Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 - Space Debris (#8, 2004)

This is where it all began, once again. The original, self-released collection of home recordings and demos. Space Debris has made it here before/later (#7, 2008 and #2 of 2005 new releases). Pretty sweet start... As the title would indicate, a revival for Krautrock of some sorts.


"Long Distance Voyager" from Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001 (2004)

More and more bands have recently taken inspiration from the German wave of experimental rockers in the '70s. But mostly from the heavy hitters like Kraftwerk, Neu!, Tangerine Dream, even a little Can. Those weren't really very typical of most other Kraut bands' sound, which is what Space Debris does more of... Extended space jamming with a lot of lead guitar stylings, organ riffs and explorations, time signature and mood shifts. As I've probably said before, they're sure-footed on this terrain and only stumble when things include vocals and/or get too bluesy. It's okay, just comes off less distinctive when compared to the full-on jams.


"Green Skies" from Krautrock-Sessions 1994-2001

These first two start off the debut cd, and are both available at their official Free Downloads page, which seems to get updated pretty regular. I'm just about to grab the new "Live Mitschnitt Zürich 2009" myself! After these two 'singles' comes the epic "We Were at the Moon Before You Were at the Moon." 16+ minutes of pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd pastiche, with some heaviness added. So you've got some "Saucerful," some "Interstellar," and whole load of "Echoes" - that sometimes almost reaches into Led Zeppelin's "San Francisco" interpolation from The Song Remains' "Stairway."

Then three quick ones. The short, possibly even sped-up, version of "Lorna's Vibrator." Quick and quirky. Then a brief rocker, followed by the more funky but less experimental long version of "Lorna's." Less than 3 minutes long version.


"Phobos was Here" [edit] from Krautrock-Sessions (2004)

And we're back in 10-minute terrain. "Phobos" isn't necessarily better than "At the Moon," but it's punchier for the most part. Quality dips slightly with a slower blues number and then an organ raver. I'd assume these were earlier '90s sessions, but honestly, these types of tunes crop up later as well. Anyway, Space Debris knew where their bread is buttered, so the album finishes strong. "Daydream" ebbs and flows at length, alternately favoring the organ, guitar, and rhythm. With an unusual Czukay-style cut-and-paste right in the center, or maybe the organist just decided the jam wasn't over. "Miranda" fades in and fills out the disc maximum, literally filler. But pretty fun, an almost '50s-style rave-up with Chuck Berry shredding, etc... This is not so typical later on. Like I say, fun!

Space Debris is a really cool little band, and they're doing it all themselves. I haven't heard the newest stuff, but they were still self-recording, self-releasing and self-booking in 2008. Probably now too. A bit expensive to support, but I'm still tempted by the $55 3xLP Elephant Moon. I found it cheaper to order the cd's by e-mailing the band - not sure if that still works. But either way, the music's worth it!

Genre - Kraut Jam
Official - spacedebrisprojekt.de/
Myspace - myspace.com/spacedebrisprojekt
Location - Baden-Württemberg, Swabia, Germany

Review - a few here at Official
Download/Lala - neither...
Purchase - All That Is Heavy