The Brutalist

On 9 November 1989, the Berlin Wall fell. In Eastern Europe, the great buildings of communism were deserted, looted and forgotten.

Jonathan Meades looks at the architectural movement known as brutalism.

Jonathan Meades looks at the architectural movement known as brutalism.

In the post post-punk aftermath, as electronic rhythms and synthesisers began to dominate the landscape, and with industrial godheads Throbbing Gristle now no more, artists across the UK, Europe and the US began to fuse minimal, emerging proto-house music, dark and Gothic tinged aesthetics and the noise and brutality of industrial music to create a hybrid which proved simultaneously cold, alienated and accessible. Taking it's lead from the dark shadows of cold war politics, governmental control, medical gore and a brutalist futuristic vision, this industrial mutation slid comfortably onto dancefloors catering for those for whom Thatcherism, Reaganomics and Eastern Bloc ideologies provided no hope, producing the most unlikely of clubbing scenes.

In the post post-punk aftermath, as electronic rhythms and synthesisers began to dominate the landscape, and with industrial godheads Throbbing Gristle now no more, artists across the UK, Europe and the US began to fuse minimal, emerging proto-house music, dark and Gothic tinged aesthetics and the noise and brutality of industrial music to create a hybrid which proved simultaneously cold, alienated and accessible. Taking it's lead from the dark shadows of cold war politics, governmental control, medical gore and a brutalist futuristic vision, this industrial mutation slid comfortably onto dancefloors catering for those for whom Thatcherism, Reaganomics and Eastern Bloc ideologies provided no hope, producing the most unlikely of clubbing scenes.

Christian Kleine unearths a selection of previously unreleased tracks that capture his unique production approach and ultimately helped define an influential era of electronica. Recovered from DAT and pressed on transparent green vinyl, with Berlin-brutalist inspired artwork, A Strangely Isolated Place present Christian’s most accomplished piece of work since his 2001 CCO album, 'Beyond Repair’.