Title: Lack of Sense
Artist: Tribantura
Genre: Electronic
Release Date: 22nd May 2009
Label: Infacted Records
Album Review
Infacted Recordings releases a series of EBM cult classics, and among X MARKS THE PEDWALK and THE INVINCIBLE SPIRIT there’s also a cult band which released only two records so far - the single ‘Lack of Sense’ in 1988, and it’s re-release in 2009! Reason enough to check out the secret behind TRIBANTURA.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Frankfurt was the heart of electronic music in Germany. What was born in Düsseldorf was raised in Frankfurt before it grew up in Berlin and Cologne, so to speak. Frankfurt was an EBM stronghold back then, and the scene there witnessed the birth of Techno as we know it today. EBM was one of the roots of Techno, and in the late 1980s, Frankfurt spawned a number of club hits which still had the dark aggression of EBM but also the main features of what later would become Techno and House in Germany. TRIBANTURA, produced by legendary Talla 2XLC, was one of these short-lived but influential projects. With only one single, ‘Lack of Sense’, they gained cult status. Originally released on the ZYX label this single was out of print for many years, so it made sense for Infacted to re-release this gem earlier this year.
The EP, again with great new artwork by USER.DX, contains six tracks which is actually the entire back-catalogue of TRIBANTURA! The title track is featured with two versions, plus all the bonus tracks from the various formats of the original release and even ‘Bequest’ and ‘Relief’, two songs which were only available on the 1990 ‘Body Rapture’ compilation. The batch of songs was re-mastered by X-FUSION who did a careful job to preserve the original music while adding a lot of dynamics to them. In a club, ‘Lack of Sense’ is a real stomper and sounds fresh as ever. It surely helps that it has this certain retro feel which seems to become the new trend both in Techno and the Goth / EBM scene. People will remember the song’s trademark bass line even after 20 years, and those who are too young to remember TRIBANTURA find the driving rhythm just as irresistible. The second song, ‘Legacy’, was also a club hit back then. The bass line is directly lifted off from FRONT 242’s ‘Commando’ and the vocals are much darker and aggressive than in the somewhat poppier ‘Lack of Sense’. ‘Getting Hurt or Killed’ was also on the original 12” release and is an instrumental dance track with lots of voice samples, and it leads to the Razormaid Mix of ‘Lack of Sense’. Razormaid was a remix series on vinyl which featured exclusive releases for the US market, so it’s great to have this version on the re-release as well.
It’s a little odd that TRIBANTURA only had one original release, especially when you consider the impact it had on the scene. But TRIBANTURA members Frank Rückert and Oliver Langbein soon moved to other projects. Somehow a foreshadowing of the numerous short-lived projects of the exploding Techno movement of the 1990s, and also sound-wise TRIBANTURA is one of the early missing links between Electronic Body Music and Techno.
Tracklist
01. Lack of Sense 6:05
02. Legacy 6:56
03. Bequest 3:43
04. Getting Hurt or Killed 5:06
05. Lack of Sense (Razormaid Mix) 6:57
06. Relief 4:57
Line-up
Frank Rückert
Oliver Langbein
Website
www.myspace.com/tribanturamusic
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 7
Sound: 9
Extras: -
Total: 8 / 10
{jos_sb_discuss:19}
Comments powered by CComment