Watch: Datashock “Keine Oase in Sicht” (exclusive)

16 Jun 2014 — Henning Lahmann

The heyday of proggy psych rock might be long gone, but stubborn timelessness is a quality that we acknowledge, at least if it materializes as refined and mature as the music of Saarlouis-based Datashock. Pyramiden von Gießen, the collective's 2011 work, was a massive collection of 'shrooms-induced soundscaping inspired by long-forgotten netherworlds, arid and torrid with no end in sight. The group continue their cursed journey on the recently released follow-up Keine Oase in Sicht, and listening to the eleven contemplations that last up to almost 14 minutes, there's indeed no oasis in sight, nowhere: Supplemented with faintly oriental motifs, Datashock's swirling arrangements are still virtually aimless, thrown into the world not through someone's conscious decision but because music like this just is, and always has been, so all it need is a few devoted people to sit down, listen to the fervent winds, and channel the energy. Someone used the word 'nomadic' to describe Keine Oase in Sicht, and indeed, any peripherally desert-related metaphor is almost uncannily apt. Probably try re-reading Nietzsche while listening to this most existential work. It might help to finally understand both him and Datashock.

This morning, we're delighted to present the premiere of the video for the title track, which, curiously enough, does not feature footage of Sahara expeditions. It revisits (and, we reckon, questions) an orientalist perspective though, observing unfamiliar spaces with a certain aloofness, creating a distance that's almost unsettling in this hyper-connected 21st century. Wherever you're going, it's a long way from home.

The Keine Oase in Sicht double LP is out on Dekorder. Get it here.