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Stream ZAHN’s Adria HERE.
Story: Ralph Greco, Jr.
Cvlt Nation is hosting an exclusive stream of Adria, the sprawling second LP from Berlin, Germany-based postmodern rock act ZAHN – uniting members of Einstürzende Neubauten, (live), Heads., former members of The Ocean Collective, and more – preceding its release this Friday on Crazysane Records.
Adria is a testament to the incredible power of this trio and its ability to effortlessly ensnare your attention for the duration of a ten-minute purely instrumental song. Over the course of the album’s eleven tracks ZAHN emerges as a form of the Pink Floyd of noise rock, relentlessly pushing the envelope on what’s already accomplished while remaining tasteful and tasty at every corner.
Adria was recorded by Peter Voigtmann (The Ocean Collective) at his Die Mühle Studio in Northern Germany. The album was mixed and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Russian Circles, Cult Of Luna) at his Stockholm-based studio. The cover artwork, based on photographs by Lupus Lindemann (Kadavar), was designed by Fabian Bremer (Radare, Aua).
With their exclusive advance stream of Adria, Cvlt Nation writes in part, “Imagine if Mogwai, Portishead, Envy, Can, and Tortoise came together to create a sonic cathedral — the audio outcome might sound like this amazing collection of songs. Honestly, I have never heard noise rock through the lens of post rock, but ZAHN has done just that and then some!”
Experience ZAHN’s lush, immersive Adria LP in its entirety at Cvlt Nation RIGHT HERE.
Crazysane Records will release Adria on 2xLP and all digitally this Friday, November 24th. Find physical preorders HERE and stream/presave the record HERE.
Stand by for live announcements and tour dates for ZAHN to be announced shortly.
ZAHN presents Adria, an eighty-minute journey into the heart of classic European holiday culture. Adria offers a bold escape from your daily life through technicolour transmissions of post–rock, krautrock, dark jazz, noise rock, post-punk, and electronic music. Adria is a compelling soundtrack to a 1980s antiutopian road movie.
Found on stickers on the backs of millions of camper vans crossing Europe each Summer, the word “adria” has become synonymous with the magic of going on holiday for many generations of continental plebeians. It represents a mythical destination with the promise of leisure, but also an arduous road journey and a healthy dose of exhaust fumes. Like watching the sun set over a shabby highway restaurant or eating a melting popsicle next to a dirty campsite pool, Adria offers the perfect balance of blandness and heaviness.
Consisting of Chris Breuer (Heads., ex-The Ocean Collective), Nic Stockmann (Heads.), and Felix Gebhard (Muff Potter, Einstürzende Neubauten-live), ZAHN stands in the progressive tradition of musicians from a local scene working together on albums and exploring new grounds regardless of the respective bands they became known for. With a debut album that was recorded in only two days, this trio revealed an insatiable thirst for creation and boundless ambition in rhythm and texture.
With Adria, ZAHN has chosen the scenic route to create a collection of vivid sonic vistas, juxtaposing their noise rock roots with healthy doses of a variety of genres. “Zebra” opens the album like an otherworldly elevator overture faintly echoing the chirping sound of crickets in the warm evening wind, “Faser” stretches out like a highway marrying noisy krautrock textures with remote math rock elements. Meanwhile, lead single “Idylle” could easily fit on a soundtrack album to a lost David Lynch motion picture.
Once more, ZAHN has curated a group of talented musicians to augment their own multi-instrumental exercises. “Amaranth” with its rolling rhythm features some excellent doom rock stylings courtesy of guitarist Markus E. Lipka (Eisenvater), while the jazzy midsection of “Tabak” is softly propelled by the subtle accordion flourishes of Joanna Gemma Auguri. “Schmuck” features an artful buildup in 5/4 embellished by the tasteful guitar playing of Jobst M. Feit (Radare) and “Idylle” features his bandmate Fabian Bremer (Radare, Aua) on synthesizer.
Returning to the task of making these musicians sound good is Peter Voigtmann (The Ocean Collective, Shrvl), who recorded the album at his Die Mühle studio. The huge storage space of the old mill provided an ideal recording site for ZAHN’s big drums and huge bass sound while leaving ample room for the intricate atmospheres created by the other instruments. Voigtmann also provided his magic on the uncanny end section of “Yuccatan 3E” and on “Idylle,” perfectly capturing the unheimlich in shades of slow shimmering sequencers and synthesized textures. Adria was mixed and mastered by Magnus Lindberg (Russian Circles, Cult Of Luna) at his Stockholm-based studio. The cover artwork, based on photographs by Lupus Lindemann (Kadavar), was designed by Fabian Bremer (Radare, Aua).
“ZAHN crafts a compelling blend of Neu!-inspired drums Space Night synths and deep bass. A captivating synergy of sound in which each track is a unique suggestive sub-whirl. Highly individual yet harmoniously cohesive. A clear recommendation from the house.” – Metal Hammer
“The krautrock pacing further amplifies this altered state of mind, sonically building up in teasing fashion like the slight awareness of increasing palpitations. All internal alarms then fire on all cylinders as ZAHN bring in absolutely gritty bass and guitar leads, ultimately culminating in a psychedelic climax that lets you know you have officially succumbed to this auditory sauna experience.” – Everything Is Noise
“Berlin trio ZAHN are the experimental wunderkind of the modern krautrock scene. The record’s concept is quite the contrast to the band’s sound, with its elongated tracks, prog-rock motifs, blistering noises and warbled, experimental synth sounds. It’s not what many would associate with mystical leisure resort. But if this is ZAHN’s idea of a holiday, count me in.” – ExBerliner
“If their new album Adria proves anything, Berlin, it is how very versatile and rich instrumental music can be. It is a tour de force, with an hour and twenty minutes of widely varying tunes mixing up post rock with noise rock, punk, metal, psych, and sludge. One thing is guaranteed: you won’t be bored.” – Weirdo Shrine
“ZAHN’s Adria is the experimental rock record I’ve been waiting for, with spacious guitars, classic synths, distorted bass and heavy grooves like Hallo Gallo meets Jesus Lizard. This is futuristic music for movement, not vocals. I’ve been running to it the past couple weeks and I think I’m getting smarter.” – Walter Schreifels (Quicksand, Rival Schools, Gorilla Biscuits)
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