They may have shared stages with Damo Suzuki, Fuck Buttons and A Place to Bury Strangers, but the most obvious reference point for Kontakte is Explosions in the Sky. There's no question over Kontakte's capacity to produce luscious, chiming post-rock soundscapes punctuated by kaleidoscopic crescendos on a colossal scale, driven by dense waves of guitars that add texture and grain to the smooth, layered sounds.
That they've also appeared alongside Vessels and Worriedaboutsatan is equally telling, in the way they draw on the dreamy, drifting sonic spaces of the former, while subtly incorporating elements of the moody electronica of the latter, and to particularly good effect. This is demonstrated in particular on 'The Owls Won't see Us In Here', which adds glitchy beats that eventually give way to a rapidfire drum machine rhythms. These should be at odds with the soaring crescendo of guitars, but in fact works perfectly, not least of all because it breaks the post-rock mould.
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As such, the eight intricate noodling epics that comprise 'We Move Through Negative Spaces' are archetypal examples of the post-rock genre. Yet, at the same time, they see the band nudge at the parameters and slowly inch them further toward new realms.
Kontakte on MySpace
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