And so Grönland Records finally unveil ‘Japandorf’, the third album in a trilogy that would become the final work of Klaus Dinger – drummer with Kraftwerk and founder of La Düsseldorf and NEU!
As a Krautrock legend, Dinger should require no introduction. ‘Japandorf’ was recorded under challenging conditions and was left incomplete at the time of Dinger’s sudden death in March 2008 Completed by fellow Japandorfers Miki Yui and Kazuyuki Onouchi who participated in the last recording sessions in February and March 2008, this album reveals is an artist who’s far from resting on his laurels or willing to trade on former glories. That isn’t to say it doesn’t bear all the hallmarks of Dinger’s work, because it does, but while being immediately recognisable, ‘Japandorf’ simultaneously pushes the boundaries and incorporates a range of diverse influences.
The result? Well, if Devo had done Krautrock-infused J-pop, they would have probably come up an album that sounds like ‘Japandorf’. It’s kickstarted with ‘Immermannstreasse’ which on which a choppy guitar and buoyant vocal skids across a classically motorik beat.
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A gloriously overloading guitar half-buries a metronomic rhythm on ‘Sketch No 1 b’, which comes on like Metal Urbain going for an instrumental jam. ‘Karnival’, comes on like early PIL, and they really hit their stride on ‘Cha Cha 2008’, which is a little reminiscent of Stereolab at their most hypnotic, a locked-in groove driving the exploratory 12-minute sonic road-trip. It’s the first of two longer tracks, the other, ‘Sketch No 4’ panning out for a 10-minute stretch throbs along nicely while searing guitars burn all over it in an overt and rather surprising rock style that’s more Hawkwind than Kraftwerk.
The rather incongruous soft country rock of ‘Kittlebach Symphony’ notwithstanding, ‘Japandroid’ not only rounds off the trilogy that began with ‘pre-Japandorf’ and continued with ‘VIVA Rimix 2010’ perfectly, but it stands as a worthy bookend to an illustrious and distinguished career.
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