Zement - "Rohstoff"
A Statement To The Music World
With their third LP, Zement deliver neo-krautrock/psychedelic at its best – perfectly composed with beautiful techno borrowings. "Rohstoff" is a thoroughly danceable record that fits well into our times.
The new album is anything but overproduced. I would even say it's quite the opposite: You can find lots of spontaneous moments on "Rohstoff" (Engl.: "raw material"). Moreover, you can see possible influences not only in the DIY punk genre, from which the Würzburg based duo originates, but also in industrial, electro-pop and even warehouse techno. These mutual worlds have certainly not passed them without a trace.
Zement get you off the couch
Nevertheless, Christian Büdel (drums, percussion) and Philipp Hager (guitar, synths, drum machines, effects, flutes) do not limit their music to reminiscing. Instead, they have found their entirely own style, and it's pretty cool, though.
Listening to it triggers a bit more than just nodding your head in time. Zement get you off the couch, and they do it with a good drive.
The project has been around since 2014, and since then, the two sound crafters have clearly found their common wavelength musically. Zement don't level their building material. Instead, they shape imaginative sculptures out of it that send a strong statement into the music world.
When exploring the songs attentively, you will notice many lovely little details – every time you listen to it, there are some more. The mix of natural sounds, solid rhythms and almost hypnotic synth parts works out perfectly.
A versatile record with exciting details
Zement recorded their third album with Florian Helleken at Hersbrooklyn Recordings. The result is by no means raw material but quite polished. Things like little built-in guitar and sax interludes blossom and disappear right back into the background of this massive wall of sound in just the right moments.
What I particularly like about "Rohstoff" is the versatility and speed of the record. Unlike what you might expect from psychedelic bands, the pieces neither get out of hand nor do they merge into each other without noticeable transitions. Instead, all eight songs are standing entirely for themselves and, nonetheless, are building precious completeness when you listen to them in a row. So: Go check it out! It's worth it!
"Rohstoff" was released on 9 July. You can find the album on all known streaming services and can also purchase it on vinyl.