8th May 2020 sees the release of Exophora, the debut album from Mood Taeg. Mood Taeg is a musical project split between Düsseldorf and Shanghai. The band is part of the wider Mood Taeg Kollektiv which includes musicians, graffiti artists, DJs, photographers, painters, and video artists. The project was started in 2016 as a musical outlet for Kollektiv members Lowell Freeman, TDK and K’ko but it is also a project for fellow Kollektiv members such as Faible who creates visuals for the band.
The function of Mood Taeg is to create music that incorporates the motoric drumming of Jaki Liebezeit and Klaus Dinger. They are influences by Neu!, Kraftwerk, Can, Cluster and Harmonia to produce extended instrumental metronomic compositions that are contemporary and at the same time fit exactly within the lineage of their influences.
Mood Taeg record all of their music at their home studio, Lowell’s Garden, and combine digital recording techniques with old analogue synths and instrumentation.
Exophora, the debut album from Mood Taeg, is out on 8th May 2020. It is a five track album with all the tracks broaching the 5 minute mark. The whole LP is so laid back it’s horizontal and is a welcome antidote to these strange and fast moving times.
So what of ‘Corpora’ then? Well it’s 6.21 of blissed out electronica and a gentle throbbing beat which manages to creep under one’s skin after the very first listen. It has obvious nods to Kraftwerk sonically and looks to Neu! (and The Fall) with its repetition repetition repetition. In these increasingly difficult and trying times, it’s invaluable to have art made that helps with the transition from ‘normal’ to ‘making do’ with the least amount of fuss and drama. ‘Corpora’ is a nice addition to the soundtrack to our current times and will hopefully give listeners the hope and comfort where they so desperately need it.
Review by Ioan Humphries
happyrobots.co.uk