Well, Toundra, Villagers of Ionnina City, DVNE, Slomosa, Stoned Jesus, Lucid Void, and more to be announced. That pushes beyond “killer party” and into “this is actually a festival” territory, and after so much delay, I seriously doubt any of the concerned parties have a problem with that.
These will be significant evenings. If you’re going, drink it in.
As posted on socials:
17 YEARS SOUND OF LIBERATION FESTIVALS 2022
*** New Bands *** Day Splits *** Warm-Up Show ***
Dear friends and fans, we are excited to share a bunch of amazing news for our SOL Birthday Bashes in Munich and Wiesbaden with you.
We added some more outstanding acts to our line-ups and there’s an additional warm-up evening happening in Wiesbaden!
17 years Sound of Liberation • Backstage Munich
We’re stoked to finally share the day-splits with you!
Friday, 10th June 2022 Backstage, Munich (GER) Line-Up: Colour Haze, High On Fire, Elder, UFOMAMMUT, Villagers of Ioannina City, Toundra, DVNE + more TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
Saturday, 11th June 2022 Backstage, Munich (GER) Line-Up: Fu Manchu, 1000mods, MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL, Yawning Man (Official), monkey3, The Well + more TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
Single-Day Tickets & Weekend Tickets are available.
17 years Sound of Liberation • Wiesbaden
Our party does now start a day earlier!
We’re proud to welcome no other than mighty UFOMAMMUT (ITA) and rising stars Slomosa (NOR) (+ one more band TBA) to rip down the Kesselhaus at Schlachthof Wiesbaden on June 24th and warm-up our neck muscles for the following full festival day!
Friday 24th June 2022 Official Festival Warm-Up Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER) Line-Up: UFOMAMMUT, Slomosa + 1 more band TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
Saturday 25th June 2022 Schlachthof, Wiesbaden (GER) Line-Up: 1000mods, Elder, MY SLEEPING KARMA – OFFICIAL, Stoned Jesus, The Well, Lucid Void + more TBA Tickets: http://www.sol-tickets.com
We can’t wait for June, this is happening for real! Grab your tickets and join us in Munich and / or Wiesbaden
