Kant Kino

Three years after their debut album “We Are Kant Kino – You Are Not”, this Norwegian duo is back with another full length album entitled “Father Worked in Industry”. We are greeted by robotic voice stating that they are Kant Kino in a Dalek-like voice, distorted and distressed and very much like the Dr Who villains.

The album is a bit hard to grasp at first; is it dark electronics, traditional EBM, with some remnants of aggrotech, futurepop or is it a potpourri of different genres? The album is diverse for sure, some would perhaps call it unfocused, but the more I listen to it the more I like it, which always is a good sign.

Lars Madsen and Kenneth Fredstie have collaborated with Claus Larsen from Leather Strip with the mixing and production and it shines through in parts. Lars goes from a hissing, whispered distorted beyond every sane notion (at times borderlining annoying as in “Bleed”) kind of voice to a, in my ears, more controlled and open traditional EBM voice. They have also incorporated female vocals by Karine Kristiansen and Komputergirl, both as backing and lead vocals. For me it works best as backing vocals, laced with old school samplings and Lars’ menacing voice on top. The lyrics and samplings are also quite diverse and sometimes bring a smile to my face, especially “Ich liebe Katarina Witt” (who doesn’t by the way?) is a fun slower song, complete with pompous string arrangements, which transforms and evolves into a Das Ich-like fast piece. It would be a perfect concert intro song.

There are 14 songs on the album and for me the best ones are hard to pick. I think “Reality” and “Push Your Buttons” will be included in my DJ sets in the future and perhaps a few more of the more melodic ones. Kant Kino joins the ever-growing group of Laibach, NON, Pankow, Grace Jones, and many more covering The Normal’s single “Warm Leatherette”. It is the last song of the album and they do it justice in their own EBM way.

“Father Worked in Industry” is a solid follow-up and most people into EBM or dark electro will find a couple of songs to their liking I hope.