Kreidler – Den

Den is the eleventh studio album released by this Düsseldorf instrumental quartet since their formation in 1994, but their prolific output shows no sign of abating. Kreidler’s unflappable pursuit of artistic threads that run through the history of German avant-rock and techno remains in evidence here: centrally anchored by Thomas Klein’s intricate, mesmerising drum patterns, the pieces are augmented with rich, echoing basslines, percussive loops, and overlapping synth arpeggios.  
 
In purely sonic terms, Kreidler’s closest peers are those post-rock outfits, principally Tortoise, that draw their primary inspiration from Neu!, Can et al; this being evident in their understated marriage of complex rhythmic textures and sparsely-deployed rock tools. The stronger sense here of a robotic solidity, however, means that Den owes a greater debt to electro and minimal techno; Kreidler’s reinterpretation of those genres makes them a kind of downbeat cousin to Battles. Eleven LPs in, it remains a fruitful and surprising approach. [Sam Wiseman]