The Underground of Happiness

A marvellous album of kosmische pop from the Mancunian... ...in which the meaning of this word kosmische is front and centre. That’s to say, the album deals with existential concerns - the meaning of the moves we make, the dances we do, who we are and why we are here on this funny old planet. Nowhere is this clearer or more poignant than on the intoxicating lead single ‘Slow motion’ which opens with these immortal lines (as close as I can make out). In this landscape we are fading shiny particles and shadings what’s continuous and clearer through the skies like a science fiction inner monologue drifting out to space. And then I want to feel the life we left in the sun while the synths swoop and dive. It’s an exquisite moment of yearning and nostalgia and of feeling for the universe and it’s amplified even more in the context of the other songs. The thrilling motorik beat of opening song ‘HAK’. The beautiful Sadier-esque vocal rounds of ‘Did you see...

A special show this week pairing two genres which I reckon have more in common than people might think. Kosmische is the electronic offshoot of "Krautrock", very often more meditative in tone and with a certain cosmic outlook as the name suggests. Hans Joachim Roedelius, Dieter Moebius & Michael Rother could be said to be the originators as Harmonia but you find kosmische leaking into folk, jazz/post rock, psych and all sorts these days. Exotica came about in the 1950s when American (predominantly) composers and orchestrators started taking influences from Asian & African music - the geo-politics of the time probably had something to do with this. So dreamy instrumentals by Les Baxter and glorious hippie manifestos by Eden Ahbez , all adorned with flutes and vibraphones and such, are in here, along with a few other suggestions for inclusion like Esquivel (space age bachelor pad), Ennio Morricone (soundtracks from Planet Heaven) & Serge Gainsbourg who was a f...

Keith Mannion is back with the first cut from the forthcoming Romola EP, and once again he is more than welcome. Deep bass synth drones, mid range washes and some beautiful guitar work – as if from the next room – make for a warm kosmische melting pot. It’s like music to dance to without getting up.