Stromkern

STROMKERN
LIGHT IT UP
ALBUM WTII/DEPENDENT RELEASE: AUGUST 22, 2005 REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 28, 2005




I've not been what you would call a fan of this act; over the years they've sort of been one of those bands I'd hear in clubs or via friends who were fans. This has changed, however, with the release of Stromkern's new album "Light It up".

J. Ned Kirby's staccato-styled vocals may not be for everyone, but as a fan of hip hop music, I have found his approach a welcome change from the snarling, bear-like growls that typify electronic music these days. The rich textured musical compositions are exquisitely constructed - I really like "Reminders". Earmark this one for the next single, it will kill. Other songs such as "Forgiven" pulsate with intensity, never erring from pulling the listener in without bludgeoning them. "Sentinel" makes an appearance on "Light It up" which makes me wonder what the point of buying compilations from Dependent is when most of the tracks wind up on album. And, of course, we can't forget "Hindsight" which features the rather formulaic vocal stylings of Victoria Lloyd (Clair Voyant, HMB).

Stromkern have spent several years creating this one, and it definitely shows. It also gives me a chance to once more expound on how US-based electronic acts have dropped off over the years, with this band being one of the few survivors of numerous label collapses, tour rip-offs and general malaise. There was a time when acts like Index (Eric Chamberlin, where are you?), Mentallo & the Fixer, Pulse Legion and THD also offered up their own distinctive style of electro. Sadly, these days, American acts appear to have decided to merely follow in the path of the European scene.

Stromkern refuse to do so. In fact, they have made a bold statement, especially given the political climate here in the US where religious zealots masquerade as impartial "democratically elected" leaders and TV evangelists call for not only a stacked Supreme Court but also for the assassination of foreign leaders they do not like. "Light It up" offers hope, it offers those who listen a chance to feel as though there may just be a chance for the world.

A statement on the times we are living in, this album is highly recommended.

PETER MARKS
- Release Magazine (Sweden)

Stromkern are electro at the most basic level, but then veer widely off in to other areas. “Televised,” “Forgiven and “Ruin” bear some resemblance to later era Skinny Puppy, with the electronics accentuated with guitars. “Slow Cascade” has a similar vocal delivery to Pop Will Eat Itself, while “Reminders” and “Sentinel” are synthpop, without making you feel cheated afterwards. A track that really stands out is “Hindsight,” as instead of the male vocals it has female singing (Victoria Lloyd, of Claire Voyant) over female spoken word, and spare electro and piano instrumentation. Stromkern is one of those bands who we need to make electronic music, as they deliver competent electro (with the power of a rock band), and without all the excess baggage of the transitory trend hopping. Haakon Nelson (Virus Magazine) - Virus Magazine

Forget about Kraftwerk and Front 242 -- the real roots of the industrial scene can be traced back to Chuck D and Beethoven. Or, at least the roots of Stromkern can. With a band founder, Ned Kirby, who spent his formative years equally influenced by classical training and a love of hip-hop, Stromkern began with one foot outside the industrial box. Though it's now been eight years since the band's first release, Kirby is still innovating, as he moves away from the EBM scene which first embraced Stromkern to create something new with "Light It Up," a disc that features more of the live instrumentation the band has employed in their stage shows. Having just completed a successful US tour, Stromkern prepares to take it to the coldwave crew with a few upcoming dates with Acumen Nation.

Rock Star Journalism: Given that your background isn't exclusively industrial/electronic music, what was your first introduction to this scene?

Ned Kirby: I used to spin, 10-15 years ago. Going to clubs as a kid, that's when I was first exposed to electronic music. There was something really magical about it, I found.

RSJ: You've mentioned that hip-hop was one of your earliest musical influences. Who were some of the artists you were interested in while growing up?

NK: The first big influence was Public Enemy. They were -- and still are -- a major inspiration. There was so much of the "industrial" aesthetic going on there -- the first three PE records are these intense deconstructionist, post-modern, street-political noise manifestos; even today I find them amazing. All the Bomb Squad productions of that era, really -- like the first couple of Ice Cube records, go back and listen to those and think about how they had to have been made in an era predating computer editing. The mind boggles.

At the same time as I was discovering that whole type of artist, I was also attracted to very majestic sort of rock productions -- things like Jane's Addiction and the Sisters of Mercy and Faith No More, where everything was big and epic and expensive. I think that's why Nine Inch Nails was so electrifying when it first hit the scene -- it was really the first time those two worlds collided. It was part street and part glam rock, and it really introduced a whole new paradigm.

RSJ: Stromkern's sound has evolved over the years, incorporating more live instrumentation. Do you feel that there are any set parameters as to what Stromkern is or is not?

