Zahn is what happens when members of Heads., The Ocean Collective, Muff Potter, and Einstürzende Neubauten’s live band form a power trio and decide that vocals would only get in the way. Chris Breuer (bass), Nic Stockmann (drums/electronics), and Felix Gebhard (guitar) have been building their particular blend of krautrock, noise rock, and electronic texture since 2021, and on Purpur, their third release, they’ve found the sweet spot between density and restraint.
At 36 minutes, Purpur is deliberately compact. Where their previous album Adria sprawled across 80 minutes of double LP, this record gets in, does its work, and gets out. “Stroboskop” opens with the album’s thesis statement: a motorik pulse underneath angular guitar that builds into something physically heavy without ever losing its rhythmic precision. The interplay between Stockmann’s electronic textures and Gebhard’s riffs is the engine that drives the record, and it runs cleanly throughout.
“Gensher” pushes into darker territory, the five minutes giving the trio room to explore the space between their instruments without filling every gap. “Diaabend” tightens the screws further, the groove becoming almost oppressive before the track opens up into something more expansive. These transitions are where Zahn are at their best: the shift from claustrophobic noise rock to wide-screen krautrock happens organically, without signposting.
“Alhambra” is the album’s centerpiece at nearly seven minutes, the longest track and the one where all the elements come together most convincingly. The guitars build layers while the electronics add synthetic shimmer that feels integrated rather than decorative. “Katamaran” follows as the shortest piece, a three-minute burst that functions as a palette cleanser before “Atoll” delivers the album’s heaviest passage. “Butter” closes things out with a track that earns its casual title: loose, confident, the sound of a band that doesn’t need to prove anything.
Magnus Lindberg of Cult of Luna mixed the record in Stockholm, and his touch is audible in the best way. Peter Voigtmann, himself an ex-Ocean member, recorded the sessions at Die Mühle in Gyhum. Guest contributions from Fabian Bremer (Radare) and Kjetil Nernes of Årabrot add color without disrupting the trio’s core dynamic.
The mix is the album’s secret weapon. Lindberg gives each element its own space without making the separation feel artificial. The bass sits heavy in the low end, the guitar occupies the mids with room to breathe, and the electronics float across the top without cluttering the frequency spectrum. The drum sound is particularly well-handled: natural enough to feel live, processed enough to carry the electronic elements convincingly. For an instrumental record, the dynamics are crucial, and the mastering preserves them.
Standout tracks: Alhambra, Stroboskop, Atoll
Purpur is the sound of three experienced musicians who have figured out that less can be more without being less. No vocals, no filler, no wasted space. Berlin instrumental music that hits like weather and moves like machinery.
