EMBRYO
Auf Auf
MADLIB INVAZION
7/10
Krautrock veterans revived, with help from hip-hop benefactor
Hailing from Munich, Embryo were one of the more far-sighted groups of the original ’70s kraut wave, their jazzy, exotic music rediscovered by several generations of producers looking for a source of funky breaks. One such figure is Madlib, who has signed up a new incarnation of Embryo, now led by Marja Burchard, the daughter of late founder Christian Burchard. Auf Auf – German for “up up” – goes deep, a series of deftly played excursions foregrounding snaking saxophone and skittering jazz drums. Their impulse towards far-flung sounds remains, best seen on “Baran”, a take on modal music from Afghanistan.