KNTRLR’s music has the production and pop sense of artists like Moby or the Berlin-based techno artist, Siriusmo, but it doesn’t carry the weight of a strictly electronic outfit. KNTRLR gives you a tasteful combination of being electronic and giving you a piece of what they’re made of – alternative/punk-rock roots stemming from a golden age of grunge music. Bands like Failure and Dinosaur Jr. come to mind.
They also bring an energy and eclectic nature to their sound. Times when drums hit four-on-the-floor groove status and fit inside the rhythmic strumming of the guitars and keys, touching on a Gypsy-esque sound like Gogol Bordello or Beirut, and the whole time rocking out on stage keeping the show high energy.
Front man, Michael Henry, dressed in disheveled suit and tie, switches his stance from standing to crouching, singing and triggering samples from his array of pedals on the floor, while drummer, Charles Davis, also triggers ambience and synths from his side all while holding down a heavy beat – almost like John Stanier from Battles, minus the electronics.
Check out their SoundCloud and watch the dream-like state of consciousness video for Kursk.
