To celebrate reaching the ripe old age of 10 we produced this super limited edition 7″ vinyl with tracks by two of Birmingham’s most talented acts, Modified Toy Orchestra + Einstellung. The package also contains a beautifully designed 18 page booklet with tonnes of photos to commemorate our last decade of activity from SUNN 0))) shows in drained pools to Giant (aka Shepard Fairey) exhibition way back in 2000 .
And at only £5 these are a real bargain BUY NOW
(Only 300 produced – get them while you can)
Also available as a high fashion accessory a very limited edition enamel badge also available from our SHOP design by the pretty amazing Francesca Williams.
You too can be as cool as this lady…
“Last night at the Cinema I served a woman wearing a steel Capsule pin. She
seemed genuinely astounded when I complemented her on her badge and I looked like the coolest popcorn shoveler who has ever lived. If you live Birmingham and don’t know who Capsule are then you’re probably not actually living in Birmingham, you’re probably just existing, shuffling along mindlessly in a grey musicless world. If you’d like to learn a little about Capsule you can make a start by reading their new zine, a shamelessly self promotional little document which features n article about Skweee by Total Boner Mike Coley. Maybe he’ll eventually get around to posting in on here but in the meantime head over to Capsule’s site to read it.” www.totallybone.com/
Review of EINSTELLUNG & CLUSTER at Town Hall Birmingham by Paul Jeffery photos by Katja Ogrin
Cluster, with their roots in the late 60s, defined the roots of everything from experimental ambient to dance, with a mighty dollop of krautrock thrown-in for good measure!
I’d not set foot in Brum Town Hall before, but it’s a cracking venue, all Victorian pomp and splendour sympathetically and expensively restored. Acoustics are good, spacious, but easily filled by relatively modest amp stacks.
First on were a band I was only very vaguely aware of – Einstellung, a Brum-based four piece relentlessly compared to Neu!. They offer-up a kind of ambient drone-metal, heavily guitar-lead, and occasionally pitching and bucking with some ferocity within the confines of their longish set pieces, ultimately yielding a sound that fits within the looser boundaries of Krautrock. These are not wet-behind-the-ears newcomers either, having all served time in other successful bands before. Their particular fusion rocks too – and I have honestly never heard guitar feedback used quite so creatively or effectively as in their set closer. On reflection I would have been pleased if I’d showed-up for this set alone.
Ben Graham from The Quietus talks to Einstellung, Birmingham based Apache beat, interstellar overlords
Formed in Birmingham in 2003 by ex-members of stoner rock band Sally, industrial metal titans Godflesh, Kat Bjelland’s Katastrophy Wife and post-rock/ shoegaze outfit Grover, Einstellung have stripped the motorik chassis of the first Neu! Album down to its essential cogs and gears, and fitted it to a custom-built hot rod roadster, equal parts Sonic Youth skronk, My Bloody Valentine narcotic noise and Black Sabbath hard rock. The resulting album, Wings of Desire, is finally available in the UK as one of the first releases on Capsule Records, brought to you by the fine people behind Birmingham’s unspeakably excellent Supersonic Festival. Released as an exquisitely-designed limited edition of 500 heavyweight vinyl double albums, Wings of Desire is a record that needs to be listened to loud, its six lengthy instrumental tracks (all given cod-German titles) building from droning, lazily melodic beginnings to monstrous, fuzz-blasted raptures and epiphanies, via sonorous avalanches of warped and clanging sturm und drang. We spoke to Einstellung guitarist Andrew Parker on the eve of a major show opening for Cluster at Birmingham Town Hall on the February 11, where the band will play their forthcoming second album, And The Rest Are Thunder, in its entirety.
Einstellung support legendary Krautrock duo CLUSTER on Thursday 11th Feb at Town Hall Birmingham
Tickets available from https://tickets.thsh.co.uk 0121 780 3333
You can purchase ‘Wings Of Desire‘ limited edition double vinyl from our SHOP – cover designed by artist Lucy McLauchlan (only 500 ever made)
What is it about that beat they call Motorik? The beat Klaus Dinger, its ‘inventor’ preferred to call ‘Apache’, that people generally associate with Krautrock, although its appearance in this particular genre is limited to a handful of tunes only? On the face of it, a four-four beat of simply ‘bass-bass-snare-bass’, or as I sometimes prefer to play it, ‘bass-bass-bass-snare’ with no accent or groove, shouldn’t really be all that should it?
