When the term "A8" is mentioned, one of the most important east-west axes in the country comes to mind, the famous, but also notorious for its accident-prone nature, Autobahn No. 8. However, the name A08, the first project we present in the Popcast of the new year, is not inspired from its Autobahn namesake, despite the Berlin duo's unmistakable connecting element, but is an abbreviation of their predecessor project Africaine 808. The reference works nonetheless. Dirk Leyer and DJ Nomad work with artists from Ghana, Colombia, Kenya and Germany to bring their electronic world music project to life. The resulting mixture of reggae, jazz, Caribbean folklore and electro, which has now been released on the Munich-based downbeat label Compost under the title Waiting for Zion, impresses with its versatility, which at the same time represents its weakness at album length: A08 are best enjoyed when each track is considered on its own merits.
The avant-pop artist Mary Ocher can look back on an extremely remarkable and varied discography, and on her latest album Approaching Singularity: Music For The End Of Time she consistently turns to electronic music. The artist, who grew up in Tel Aviv and has been based in Berlin for many years, has produced an accompanying essay to accompany the apocalyptic title of her work, in which she reflects on the future of humanity in a world shaken by authoritarian tendencies, political extremes and proliferating technologies. Her strong and polarizing voice engages in debates about authority, identity and conflict, allowing her visions of a better future to transcend her music.
On Visionäre Leere, the "dissident pop musician" Bernadette LaHengst also deals with forward-looking issues. Climate and structural change, war and politics are just as much topics as her own mother-daughter relationship. On her new single Gib' mir meine Zukunft zurück (Give me back my future), she leaves the vocal refrain to her 19-year-old daughter Elle Mae (Hengst). The result is another of the optimistic, combative pop anthems that Bernadette LaHengst has been known for since she entered the German music scene in the early 90s as the singer and guitarist of the Hamburg pop band Die Braut Haut ins Auge.
Almost single-handedly, LaHengst has composed, recorded and produced her soulful pop so competently that one can forgive her lyrical weaknesses and cringy rap interludes. Ob allerdings die auf den Pressebildern stolz vorgezeigte Vox Apache Reisegitarre überhaupt auf dem Album zu hören ist, mag bezweifelt werden, denn mehr noch als bei früheren ihrer Produktionen scheint musikalische Perfektion das Ziel gewesen zu sein.
Beirut
And we had so many plans
Leap from the sill, see where we land
Santa Fe's Zack Condon aka Beirut, now also based in Berlin, has been a good address for indie folk with elements of world music and jazz since 2006. When he rented an island in Hadsel, Norway, in 2019 in search of peace and quiet, he discovered a "pump organ" in the house he was renting, which became the inspiration for the sound of his new production. Back in Berlin, he had to go into lockdown due to the pandemic and was able to finish producing the album named (after) Hadsel in peace and quiet and, as with his first album almost 20 years ago, all by himself in the tried-and-tested DYI manner. Needless to say, it turned out great, full of contemplative calm and the beautiful organic sounds of instruments from the artist's extraordinary collection.
The German supergroup Oum Shatt are announcing big things, six years after the release of their fantastic debut. American surf, Greek rembetiko, no wave and various oriental influences are the cornerstones of their new songs, which will be released on January 26.
Led by the mantra-like vocal passages of singer and songwriter Jonas Poppe and sometimes wild percussion from drummer Chris Imler, they once again create their very own sound despite the diverse influences. A strong start to a year that will certainly not be easy.
