FEATURE: Klub Motorik’s Five Favourite Influences

Image of Eat Lights Become Lights

Ahead of the next Klub Motorik on Saturday 26th May at The Cumberland Arms which features Eat Lights Become Lights, Parastatic and Late Girl, we caught up with Neil R from Eat Lights Become Lights and Neil C from Parastatic to pick five tracks that have influenced their own bands’ sounds and inspired the kosmische night. 

Super Inuit by Holy Fuck
Nothing quite captures the spirit of what Klub Motorik represents than this track by Holy Fuck. That spirit of propulsion and forward movement that powers the track along, the sense of stored energy and the eyes on the horizon. A wide screen rocket propelled track. The first time I heard this track I couldn’t quite believe someone had managed to capture the very essence of what I was trying to achieve with my own band Eat lights become lights and the night I had started to put on Klub Motorik.

Elephant Man by K-X-P
Eat lights become lights had the good fortune of playing with KXP a few years ago. This track is from their debut album. An hypnotic, trance inducing slice of heavy duty electronika, punctuated by stabs of sonic brilliance. I  have always had an affection for linear self contained music and this is a great head nodding example.

White Horses by Eat Lights Become Lights
Klub Motorik wouldn’t be complete without a live airing of White Horses. As the in-house band since its inception Eat lights become lights has gone through many many sonic variations on stage from using two drummers to having four guitarists playing simultaneously. White Horses has traditionally closed the night. The live track is its own beast, ending in a wall of white noise and happiness.  Rumour has it that this one will have both bands on stage for a grand finale.

Electro Karaoke by Fujiya & Miyagi
As well as discovering the classics of the era like Neu! And Harmonia, I happened upon the Brighton band when I heard their remix of the Mercury Rev track Senses on Fire and fell in love with the way that they apply such a strong sense of restraint to the build ups to their tracks, building anticipation and tension then exploding into a sense of bliss that is probably at the poppier end of the krautrock spectrum – where I imagine they reside with Stereolab.  We’re big fans of this approach to songwriting in Parastatic and firm believers in delayed gratification and a decent pop tune. 

Electric Mainline by Spiritualized
Spiritualized are a band close to the heart for all of us.  They’re not really a krautrock band but are one of the examples of how a band can take inspiration from the sounds coming out of Germany back in the 70’s and weave them into an entirely original and contemporary sound.  A lot of their tunes lean more heavily towards shoegaze and psychedelia, but Electric Mainline takes the repeating motif idea and morphs it into a song that simply builds and builds and builds some more until it’s a fierce maelstrom of precision chaos.  There are loads of versions of this track out there and we regularly debate which we prefer.  This version from the Albert Hall represents the band at a real high point in their career. 

You can listen to their Spotify playlist link here and Klub Motorik is at The Cumberland Arms, Newcastle on Saturday 26th May.