Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, USB.

Background/Info: Three years after the successful debut album “Weltall: Erde: Mensch” Berliner formation Reakton joined hands with Out Of Line and have now unleashed their second opus.

Content: Referring to the influences and sound production, the new work is a copy-paste of the debut album. The songs remain inspired by the magic of Kraftwerk, resulting in ‘Robotic-Pop’ or simply ‘Kraftwerk-Pop’ music. Pure minimalism accentuated by bleeping sequences and the magic of the vocoder to produce the vocals -while other passages are featuring computer vocals.

+ + + : If you already like Metroland, Deutsche Bank and related formations, you for sure are going to like Reakton. This album confirms the genius of their debut work. It’s a styled and intelligent production, which isn’t innovative although refreshing and bringing the 80s spirit back alive. The simple fact they got signed to Out Of Line definitely appears to be a consecration for their efforts and talent.

– – – : If you aren’t into Kraftwerk-like Electro-Pop music you’d better avoid buying this album.

Conclusion: Kraftwerk remains a huge source of inspiration for the ‘younger’ generation of artists, but some like Reakton, are definitely more inspired and intelligent in the way they create their own sound.

Best songs: “Deep Learning”, “Aerosol”, “Entertainment”, “Nano”.

Rate: 8.

Artist: www.reakton.de / www.facebook.com/ReaktonMusic

Label: www.outofline.de  / www.facebook.com/outoflinelabel

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

The robotronic electro act Reakton are working on an upcoming, “micro:macro:nano”, to be released later this year via Out Of Line Music. But right now you can check Reakton’s latest video “Entertainment” which is also their 5th single and video to date.

Here’s what the band says about the new video: “The song and video is following the spirit of the upcoming Reakton concept album and is about the microsecond in which the brain decides that “I’m lonely, bored, want to be entertained,” etc.. People start to receive this message from their brain in the middle of a conversation with friends and then start looking at what’s going on in social media right now, and checking in if they are missing something.”

Here’s the video.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

side-line.com

I never heard of the Berliner project REAKTON before the listening of the album “Weltall: Erde: Mensch” released on Electro Shock Records. From the very first notes and arrangements you recognize the omnipresent influence of Kraftwerk. But the robotic-pop cliché moves further, revealing a sophisticated writing and impressive production skills. REAKTON is a band that can compete with other talented artists in the genre like Metroland and Deutsche Bank. I’d a chat with the creative spirit of the band.

(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)

Q: Let’s start with the usual question, how and when did this project saw the daylight? Who’s hiding behind REAKTON and what kind of sound did you want to accomplish?

Adriano: I started in 2013 with the question, how would it sound if Kraftwerk continued to write music? Admittedly the thought is a little presumptuous, but in music / art you are known to be free. And so I just tried it out. A good friend of mine Robert,  is a full-time musician and has helped here and there to get the tracks on the right track.

Q: The KRAFTWERK influence is easily recognizable, but what makes this band that special to you and how do you incorporate their influence into your own creation?

Adriano: Perhaps what is special is that we are only trying to further develop the essence of what is fun about the Kraftwerk sound. We also deal with the issues of today or, from today’s perspective, future times.

Q: I imagine there must be a link between the title of your album “Weltall: Erde: Mensch” and a book published in the former DDR. But what is the album all about and are there specific lyrical themes you wanted to deal with?

Adriano: There is no connection between this book and our music. We only put the album under one theme. A so-called concept album. In order not to be too narrow, we developed the concept a little further for the first album, tracks on the subject of Space: Earth: Human. It’s different with our upcoming album. It will be called “Micro: Macro: Nano” and deals with topics that are in the smallest world.

Q: How do you look back at the entire writing- and production process of the album and what kind of equipment did you use? 

Adriano: The nice thing about working today is that you can do it at any time from home without having to go to a studio. Sometimes ideas come to me spontaneously in the morning or mostly at night, to the regret of my girlfriend at the time. Creativity does not always work at the push of a button, but is dependent on or inspired by daily influences. Sometimes you have to be able to write that down spontaneously. So when I look back on that time there was often the moment ‘wait a minute and remember what you wanted to say’ and then I was in the home studio for 3 hours and had another piece finished. The time I wrote the album wasn’t good for my relationship. We only use the computer to write pieces.

Q: I noticed the album is also available on USB stick! I can imagine this is a kind of collector’s item, but why this format? Do you’ve a favorite physical format and what do you think about the streaming (r)evolution?

Adriano: Among other things, our musical role models are characterized by the fact that they were / are always future-oriented. At the time of publication, we felt that a CD was an outdated medium. Stream music at the push of a button is so nice and easy to consume. But when you are excited about a band you have nothing tangible in hand. So, we decided to produce these USB waver / glass sticks.

Q: I found some live impressions from REAKTON on the net, which I must say are really impressive. Tell us a bit more about the content and concept of the live shows? I noticed there’re several live dates planned for the end of the year, but how are things evolving because of the pandemic? 

Adriano: Reakton is not a project that you want to sweat about in a mop. The maximum sound experience in connection with good visuals is important to us at a concert. Candy for the eyes and ears, so to speak. Unfortunately, giving concerts is not an easy thing. We applied to many organizers, but mostly only received rejections. That is the lot of a ‘newcomer’. We only owe it to a good friend that he trusted us and let us play as the opening act on his tour. So we were able to get the show going to the full.

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com

Genre/Influences: Electro-Pop.

Format: Digital, CD, USB stick.

Background/Info: Reakton is a Berlin based artist inspired by the sound of Kraftwerk. “Weltall : Erde : Mensch” is the band’s debut album featuring twelve songs.

Content: From the very first notes you can hear the shadow of Kraftwerk running through the composition. It’s all in the sounds; some sequences and the robotic production of the vocals. But still some parts of the vocals are clearly reminding me of Kraftwerk. Quite progressively the work evolves into more personal creations although it remains pure ‘Machine-Pop’ or ‘Kraftwerk-Pop’. A few passages are more into experimentalism, but globally speaking this album will please all lovers of this specific Electronic genre.

+ + + : Just like Metroland, Deutsche Bank ao Reakton is emulating the sound of Kraftwerk. The inspiration is easily recognizable, but it however remains a challenge walking in the sonic footsteps of Kraftwerk. And just as the aforementioned ‘copyists’, Reakton is a talented project. The song writing is sophisticated, but still very accessible. The production is driven by deep, carrying bass lines and an impressive sound cocktail of bleeping sequences. I also noticed a few surprising orchestral arrangements. The album features different highlights, but I especially want to mention “Applikation” and “News”. Both tracks are progressively evolving towards a true apotheosis. Other attention grabbers are “Druck”, “U.P.S.”, “Ameropa” and “Motor”. 

– – – : I sometimes get a feeling like ‘Kraftwerk coming out of that body’, but it can also be considered as a compliment and reference.

Conclusion: Reakton’s source of inspiration is totally cliché, but the way the songs have been accomplished reveals an intelligence and passion! This is a great album!

Best songs: “News”, “Applikation”, “Motor”, “U.P.S.”, “Druck”.

Rate: (8½).

Artist: www.reakton.de / www.facebook.com/Reakton-1453744011542755

Label: www.electro-shock-records.mozello.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Electro-Shock-Records/105471026168220

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

www.side-line.com