ELEKTROKOHLE
Bio
International Noise-Post-Punk newcomer trio based in Berlin comprises members from Italy, Germany, and Brazil, namely Suzan Flag (bass), Mr. Cigarette Butt (vocals, synth), and Mona Manie (guitar). Pulling their inspirations from ’80s Punk, Noise, Krautrock, DarkSurf, and Punk-Blues bents, the band’s self-dubbed “Cold Punk” sound is defined somehow as a visceral and gritty mix between Suicide, Birthday Party and Warsaw with a sound palette of its own. Having started as a Duo in the Corona lockdown in 2021, Mona and C. demonstrated all of its gloomy times in both sound and lyrics. Sparse bilingual vocals, motorik beats, industrial clangs, screeching and echoing guitar and a hypnotic synth, all amount to an intoxicating mix. The first demo was recorded DIY on a 8 track recorder and convinced with a lo-fi, dark pounding and anxious sound. When close friend Suzan Flag joined the band one year later to take over the bass the damage was complete. Through the following intense, chaotic and energetic live performances the band has gained a fervent following. Their music pushes the boundaries of what can be, yet remains deeply rooted in the raw, gloomy underground Berlin sound. The band name comes after the documentary about the legendary first gig of Einstürzende Neubauten after the fall of the wall in the GDR in 1989. The venue for this concert was VEB Elektrokohle, an industrial plant in Herzbergstr., Berlin Lichtenberg. In 2023 they released the first 4 track Tape-EP, recorded analogue in Herzbergstr. with Tobias Lill /Dong Xuan Productions. The Tape includes the songs „Junkie House“, a stunning 2 minutes energetic punk track as well as the video single „Vollmond“, a more avantgardistic piece. Elektrokohle have played many shows, including support shows with post-punk icon Lydia Lunch, US band She Wants Revenge and UK bands Girls in Synthesis and Autobahn. In spring 2024 they will release the 7" I Wanna Cry / Abstand with Dushtu Records and Off Label Records. Both tracks round off the strong first impression of Elektrokohle and arouse anticipation for the band's first debut album, which will be released at the end of 2024.
Music
EP was recorded, mixed and mastered by Tobias Lill / Dong Xuan Productions
October 2022
Bass: Suzan Flag
Vocals, Synth: Mr. Cigarette Butt
Guitar, Vocals: Mona Manie
Press
"Visceral and raw, yet, rather poignant Elektrokohle emerge in an impressive manner, and their timeless kind of directness is certainly something to behold, of which to be watchful."
Destroy and Exist
"Music from Berlin has a sound, a vibe if you will, that sets it apart from nearly everywhere else. You can hear that in the post-punk starkness of Elektrokohle."
Skreen B
"It truly sounds like a music out of time with obvious sonic references to krautrock and early German industrial and post-punk but with a sound palette of its own."
Calvin Smith
"The motorik beats, metallic utility percussion and what could be processed guitar or synth, vocals sounding like they’re coming from a tunnel, a bit of German Expressionist aesthetic and a sense of traveling back and forth in time"
Queen City Sound
