MASSA EP by ROTER STERN BELGRAD

Early 80s mutant funk from Düsseldorf's machine music legacy - originally issued in 1981 as part of the rare 3 x12" MASSA compilation box on the short lived KLAR 80! label/cassette shop.For many years this EP has existed as a rumour only, a phantom like contemporary post punk acts such as Liaisons Dangereuses or CHBB. These distinctly characteristic recordings have up until today remained the only vinyl outing under the Roter Stern Belgrad name. Written and produced by a fluid line-up during excessive nighttime sessions, using mostly a Roland rhythm machine and analogue sequencer modules, blending the results with fieldrecordings to maximum effect. The production is razor sharp and reduced to the bare bone. All three featured tracks sound utterly urgent and uncompromising. The overall atmosphere can be described as grey, febrile and evocative. The stand out proto techno affairs of Afars & Issas are inspired by the vast emptiness of the rocky deserts in Djibouti. Wegwerfliebling creates a dystopian dancefloor killer full of nagging dynamics. The psychedelic mood of the pulsating Abendstern Chant is fed by the rumbling schizo-mechanics. Grinding tape loops seem to govern magical manupilations of a tribal gathering taking place in a low lit basement.