NK: I used to try to define some parameters, but now I'm of the opinion that setting parameters is like setting limits -- it feels productive in the short term, but it's ultimately unfulfilling. You've got to experiment and push yourself. It's really easy to fall into a pattern, and I think that for a lot of people, a lot of artists, you really need to be self-critical and ask yourself if what you're doing is just rehashing where you've already been. Which is not to say that one should just experiment wildly and release whatever comes out, though some people are more capable of that than others -- I mean if you're Phish, then I guess that's a great way to make records. Ultimately, I feel that Stromkern will always reflect my own personal tastes, and I think the core of what appeals to me musically is more or less constant. So, I don't feel so much of a need to set parameters about what I can and can't do with the project.

RSJ: You've stated that, musically, you don't feel any affinity with the current EBM bands, despite this being the genre you first began working with. Why do you now feel a separation from this scene?

NK: Maybe because of what I alluded to above, which is the setting of limits. Bands in the EBM scene, or the gothic scene or whatever it's called these days, tend towards certain formulae. Of course, all kinds of bands tend towards formulae, my own included, and all kinds of bands suck. It's a very difficult thing, to pinpoint what about an artist distinguishes them from the flock. A lot of people could point at Iris and say, hey, they're just another synthpop band, but clearly they aren't: there is something fundamentally different about the way they approach music that makes the end result stand out from the crowd. Wolfsheim would be another example -- ultimately, they transcend genre. But very few bands in that scene are interested in transcending genre, and as a result I find it rather tiresome.

I guess ultimately it comes down to, are people making genre records that seek out a certain audience, or are people just making the records they'd make were they left to their own devices? I enjoy a lot of different music from a lot of different styles, but I think the common thread between all those bands or records would be that, for the most part, the people making them were simply letting loose their souls; they weren't trying to conform to someone else's idea of what their music should sound like.

RSJ: How did the process of creating "Light It Up - Rock Star Journal

Stromkern
Stand Up
WTII Records / Dependent Records Posted: Thursday, March 30, 2006
By: Vince Sander
“Like House of Pain, Yo Yo Ma, and :Wumpscut: in a bar fight...” Hey! I didn’t say it; it comes straight from Stromkern’s own website. The obvious implication here is the fusing of the seemingly incompatible styles of hip-hop, classical composition, and hard electro industrial. Odd as it may seem, those familiar with J. Ned Kirby’s veteran outfit know that the parts actually work together quite well, yielding such worldwide club hits as “Heretic” and “Night Riders.” Stand Up is the precursor single to the upcoming full-length Light it Up, their first release on German label Dependent (WTII in the U.S.).

While the album promises some new wrinkles like bringing in outside vocalists and incorporating more acoustic drums and guitars, the lead single is classic Stromkern in the “Night Riders” mold. Kirby’s rapid-fire rap is a catchy call to arms against lies and hypocrisy, replete with old-school shout-outs to the audience. Ironically, as the band speaks out against the everyday atrocities of modern existence, they have chosen an image that, at least visually, is corporate; maybe they’re trying to drive the point home. Regarding the music itself, heavy beats pound away as sharp synthetic hooks ignite the dancefloor. The MCD offers 3 versions of “Stand Up” that differ mainly in length rather than content or style. One of the extra tracks is a bizarre reworking of “Night Riders.” I’ll need to hear the full album before deciding whether Stromkern is going to win over legions of new fans, but this will definitely whet the appetite of the existing base. - Re>gen Magazine

Stromkern
Dämmerung im Traum
WTII Records Posted: Tuesday, March 21, 2006
By: Kirsten
Stromkern, which literally means "power nucleus" in German, is an electronic group that has been around in some form since approximately 1994. While Dämmerung im Traum (which was their second album released overall and which roughly translates into "To Appear in the Twilight") is a recent release in the USA, this album is not a new Stromkern CD. In fact, it came out in 1999, before Armageddon in 2001 and Re-align in 2002.

As a result, if you as a listener are familiar with both of these albums, you may be surprised if you pick up this recent US release from WTII. It sounds like a return to Ned Kirby's earlier classical EBM, almost ethereal-meets-darkwave sound; it is a truly melodious sound. There are a number of solely instrumental pieces on this album. What lyrics there are, they bespeak a softer, less harsh German industrial edge that Stromkern has come to represent in more recent years.

This is not to say that you won't enjoy this album if you like Stromkern's newer music. Songs like "Crush" and "Paradise" sound very similar to "Re-align" and "Nightriders," but there are a number of mostly instrumental tracks, like "Dämmerung," "Im Traum" (a killer track by the way, though mostly instrumental), and "Refuge," which may be my favorite Stromkern song of all time.

The primary difference I see between this album and the later albums is that Stromkern, at the time Dämmerung im Traum came out, still appeared to be developing their sound. Now, they're more settled and seemingly more satisfied with their sound. When I listen to Dämmerung im Traum, it evokes a more mature series of reactions. I don't necessarily feel as energized as I do from Armageddon as much as appreciative of how far Stromkern has come and how far they are capable of going.

The future of this wonderfully experimental and ambitious group, I believe, is indeed very promising. - Re>gen Magazine