Eight years since their debut album, Group Modular returns with a new LP – “Time Masters”! Dedicated to and centered on some of their favourite local drummers, the new record is another synth-driven excursion into space age sound.
Established in 2010, Group Modular is a meeting point between psych+funk enthusiast Markey Funk (Delights) and machine music specialist Mule Driver (Confused Machines). Both key figures on their respectful scenes, the two found common ground in their fascination with early electronic and library music of the 1960’s and 70’s. Over the years of regular travels between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, the two produced the highly acclaimed album “The Mystery of Mordy Laye” (2012, Audio Montage Entertainment) and an exclusive International Synthesizer Day single “Black Ray/Acid Wheels” (Delights, 2018) – as well as played a few special live shows in their home country.
For their new project, the duo invited six different drummers to provide the rhythmical (and at times – structural) backbone for future compositions. Taken from Rene Laloux’ cult animation feature, the album’s title “Time Masters” hints that the key figure of each tune is actually the one keeping the beat or, as they call it in classical music, – “time”. Besides their regular collaborator, Sagi Sachs, on two tracks, Group Modular are joined by Yonadav Halevy (The Apples), Matan Assayag (Hoodna Orchestra/Shalosh), Hezus (3421/Trillion/Left), Ori Lavi and Elia Yakin. While letting every sticksman shine his distinctive style, Markey Funk and Mule Driver managed to bring these six different personalities closer under the multi-layered umbrella of space age electronics and cinematic psychedelia. Crafted over the course of 3 years and wrapped in artwork by Nick Taylor (Spectral Studio), “Time Masters” is the duo’s love letter to the golden age of sci-fi animation.