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Jakob Skøtt

Amor Fati

Written by: BV on 30/03/2014 15:08:18

Jakob Skøtt is probably best known for being the drummer of the instrumental stoner/prog/psych outfit Causa Sui from Denmark. However, what this review will focus on will be the slightly more out there parts of his musical repertoire, namely his solo career. Following in the musical footsteps of his solo debut “Doppler”, “Amor Fati” delves even deeper into the explorative drum/synth combo wherein Jakob Skøtt pushes both instruments to their limits in search of the ultimate kraut-rock high.

The album opens with a heart-racing track called “Mantis in Lace” which comes off quite familiar at first, though I can’t exactly pinpoint how so. I can draw some similarities to the work of Kraftwerk as well as some sounds that might as well have come off the classic “Midnight Express” soundtrack by Giorgio Moroder. As I was saying though, heart-racing is probably the best description of the track, as the energetic drumming is the primordial focus-point of the track. Fans of a slightly more melodic, song-bases approach will probably find nothing of interest here, but fans of older prog or kraut outings will most definitely find this particular piece quite riveting.

That Skøtt is first and foremost a drummer cannot be questioned, and his lust for changing tempo as frequently as possible is evident throughout the album, making the album an immensely unpredictable experience. On the organ-laden “Araucaria Fire” Skøtt introduces some very tribal-induced drumming that essentially leads this particular piece of music down a far funkier path than what I had expected of him. Of course improvisation is still vastly evident, but “Araucaria Fire” also stands out as the most coherent and melodic track of the album, possibly making the album a bit more accessible for those that are not necessarily into the whole explorative aspect of kraut-rock.

In any case I always seem to find solo-projects from members of bands I really like to be quite enjoyable. In cases like this one, there are a few quite strong tracks that I really enjoy whilst others sort of drift into oblivion, to be entirely forgotten until next time I hear them. It signifies an alright album and I think that the part I find most enjoyable is perhaps how different this is from Causa Sui and their slightly more song-based approach (even though Causa Sui albums haven’t featured vocals for quite some time now). To be brief about it, fans of Tangerine Dream and other outfits with these particular improvised tendencies will most definitely find several pieces on this album that they will find enjoyable. Casual listeners might not. In any case it is a solid effort from a magnificent drummer.

Download: Araucaria Fire, Omega Oscillator
For The Fans Of: Psicomagia, Tangerine Dream, Causa Sui, Amon Düül II
Listen: Soundcloud

Release date 17.03.2014
El Paraiso Records