Songs that go together

Speculator's I See A New World Mix

By Impose Automaton » An exclusive mix chock full of kraut and clout.

Nick Ray of Speculator is really into kraut stuff muffled under nine tons of tape hiss. So are we. Ray took the time to mix together a few of his favorite blokes from across the pond and beyond. The I See A New World Mix is 56-minutes of piston-pumping motorik, proto-sleeze and sprawling rainy day jams. Speculator's Nice LP is out now on Underwater Peoples.

Download the I See A New World Mix here.

Below is Ray's track by track descriptions:

Popol Vuh / Werner Hertzog / Josef Bierbichler – “…Ich sehe eine neue Erde..” (Heart of Glass, 1976) I used the audio from the film since this particular mix is not on the ‘soundtrack’, released later as ‘Coeur de verre’ in ’77. Here we have a rare lead guitar shred sesh from a typically more subdued group.
Faust - "Läuft...Heißt das es läuft oder es kommt bald...Läuft"; "It's a Bit of a Pain"; "Jennifer" (Faust IV, 1973) One of my favorite records, from the best band Richard Branson ever signed. A really beautifully produced, all over the place album; jams range from ‘near-pop’ to ‘motorik’ to ‘near-ambient’. Tape hiss is added.
Neu! – Lila Engel (Neu! 2, 1973) Feel like Neu! should get mentioned more for their proto-punk contributions, and not exclusively for motorik. One of my favorite tunes from a schizophrenic group.
Fripp and Eno – Swastika Girls [Excerpt] ((No Pussyfooting), 1973) Some tasty noodling. Pre-dates Eno’s collaborations with Cluster/Harmonia. Gotta love Fripp’s tone.
Cocteau Twins – Blind Dumb Deaf (Garlands, 1982) I really love this first Cocteau Twins album. Sounds a lot like Joy Division. Admittedly of a tangential relation to kraut, but still a sick sounding song!
New Order – Procession (Single, 1981) Their second single, a really under-appreciated track I think. A band that was very influenced by German culture, although the myopic UK press only referenced the most superficial WW2 correlations.
Cluster – Sowiesoso (Sowiesoso, 1976) I like this Cluster record; its much more mellow than some of their other stuff. An excellent rainy day listen. Recorded over a weekend, it also has a nice spontaneity and jammy feel to it.
Neu! – Leb Wohl (Neu! 75, 1975) Ahhhhhh. Klaus Dinger recorded these water sounds on a date with his girlfriend (how romantic). This piece could easily gel on any number of soothing, new-age compilations, yet it manages to express so much more emotion than a typical ‘ocean waves’ tape.