I think the "motorik beat" is a red herring. A motorik feeling is just as much about what the bass is doing, the actual sound of the drums (dry and tight), limited harmonic movement, and how the guitar, synths, or vocals are floating on top, as it is about the basic drum pattern. You can play that same drum pattern in a way that doesn't sound motorik at all, or you could make a song with a different drum beat that still sounds very motorik.
+1
― 40oz of tears (Jordan), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 15:34 (11 months ago) Permalink
i've always thought about it in terms of dancing and being able to play off of different instruments instead of being dependent on a changing beat or vocal changes for changing movementsnot that it matters, but there you go
― game of crones (La Lechera), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 15:43 (11 months ago) Permalink
Jumpin jack Flash & Street Fighting Man are kind of motorik. I read a Fall review in the Wire that said the Johnny Burnette Trio's version of "Train kept a Rollin" was motorik too, but I couldn't confirm that.
― robert mcnamara in reverse (loves laboured breathing), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 15:50 (11 months ago) Permalink
No, that song is locomotorik
― Stumpy Joe's Cafe (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:04 (11 months ago) Permalink
I see that Death in Vegas are already represented but for my money 'Hands Around Your Throat' is more representative of the motorik beat than that track that namechecks Rother.
Also, I think there's a place for Radiohead here; in particular Amnesiac b-side 'Cuttooth'.
― AnotherDeadHero, Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:07 (11 months ago) Permalink
A few people have mentioned the Gary Glitter beat, but that's a shuffle. Unless there was an actual motorik Gary Glitter song I don't know about, but I'm assuming people mean the R&Rpt2 beat.
― wk, Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:30 (11 months ago) Permalink
yeah, too much stomping in that one.
― Stumpy Joe's Cafe (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:32 (11 months ago) Permalink
locomotorik
irl lol.
― Mafia-owned bar for transvestites (Dan Peterson), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:37 (11 months ago) Permalink
Yeah that shd be excelisor'd (by someone other than me)
― robert mcnamara in reverse (loves laboured breathing), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:42 (11 months ago) Permalink
I guess I don't understand people's obsession with this term. It's a nice way to describe a few Krautrock bands and bands who were influenced by them, but I don't see why it has to be applied to any song with a driving beat. And I really don't get the connection to songs that predate krautrock like Heroes and Villains.
― wk, Wednesday, 20 June 2012 16:43 (11 months ago) Permalink
One of the tracks on Yoko Ono & The Plastic Ono Band has Ringo laying down a pretty motorik groove. I don't have the record to hand. Rhythm section on that album amazing across the board.
― Lewis Apparition (Jon Lewis), Wednesday, 20 June 2012 17:27 (11 months ago) Permalink
The last 45 seconds or so of Turtle Turtle Up by Four Tet.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 4 July 2012 14:46 (10 months ago) Permalink
It's kind of mental, you've got all these jazzy, glitchy drum rolls for about 90 seconds, and then it just falls into motorik loveliness.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Wednesday, 4 July 2012 14:47 (10 months ago) Permalink
Orchestral Manoeuvers in the dark - Electricity
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 5 July 2012 15:37 (10 months ago) Permalink
was listening to B-52's "Aint it a Shame" and that almost makes the cut, surprisingly...
― t. s. idiot (loves laboured breathing), Monday, 9 July 2012 14:02 (10 months ago) Permalink
2. [04:37] Velvet Underground - I’m waiting for the man (1967)
Totally disagree with this one. It doesn't have a backbeat at all, just a steady, even pulse on every beat.
― click here if you want to load them all (Hurting 2), Monday, 9 July 2012 14:15 (10 months ago) Permalink
Yeah it's not Motorik, but I can see a case for it being proto-Motorik. The insistent evenness I think is the key.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Monday, 9 July 2012 14:38 (10 months ago) Permalink
^yeah I agree with this post. "Waiting for the Man" is too much of an important first step, even though it probably predicts "It's a Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl" more than anything Neu! did
― t. s. idiot (loves laboured breathing), Monday, 9 July 2012 14:41 (10 months ago) Permalink
contemporary motorik beat: beak, the band of portishead's geoff barrow (btw they have a new album out). somehow i have the impression they bring something new to the table. they are obviously heavily influenced by neu etc, but they have their sound and lots of interesting ideas. the motorik beat is also played by the bass here.
― alex in mainhattan, Monday, 9 July 2012 21:53 (10 months ago) Permalink
― am0n, Wednesday, 11 July 2012 19:03 (10 months ago) Permalink
Can I nominate this as the post-speeding-down-the-autobahn version of the motorik, very definitely in an unexpected place (the very underrated Francisco's 'Cosmic Beam Experience')?
― Soundslike, Sunday, 15 July 2012 01:29 (10 months ago) Permalink
― dsb, Sunday, 15 July 2012 02:45 (10 months ago) Permalink
Beak! Bought >> and it is pretty awesome. It is just krauty grooves for the sake of it, seemingly, but oh wow.
― Sick Mouthy (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 6 September 2012 16:52 (8 months ago) Permalink
^^ it is awesome
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, 6 September 2012 21:22 (8 months ago) Permalink
Kraftwerk, "Ohm Sweet Ohm"
... could this be deliberate on their part?
― Tom D is secretly an important person (Tom D.), Thursday, 13 December 2012 11:58 (5 months ago) Permalink
!
― willem, Thursday, 13 December 2012 21:37 (5 months ago) Permalink
Portishead - Chase the Tear
― anonanon, Thursday, 13 December 2012 22:10 (5 months ago) Permalink