Ashra

Delayed guitar magic from the great Manuel Göttsching! Ashra’s Blackouts is an essential Berlin-school electronic album with Göttsching’s layered guitars and synthesizers building wonderfully hypnotic soundscapes that feel like floating in space. The German guitarist’s melodies are incredibly infectious as usual, and there’s a wonderful sense of motion with these tracks. Unlike his peers in the Berlin-school world, Göttsching uses a minimal amount of arpeggiator with his synthesizer lines allowing room for his guitar to fill the space. All the tracks are great but some highlights include A1 “77 Slightly Delayed” which is some of Göttsching’s best guitar work, while “A3 Don’t Trust The Kids” hits a surprisingly funky note with the drum machine and synthesizer bass groove.