Kein Kraftwerk

Public Service Broadcasting are not your average band. Their entire raison d'être is built around the ingenious sampling of archival footage—old public information films, propaganda, and newsreels—which they then weave into instrumental narratives of remarkable depth. It's like watching a documentary unfold through sound alone, without the visuals.

"Der Rhythmus der Maschinen" (The Rhythm of the Machines) is a standout track from their seminal 2015 album, The Race for Space. This isn't just a collection of cool samples; it's a meticulously crafted piece that captures the grim beauty and relentless drive of the early Soviet space program.

The track opens with the guttural, commanding German narration, immediately plunging you into the cold war era. The insistent, almost industrial rhythm pulses like the heartbeat of a massive launch vehicle, building with an inexorable momentum. J. Willgoose, Esq. (the mastermind behind PSB) conjures a soundscape that is simultaneously expansive and claustrophobic. The guitars shimmer with an almost reverent quality, painting vast, starry canvases, while the thumping bass and precise drumming keep you grounded in the terrestrial struggle of engineering and ambition.

What's so brilliant about PSB is how they manage to evoke such powerful imagery and emotion without a single sung lyric. The sampled dialogue and the interplay of instruments tell a story of human ingenuity, sacrifice, and the sheer force of will that pushed rockets towards the heavens. This isn't just music; it's a historical record, remixed and reimagined for the modern age, proving that the past still has much to say.

If you dig the sounds of retrofuturism, instrumental storytelling, and the cold war space race channeled through a delay pedal, this is absolutely essential listening.

Public Service Broadcasting, Bilxa Bergold - Der Rhythmus der Machinen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPMXn-9CDBU