Robstellung

“Einstellung take the Krautrock simplicity of early Neu!, add the noise and dynamics of My Bloody Valentine and create something enormous that envelops your soul.”I am Einstellung’s manager.My journey to this position started at about 3pm on Friday 25th August 1989 when Spacemen 3 took to the main stage at Reading Festival. Half an hour that changed my life.I was active on the local music scene in my home town. Promoting gigs and playing in bands. When I moved to Birmingham, my adopted city, I became University entertainment officer.Although involved on the fringes of the Birmingham scene I concentrated on the academic study of popular music. Last year I presented a paper on music licensing in advertising and enjoy keeping up to date with developments in the field.Whilst living in London I was office/label manager for Suss’d Records who reissued the Salsoul back catalogue.Most afternoons at Suss’d HQ (at Britannia Row, N1) we would listen to Joy Division’s second LP Closer which (along with segments of My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless) was recorded in the studios downstairs. We’d joke about seeing the ghost of Ian Curtis walking the corridors and talk about the records we would like to release if only there were any bands making them.In March 2006 I saw Einstellung for the first time. 30 seconds into their set I realised that I was watching the band I had always been trying to describe during those mid afternoon aspirational chats whilst Joy Division blasted from the stereo.I was in, hook line and sinker. After a few months of stalking them and agreeing to differ as to whether Loveless is better than Isn't Anything they offered me the gig. I have listened to their debut LP Wings of Desire pretty much everyday since I first got a copy back in April 2006.I think that Wings Of Desire is as good as any of the records mentioned above and am very proud to be involved with them.The one-off performance of the Sleep Easy Mr Parker, the 28 minute debut single at The Rainbow in Digbeth, Birmingham occured almost exactly 20 years since I went to my first ever gig (The Stranglers). I can still remember the sensation when i entered the room as the support band (X-mal Deutschland) played. That electric feeling hitting my ears as my head entered the line of fire from the PA above the stairwell that led into into Wembley Arena. In those 20 years i have seen many many amazing performances. Einstellung playing the full 28 minute Sleep Easy Mr Parker whilst projections based on the single's sleeve filled the backdrop was the most moving piece of art I have ever seen.