NOW ENTERING their second decade as a band, Berlin’s CAMERA are pushing, to borrow the phrase of Ken Kesey, furthur; deeper.
They’re poised to release their fifth studio set, Prosthuman, on Bureau B in February; a news bulletin they’re firing at you point-blank with the first single drop and accompanying video, “Kartoffelstampf”, which you can enjoy here.
It’s a delightful rush of pulsing krautrock swathed in new wave guitar bite and feedback, a psych-era guitar melody, cantering rhythm section and fire. It’s great. It’s Can meet Loop in the underworld.
Karlheinz Stockhausen is noted to have said: “New methods change the experience. New experiences change man.” Drummer Michael Drummer (nominative determinism in effect) took the chance to move their ethos away from a fuller synthy thang.
Their last album, 2018’s Emotional Detox, was distinguished by the presence of keyboard virtuosos Steffen Kahles and CAMERA founder member Timm Brockmann. (Check out “Patrouille Pt.1”). The two keyboardists had formed the backbone of a band otherwise cheerfully fluid in its membership. Departed, Michael found replacing them “a difficult process.”
The first hole was filled by Tim Schroeder, who first teamed up with CAMERA as a performance and video artist on their six-week tour of the States in 2017. He came along for a few informal jams; stayed. Alex Kozmidi completed the current line-up on guitar, with Michael adding his own riffs as the situation demanded.
The album was recorded over a calendar year – from June 2019 to June 2020 – and has no apparent beginning nor ending; it’s a fiery work of motorik and the music eternal, a snapshot in a year of CAMERA as a sonic flow. I’m really, really, looking forward to taking a dive.
CAMERA’s Prosthuman will be released by Bureau B on digital, CD and LP formats on February 19th; you can pre-order yours from the label now, here.
