With a name like No UFO’s, the immediate thought is that the music you’re hearing is going to be a throw back Juan Atkins and the legendary electro tune of the same name.
Instead, Konrad Jandav’s sounds look for the idealized version of the future shared by the Detroit techno legends, but with a sound palette that speaks to a different era. One of Cluster, Neu! and Ash Ra Tempel. It’s Kraut rock without the rock. Krautno?
It’s all very Cascadian, grey whorls of sound and slightly narcotic drum machines and tape fuzz. Soft Coast, originally a cassette release on Konrad’s own label was recently re-released by Editions Mego’s Spectrum Spools imprint. A solid sign of respect from a sign specializing in new new-wave.
Even the live performances are cosmic. A recent No UFO’s performance with fellow sonic cosmonauts Demdike Stare and the Sight Below was held in Vancouver’s Planetarium under an ever shifting map of the stars. A rather appropriate spot for a set of scuzzy electronic and motorik riddims that make you feel like you’re about to take off into the night sky.