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It’s been nearly twenty years since Karl Hector and the Malcouns’ ‘Sahara Swing’ saw release on Now-Again in 2008. Their fourth invites you on an adventure within the kosmiche grooves of 70s Krautrock as seen through the global prism of greats like Embryo and Agitation Free.
Is this Khruangbin? Nope, but if you like them, you’ll dig this. Kraut-Funk – that’s our preferred term.
The Karl Hector adventure continues with their fourth studio album.
‘Yolek’ digs deeper into the Krautrock history embedded deep in the soil of their native Munch – three of the most influential bands of the 1970s experimental German rock scene sprung from there: Amon Düül, Popol Vuh and Embryo. Drawing from those bands’ homebound and worldly influences, JJ Whitefield and Zdenko Curulija conceived and produced this kosmiche-werk.
Influenced by these musical heroes, and following the path of ‘Non Ex Orbis,’ Whitefield and Curulija shape a sound that takes the experimental approach of the classic Krautrock era and slides between beat-heavy drone and spacey, prog-rock suites.
‘Yolek’ symbolizes an innocent way of composing and improvising music, free from the influences of our contemporary environment, preserving a childlike way of hearing sounds in their unfiltered purity.
“Some will classify this as a retro, but for the band it simply is a form of creating, Whitefield states. “We’re drawing from an established musical vocabulary which was popular at a time in Germany, when underground musical culture had its creative peak.”
Tracklist:
1. Go Caravan!
2. Space Race
3. Mellow Skyfall
4. Blurry Time
5. Yolek
6. The Unseen Road
7. Zen///topia
8. Love Is The Key
9. Aiaiai
10. Noon At The Oasis
11. Exot
12. Crimson Dune
13. Sahara Sepp
Credits:
Written by, All instruments performed by, and produced by Zdenko Curulija (1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12) and JJ Whitefield (2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13)
Additional Flute by Maasl Maier (3, 5) and Wolfi Schlick (4, 5, 10)
Mixed by Jasper Geluk At Tone Boutique, Haarlem.
Mastered by Jukka Sarapaa at Timmion, Helsinki.
Cover illustration by Zdenko Curulija.
Art Direction by Errol F. Richardson.
Executive Produced by JJ Whitefield.
LP. 2026. NA5292.