Add color, reframe, follow the prism, and head to the beach. Not sure if we’d ever be talking about Grotto Terrazza, the Munich based art/music/life project of Thomas Schamann (also known as the drummer of dark post-punk band Bleib Modern) in these terms, but here we are, adjusting to his ever-evolving collage of life in the form of his new album ‘Kalte Köstlichkeiten’, an ecstatic uptempo, punchy mitteleuropa celebration of punks in the city.
If his 2019 debut ‘Stumpfer Gegenstand’ (also co-released by Cut Surface and Maple Death) introduced us to Grotto Terrazza’s beautiful intimate translucent dark-beat poetry set over art-punk rhythmic, foggy nightclubs and musk-induced industrial malaise, Kalte Köstlichkeiten sets the record straight by adding a whole new dimension.
Cold Delicacies (the literal translation) delivers so much more, 12 melting popsicles that furiously jump from dance floor post-punk, brazen EBM, funk sleaze and smoked-out cold-wave. What really ties Thomas’ musical world together is the scattered use of field recordings, musique concrète and quite literally… life, all sprinkled across his oeuvre, his personal secret weapon, turning an already detailed album into a scrap journal with laser focus. Songs like Inspektor Ginko, Die Zitronenmelodie and Tokamak continue in his tradition of Neubatenesque art-wave, an imaginary OST for any Kaurismaki setting, rhythmical murder ballads, Neue Deutsche Welle; Grotto Terrazza’s nightlife is soundtracked by the incredible trio of Senza Piombo 95, Der Zaubergeselle and Krank In Der City, three leathered-up EBM crankers that delve into proto-rave territory and cut their teeth on motorik bass and syncopated fluo. I can’t help picturing video games played at dawn, sidewalks spitting out the heatwave and streetlights buzzing away when listening to Long Ayran Ice-Tea, Tropische Krankheiten and Kurze Arme, another triptych that unites romantic joyfulness, chipmunk hyper-pop, pulsating strobes and drum machine punk swirling across the universe.
Kalte Köstlichkeiten, a refreshing cold delicacy on a hot summer’s night. Death disco, new beat and conscious dada all collapsed, like an orange umbrella sitting on a solitary beach. Swim with Grotto Terrazza.
Today, we are happy to premiere one of the singles of his upcoming LP, called “Der Zaubergeselle”. The following track delivers a nostalgic touch to the 1980s, combining motives of multiple music genres, such as dark disco, EBM, synth wave and post-punk. It’s a mixture of fun, mysterious, happy and sentimental moods, which with the dreamy vocals brings us into a journey of an old-school movie, which you can now watch on YouTube. This DIY music video was recorded and directed by Grotto Terrazza himself on his VHS camera, which makes it possible to experience the whole audiovisual perspective of the artist.
This must-have banger you can buy today on Bandcamp. The full LP will be available on August 26th in vinyl and digital formats. Follow the artist on Instagram and Facebook.
Grotto Terrazza’s ‘Kalte Köstlichkeiten’ is released on LP/Digital by Maple Death and Cut Surface. All music, recording and art by Thomas Schamann. Mixed, mastered and recorded by Andor Bencze. Cover illustration by Rosa Kammermeier.