Yet to me and many others (according to the results of a quick Google of ‘Motorik’) this beat is so much more. When I hear Dinger doing his thing on those opening tracks of the Neu! albums, and in my opinion no-one did it quite like him, I feel like I’m setting off on a journey, a mystery trip with no destination in mind. I’m on an inter city train, soothed and hypnotised by the, steady grooveless, yet somehow groovy rhythm, gazing through the window, my mind registering the evolving guitar lines like the passing scenery, the occasional reversed guitar or drum fill like a sudden tunnel or passing train on the other line, but always focussed on the beat, always propelled forward.
I was first introduced to this beat through that esteemed shaman of all things Krautrock – Julian Cope and his ‘Jehovakill’ album of 1992. The track in question ‘The Subtle Energies Commission’ certainly had the ‘Apache’ beat but was verging more towards spacerock. No matter, from there a whole Neu! journey unfolded in front of me. The early works of Stereolab, especially the ‘Transient Random-Noise Bursts…’ album and ‘Refried Ectoplasm’ retrospective had me hooked. Later came Primal Scream’s ‘Shoot Speed Kill Light’, to me the perfect motorik battering ram, underpinning Kevin Sheilds’ squalling guitars and ‘More Light’ by J Mascis and the Fog.
In Einstellung, we often use a motorik beat to convey a sense of movement, a vehicle to link specific sections of music together, a kind of “Ok, we’ve done that bit, get back in the car-we’re off to the next bit” to the listener. Other times I might just use that beat as a solid foundation for the guitars to gradually build upon for extended periods, taking the listener out of themselves, warping their perception of time, until something comes along, maybe a little deliberate stumble in the rhythm to awake them from their daydream.
For me, the music writer and critic Douglas Wolk summed this up perfectly in his piece for the Boston Phoenix -‘The old Neu!-rediscovering the roots of motorik’ when he said “Dinger and Rother made listeners wait and wait for something to change by more than degrees, or for a vanished rhythm to reappear, and their fans learned to love the waiting game”.
This is an album that wears its influences on its sleeve from the off, but it matters not a jot as it combines them in such a creative an compelling manner that one is sucked in from the first note. Opening track ‘Backwell’ is so Krautrock it hurts, beginning with a propulsive, steady bass-line with an underlying organ part. When the NEU!-style drums kick in, it’s hard not to grin, and realise a treat is in store.
Muso’s Guide October 2009
Beak>, from Bristol, count Portishead’s Geoff Barrow among their number. Despite the maths sign in their name, the trio’s debut explores the unmathematical, analogue grooves of Krautrock, with driving motorik beats, hypnotic basslines, intense swells of organ and mantric vocals. Countless bands cite vintage German rock as an influence, but this lot actually sound out-there enough to justify comparison. The Telegraph October 2009
Geoff Barrow and his new band-mates clearly have a mindset that refuses to co-opt the shit which we are all force-fed these days.Or perhaps Beak> is born out of a desire to cut loose after the torturous process of writing and recording the last Portishead album. Whatever the spur, there is a vibrancy to Beak> which smacks you in the ears immediately. Vibrancy is a commodity you will no doubt see referenced often in music reviews, but this is the real deal folks Drowned in Sound
Beak>’s debut tour stops in Birmingham as part of the Capsule 10th Birthday celebrations
Check out this this video of our good friend Lucy McLauchlan painting an electricity tower in the Italian countryside, for Fame Festival2009. Shot on DSLR, edited and soundtracked by Matt Watkins. Lucy and Matt produced the cover for our limited edition release of Einstellungs album ‘Wings Of Desire’, they are indeed a very talented duo.
Limited Edition 1/500 heavy weight double vinyl gatefold sleeve Buy now
Just in time for the Einstellung show on Saturday Capsule Recordings are very proud to be releasing this very special limited edition heavy weight double vinyl release ‘Wings Of Desire’. Artist Lucy McLauchlanhas been commissioned to create a beautiful gatefold sleeve, reflective of the bands industrial roots.
