FRANK INCENSE – Motorik (2026, LP/CD, Clostridium Records)

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Clostridium Records

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Colored Vinyl (comes with an additional CD which contains 2 bonus tracks, a fancy poster, and stickers), 200 copies

Format: CD, Album, Gatefold

Release Date: 26 Sep 2026

Frank Incense steps out of The Sun Or The Moon and takes his first solo trip with “Motorik”, a slow-burning excursion into repetition, Kraut Rock, Psychedelia and soft-focus Space Pop. As bassist, guitarist and vocalist of The Sun Or The Moon, Frank has already been involved in three LPs released between 2021 and 2025 [check all 3 REVIEWS]; here, however, he is alone behind the wheel, building the whole journey around a steady motorik pulse and a sound that seems to exist somewhere between a late-night forest and an imaginary cosmic highway.

The rhythm is the key. “Motorik” moves with a persistent, almost mechanical forward motion, while shimmering guitars and pulsing synths keep drifting in and out of the scenery. Yet this is far from cold or machine-like music. There is a human, dreamy quality running underneath the repetition, giving the album its peculiar balance between precision and drift. 

Frank’s inspiration from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”, and particularly the enchanted atmosphere of Max Reinhardt’s 1935 film adaptation, makes perfect sense once the music starts unfolding. Reality and illusion constantly exchange places, while light and shadow move together through the same psychedelic landscape. 

“Motorik” contains 8 tracks. “Zettel’s Traum” opens the journey with dreamy tremolo guitar, trippy percussion, and a psych-folkish flute, before the beat slowly enters and transforms the whole scenery into a brilliant journey-a-delic Space Trip. Psych, Pop, Space and even Trip-Hop elements meet here in a wonderfully fluid way, making this a very cool start. “Sweepheart” continues along a similar Trip-Hop path, though with a darker and much more Spacey atmosphere. By now the synths — or perhaps sequencers — have taken control, while a cool trippy-psych melody guides the track towards an imaginary futuristic Space Rock landscape. Entirely instrumental and wonderfully cosmic, this is another beautiful piece of space-a-delic scenery. “(Elf Queen’s) Hangover” begins with sitar beneath strange Spacey effects, patiently waiting until the beat takes control and turns everything into a Krauty Spacey rocker. Female wordless Anatolian-style vocals and male spoken parts add an unusual Eastern flavour, while later the track sinks deeper into Kraut-Psych territory, introducing an Eastern-scaled guitar melody before gradually transforming into a kind of modern, time-warped Space anthem. “Titania and Oberon” starts with another collection of weird Space sounds and an experimental mood, including voice samples, before settling into a mid-tempo rhythmic drive. Space Rock, Indie Pop, Psych and Kraut all flirt with each other here, while towards the end things become a little heavier without ever losing that complex Spacey character.

“Jester’s Jokes” takes us into a more futuristic New Age landscape, carrying a lovely dub-flirting attitude and plenty of Space atmosphere. The electric guitar sounds as if it has somehow arrived directly from a faraway Tinariwen-like desert scenery, while Space samples, an improvisational feeling, and psych Trip-Hop percussion create a wonderfully unexpected combination. “Cobwebs” pushes the dub connection even further — Space-Dub, if such a thing exists! The atmosphere reminds me quite a lot of some of David Byrne’s 80s solo work, although everything here is covered with a distinctly psychedelic complexion and an experimental touch. Psych, Space and Dub melt together into what I can only call Psych Spacey Dub-a-delia. “Zettel’s Hangover” initially feels much more earthly, but it doesn’t take long before the track is transported into a heavy futuristic, dance-a-delic trance, driven by a Kraut rhythm and tribal Spacey percussion. The beat becomes almost hypnotic, turning the track into a kind of cosmic ritual for the dancefloor. Finally, “Dances and Delights” brings together Trip-Hop, Dub, Space, Psych and Kraut beneath a wonderfully trippy, hallucinogenic beat. The violin introduces a bucolic, jazzy-folkish edge, adding yet another colour to this already rich sonic mixture. At certain moments I can’t help thinking of some of the more Dubby Ozric Tentacles excursions, and that is definitely a compliment. A remarkable and astonishing instrumental to close the record. 

In conclusion, “Motorik” is a hypnotic nocturnal trip where Kraut repetition meets Space, Psych, Dub, Trip-Hop and Pop. Frank Incense has created a wonderfully immersive first solo album, strange enough to keep surprising you and steady enough to pull you deeper with every spin. A fine soundtrack for getting lost somewhere between the stars and the trees… Dig! TimeLord Michalis

Tracklist

Links

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