Dinner Music 87: The weekly lineup
kosmische music, krautrock, down-and-dirty funk
This week we’re exploring kosmische, or krautrock, music, a genre that originated in Germany in the sixties and seventies. Young Germans were looking to define themselves apart from Germany’s post-World War II legacy and krautrock acted as rebellion against the traditional German music and American pop of the time. We’ve got some iconic Germany bands, like Can, but we’re also exploring some newer manifestations of the genre. If you like psych, The Doors or cosmic country, you’ll like this.
We begin with Prairiewolf, a group that defines themselves as “Colorado kosmische.” There’s a lushness that underscores the album, a breezy walk through a cosmic jungle, that brings to mind California’s Frankie Reyes, who was featured here in April 2023. The music here is more celestial, with a darker cosmic energy, especially through tracks like “Cogs” and “Labwerk.” We move into Tokyo-based neo-krautrock band Minami Deutsch, emphasis on the rock. The album feels like a tribute to krautrock greats, like Can and Neu!, while breaking into new territory all their own. Tracks like “Still Foggy” have elements of industrial techno overlaying drone guitar, while “Fortune Goodies” is more heavy rooted in psychedelia and avant-garde. Speaking of Can, we dive into Ege Bamyasi and the hypnotic grooves paired with experimental riffs that made krautrock, and music, what it is today. We stick with another German group, Sunbirds, whose sound straddles electric jazz and psychedelic kraut-fusion. This is a sort of pulp jazz, jazz that is immediately gratifying, with it’s expansive and wide-ranging tracks with heavy influence on woodwind and wah-wah psych guitar. Many of the tracks were created using E-minor or E-major and E, which is the so-called sun note in esotericism. Most of the song titles, and the band name, uses the word “sun,” likely a nod to the blending of genre and culture that’s happening in this record. We end with the new La Luz album, a psychedelia treat steeped in sonic cosmology.
Enjoy.
Monday
Prairiewolf - Prairiewolf (2023)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Tuesday
Fortune Goodies - Minami Deutsch (2022)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Wednesday
Ege Bamyasi - Can (1972)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Thursday
Sunbirds - Sunbirds (1971)
Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Friday
News of the Universe - La Luz (2024)
Bandcamp / Spotify / Apple Music / YouTube / Other streaming services
Paid subscribers have access to the full Dinner Music archive, an after hours playlist, a “New York Grooves” playlist and more — hundreds of hours of groove, soul, samba, disco, electro, post-punk, funk and more, thoughtfully curated.
Pair with
Pork schnitzel. Too on the nose for Germany? Either way, schnitzel is delicious and you could toss this over a salad for an easy weeknight meal.
Meinklang rosé. Not German, but Austrian, sparkling wine that is always something I buy when I see it. It’s generally on the cheaper side and very, very tasty.
This interview with Charles Gaines. “I wanted to demonstrate how our poetic and aesthetic judgments are embodied within discourse, rather than being totally free properties, and to explain why I wasn’t interested in subjectivity as a tool of production.”
A re-watch of Cosmos. Or watch for the first time if you haven’t yet had the pleasure of hearing Carl Sagan talk about the universe for 13 hours.
Thank you, thank you.
Have a great week.