The fifth album by the Berlin band Automat pours oil on the fire. “Heat” (Release Date: September 15th, 2023) is more homogeneous, warmer and rounder than its predecessors. Intimate dub, rich bass, scrambled delays, deep blue trip hop, deep violet down-tempo ballads, reggae / rap sparks fly here and there, all of which makes “Heat” a beautifully well-rounded album.

“Heat” stands for a process of change: both in the line-up and for the energy and passion of the new personell. After a longer break due to COVID, the exit of guitarist Jochen Arbeit, the entry of keyboardist Max Loderbauer and producer Ingo Krauss as well as the ingenious reinforcement by Scott Montieth (Deadbeat), singer Barbie Williams and the guests on the microphone Gemma Ray and reggae legends Prince Alla and R Zee Jackson, the new Automat is running like a machine.

Automat are: Achim Färber (Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub, Skip McDonald), Georg Zeitblom (wittmann/zeitblom), Max Loderbauer (Ricardo Villalobos / Sun Electric / Moritz Von Oswald Trio), Scott Montieth (Deadbeat). Automat plays live.