From the deepest depths of the industrial heartlands of Middle England comes a small ray of light. Since late 2003 a warm glow has steadily grown into what can only be described as a fireball. From this point on let this gentle fireball be known as Einstellung.
Blending glorious monotonous Krautrock with melodic tones and heavy slabs of Sabbath riffage, whilst finding time to declare sonic warfare on those tinnitus victims who have passed the point of no return. www.myspace.com/einstellung
There are just 500 of these beauties so don’t miss out – you can purchase them via our shop or come along on Saturday to the Hare & Hounds to see Einstellung perform live supporting Aethenor (members of Sunn 0))), Guapo, Ulver and Shora), don’t forget there will also be a very special secret guest playing!!!
We have some pretty amazing shows in the lead up to Supersonic Festival, which include a welcome return of Japanese band Melt Banana, who sweat out a super-adrenalized, maxi-caffeinated collision of frenzied drum rhythms and torturous guitar squeals they are joined by a special performance by Lash Frenzy (members of Einstellung) Vs Mort and circuit-bender extraordinaire Glatze – this show takes place at the Rainbow Warehouse in Digbeth.
Melt Banana
Followed by the first ever Sublime Frequenciestour with Group Doueh (from the Western Sahara) and Omar Souleyman (from Syria) plus Sublime Frequencies DJ set and on certain dates Sublime Frequencies film screenings – this will be a truely unique evening taking place at the Hare & Hounds – not to be missed!
On the 23rd of May Capsule will be taking over Vivid, an arts venue located in deepest darkest Digbeth. Bring ear plugs its going to be a loud one with live performances by one man noise outfit Prurient playing in collaboration with Cold Cave(members of -Some Girls, Give Up The Ghost, Xiu Xiu), with support from rowdy locals Beestung Lips, Nicholas Bullen &Iron Fist Of The Sun.
Then to round off May we invite back silver clad doom disco divas Chrome Hoof who were one of the highlights of Supersonic 07, for those of you not familiar with these guys think Grace Jones meets Sabbath with a little Sun Ra for good measure!
to follow info our June shows…coming soon
Tickets for all the above shows can be purchased from www.theticketsellers.co.uk
Polar Bear on York Road in Kings Heath + Swordfish in Birmingham city centre
Lucy is one of our favourite Birmingham based artists as well as our neighbour, just situated in a studio next door to our office, this is a short film directed by Matt Watkins featuring Lucy McLauchlan’s improvised painting process and the harvesting of urban detritus. Tacit was filmed between locations in Birmingham and New Art Gallery Walsall . www.beat13.co.uk/ First shown at Flatpack Festival.
Lucy and Matt have just finished working on the album cover for our next Capsule records release of Einstellungs‘Wings Of Desire’, this will be a limited edition double vinyl, its due out in the next couple of months, we can’t wait!
This is a photo of the promo cds, Lucys design hand screen printed by the rather talented Mr Ben Javens
We’ve had a long standing relationship with Beat 13, most notably was the Supersonic Festival logo which Matt designed way back in 2004, and which we think still feels pretty darn fresh.
Last week we were at The Joyful Bewilderment exhibition opening at Rough Trade East in London, it was like Birmingham on sea, well not quite but a good percentage of Birminghams’ creative community were either exhibiting their work or had just come down for support – safety in numbers as it were!!! The event was a total success with absolutely loads of folks in attendance, at one point they had to stop the crowds coming in.
Our contribution to this shindig was Einstellung performing in the later part of the evening, the band played a storming set which was well received by all. As you can see from the photo the band had a hoot.
Here is Log, one of the Out Crowd founders and co-curator of the show looking slightly fearful, which is either due to being surrounded by so many ladies or the free dodgy Lidl beer. French, Marcus, Peplow and Ben, perhaps slightly concerned that the dodgy Lidl beer may run out at some point.
Jenny and I on the other hand were fine, enjoying seeing friends including the lovely Fuck Buttons boys who made a special trip to pop in and see us, surrounded by great art work and the bright lights of London.
And most importantly the art work, which you can read all about on The Joyful Bewilderment blog, and I believe many of the pieces are for sale, so go and check them out.
Some of the brummies exhibiting were Lucy McLauchlan , Rik Cooper, Lee Basford, Stef Grindley, Ben JavensTsz and Log Roper.
