Tokyo krautrock repeaters chasing Can and Neu! into hypnotic, minimal-techno-informed grooves.
MOODS · hypnotic · repetitive · psychedelic · motorik · atmospheric
BIOGRAPHY
Minami Deutsch is a Japanese krautrock band founded in Tokyo in 2014 by guitarist and vocalist Kyotaro Miula, who recruited guitarist Riki Hidaka, bassist Keita Ise, and drummer Kosei Terunuma. The current lineup features Miula on guitar, vocals, and synthesizer alongside guitarist Yuichi Ushioda, bassist Keita Ise, and drummer Kosei Terunuma. Their name translates to "South German."
The band released a self-titled debut on the UK's Cardinal Fuzz label in 2015, later reissued by Guruguru Brain, the label run by Kikagaku Moyo, which also released their 2018 follow-up With Dim Light and a third album in 2022. They scored the Japanese film Lapse (2019), toured the US supporting Kikagaku Moyo, performed with former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki at Roadburn Festival (resulting in a joint EP), and around 2023 Miula relocated to Berlin.
WHY THEY'RE COOL
Minami Deutsch channel Can and Neu! through a self-described obsession with repetition, filtering krautrock's motorik pulse through the lens of minimal techno. Critics have noted their distinctive handling of repetitive rhythm and atmosphere, with Pitchfork praising how their second album pushed the limits of repetition while letting more original flair emerge. Their trajectory—from a UK vinyl debut to a partnership with Kikagaku Moyo's Guruguru Brain, a film score, a collaboration with Can's Damo Suzuki, and Miula's move to Berlin's psychedelic underground—traces a band deeply embedded in the lineage they draw from while carving out its own hypnotic identity.
GEORGE'S PLAYS
First time on the station.
PLAYED ON WOKE1
