Lately, I’ve been encountering more and more music that crosses genre boundaries – a trend that has become increasingly prominent in recent years, and not a bad one at all! Still, it’s never easy to create an album that moves through multiple styles with coherence and purpose. That’s why I’m glad to hear Circus, the new instrumental EP from Trans Atlantic J., an Antwerp-based project. Here, the palette isn’t overwhelmingly chaotic; instead, two genres take the lead – krautrock and indie dance – forming a kind of 21st-century krautrock that feels more accessible than usual.
Circus was written in Berlin, and later mixed and co-produced in Hamburg by Gregor Sonnenberg. It opens with its longest track, New Air, which unfolds over nearly six minutes of motoric drumming, synths that feel like gusts of wind, and wonderfully playful guitars that cycle through several varied riffs. My favorite is the crisp, echo-laden tone that shimmers with reverb.
The next track, Strong, immediately shifts the mood – this is no outdated krautrock imitation. Instead, it bursts into a dance-driven atmosphere that grabs you right away. It feels almost like stepping into a quirky Berlin club – the kind I visited a few times – dark, friendly, buzzing with strange nocturnal energy. The repetitive riff is engaging, and even though the track runs just over three minutes, it carries that classic krautrock quality: you could listen to it for much, much longer.
On a similarly playful – perhaps even more mischievous – wavelength comes Bucket, featuring a wild synth line and a hypnotic bass groove. Midway through, the track shifts into a more melancholic mood, revealing a beautiful clean guitar tone before returning to its initial, lively motifs.
Versatile doesn’t stray far from the EP’s overall direction; it builds on a strong, memorable riff and delivers tight, dynamic drumming full of live energy. Toward the end, the songs becomes distinctly synth-pop flavored, and the synths transition seamlessly into the final track, Loose. This closer gradually breaks free and reveals a hypnotic, repeating krautrock motif. Sharper synths then return, the thick bass shifts the mood and builds tension, and the EP ends in a euphoric, trance-induced haze.
Originally from Antwerp and emerging from the Dutch indie scene, Trans Atlantic J. carries a deep musical background. His earlier psychedelic indie-shoegaze project earned premieres on platforms like Noisey, Indie Berlin, Indie Style (BE), and The Daily Indie, along with performances at events such as Eurosonic and Sofar Sounds. With Circus, he channels those roots into a new instrumental direction – Circus is a vibrant EP blending krautrock pulse with indie-dance energy. The result is a cohesive yet exploratory record that balances control with chaos, delivering a modern, accessible take on krautrock while keeping a strong sense of personality and movement throughout.
This album was discovered via Submit Hub
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