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NOETICS

Psychedelic/Space Rock • Germany


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Noetics biography
NOETICS are situated in Hannover/Germany, consisting of a stable line-up looking back to a collaboration of more than ten years in the meanwhile. Presenting their own musical cosmos Ole Ohlendorf (keyboards), Christian Schmidt (percussion), Christoph Majewski (guitar), Patrick Wurster (drums) and Arne Borchard (bass) are joining influences like dub, nujazz, breakbeat and space rock together. A tribal rhythm and electronics have a rather dominant role. As for that their music will be especially enjoyed by fans of Ozric Tentacles and similar bands.

The band have released three albums so far, the self-released eponymous debut (1999) is sold out, 'Cohearence' (2001) and 'Delayed Back' (2009) are available via State Of The Art Records. NOETICS' live shows are critically acclaimed events. Such a long time experience guarantees intuition and improvisation. Supported by guest musicians, lightshow and fireworks the band offer a varied performance including intriguing jazzy beats which invite to dance, a hypnotic trance mood and even heavier space rock impressions.

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NOETICS discography


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NOETICS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.00 | 1 ratings
Noetics
1999
4.00 | 1 ratings
Cohearance
2001
3.00 | 2 ratings
Delayed Back
2009
0.00 | 0 ratings
Delayed Back Remixed
2014

NOETICS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings
Live 1st May 2008 Faust, Hannover
2008

NOETICS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

NOETICS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

NOETICS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

NOETICS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Noetics by NOETICS album cover Studio Album, 1999
4.00 | 1 ratings

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Noetics
Noetics Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by wiz_d_kidd

— First review of this album —
4 stars Noetics is the first eponymous studio release of a five-piece instrumental band that formed in Germany in 1997. They refer to their genre as Neo-Krautrock, but their musical style has elements of psychedelic, space, stoner, electronica, and funky jazz. Frequent festival performers, their live shows have been said to transform the audience into a "collective dance hypnosis" with support from many guest musicians, fire and light shows, and tight improvisations.

Eight tracks comprise this album, totaling nearly 43 minutes of music. As of this review, the entire album can be downloaded for free from their website (via Bandcamp).

1 Styrophoam Peanuts: Booming bass lines throughout provide a backdrop for the increasingly evocative, and sometimes frenetic, melody provide by synth, sax and guitars. The piece overall has elements of the Ozrics, especially in the background synth bubbles and other embellishments.

2 Shroomin': You are greeted with an abundance of VCO chirps a la Dr. Space (Oresund Space Collective), after which the track breaks into a head-nodding, funky groove of bass and guitar vamping punctuated with occasional lead flourishes on sax and keys. Not especially high energy, but enough to make you stop talking and look up from your drink whilst at the club with your friends.

3 Phallus Fiction: Another bluesy/funky groove with standout keys, guitar, and sax leads.

4 D-Dope (Remix): Spacey synths of the Ozrics, but with an Art of Noise percussive background. Like many remixes, it bears little resemblance to the original (track 7). A little too repetitious and uninspiring, for my tastes. Not bad, mind you, just out of place compared to the feel of the rest of the album.

5 Solid Fluid: Standout sax work in the latter half is the key notable feature of this otherwise peppery sausage.

6 Wolfi's Dream: The first 2/3rds of this track features really dreamy, spacey didgeridoo work by guest musician Ansgar Stein. I'm carried away on a peyote-induced aborigine vision quest, if there is such a thing. The latter part of the track completely shifts gears into an up-tempo rhythm reminiscent of early Ozric Tentacles. Unfortunately, it woke me up from my Wolfi's Dream and dumped me into the middle of rush-hour traffic.

7 D-Dope: This piece should clearly stimulate your primary motor cortex. Turn it up loud, then groove to the funky bass lines and leads by sax and synth. I'm transported to stand-up front-row festival territory with this one. I can only imagine the live, improvisational riffs that the band cooks up for this number!

8 Shroomin' (Backflash Remix): To me, this track strongly reminds me of something by Art of Noise on "The Drum and Bass Collection". Somewhat minimalistic, the up-tempo percussion keeps the piece moving forward, while the bass line provides a good test of the low-end bass response of your audio system, especially if you want to see the window panes vibrating.

 Delayed Back by NOETICS album cover Studio Album, 2009
3.00 | 2 ratings

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Delayed Back
Noetics Psychedelic/Space Rock

Review by Finnforest
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

3 stars A proggy rave?

Well this was an exciting diversion from my typical Italian prog festivities. Here we have a German band likely more comfortable at a rave than a prog rock event. Noetics are from Hannover Germany and have been together since 1997 with three studio albums to their name. With backgrounds in metal and spacey stuff like Ozric Tentacles, the band eventually became heavily involved in electronic music and other assorted genres, blending influences to find their own way. Experienced and agile live musicians, they have played with bands like Tangerine Dream, Nektar, Ten Years After, Kraan and Wishbone Ash. Their first two albums were the result of winning contests which allowed them studio time, but I've a gut feeling they see "Delayed Back" as their most accomplished work to date.

They told ProgArchives that they "see Delayed Back as a chill-out album." Their bio describes their sound as "the energy of electronic beats and the deepness of synthetic sounds with the intensity and spontaneity of a live concert. Influences of rock, dub, electro and downbeats merge with jazz, drum & bass, and psychedelic trance for a unique soundscape." They choose to go without a singer or leader in hopes of having people truly concentrate on a musical experience rather than words or stage persona. Their fan base ranges from "dancing hippies, stoner rockers, to fans preferring electronic beats."

I don't have much experience with this kind of music so pointing to references will not be much help. The best I can muster is a cross between Portishead, Luscious Jackson, and Ozrics---except all without vocals. Maybe a bit of Lorenzo Monni or D.F.A. in certain quarters. Far from a typical psych/space entry at ProgArchives, Noetics are more like a cosmic jam-band and there is a ton of fun to be had. The tracks are anchored by an amazingly fluid and melodic bass line that I could listen to all day long, along with downright funky rhythms. At times it's almost like Talking Heads coming back to life without David Byrne. Your head will bob to this positive energy infused with inventive guitar effects and plenty of interesting keyboard textures. Flute and hand percussion is also employed in certain places for yet another exotic edge. "Schinkenwurst-dub" even introduces a reggae element. I personally think the album would have benefited some from having the occasional vocal, perhaps wordless vocals, just for another texture. The musicians are fantastic but there is room for more here. That said, I'm still on board.

Noetics is yet another interesting find that I heartily recommend to prog fans looking for something new and outside the routine.

Thanks to rivertree for the artist addition.

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