Space Debris - 2026 - Sighting

(144:36; Fruits de Mer)

This compilation is designed to provide an overview of Space Debris, a still active Krautrock band from Germany. Three of the nine tracks on the triple vinyl set from FdeM, which is already sold out by the way, are more than 20 minutes long while the set is more than two hours in length. If you can find a copy it also comes with a 24 pp A4 booklet, although you may find it easier to search out the digital version which also has two additional numbers. Formed in 2002 by two friends, Tommy Gorny (guitar) and Christian Jäger (drums), to play improvised music inspired by the Seventies’ Krautrock and Psychedelic bands, they were joined by keyboard player Winnie Rimbach-Sator in 2008 and have had a few bassists, although Vroni Frisch has been there for the last decade. However, this material predates her arrival, stretching all the way back to 2005, with “Villamountain” hailing from 2012 and is the only previously unreleased material.

I had not heard of this band prior to receiving the album, but I don’t feel too bad given that label boss and Krautrock connoisseur Keith Jones only came across them about a year ago. The compilation was put together by the band themselves and shows that while they may be more underground than most, that is not down to lack of ability. Given this is generally improvised it is interesting to hear just how direct and together this album is and feels far more structured than many of the live composition works I come across. Gorny is often the lead melody, the keyboards are there to provide counterpoint and something to work against, the bass is the warmth glue which keeps it all together and then there are drums which are much more like a lead instrument in their own right as opposed to “just” holding it all together.

They have been likened to the spirit of early Deep Purple (think “Mandrake Root”), Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Can while others have pointed towards ‘Bitches Brew’, and there is certainly a heavier relationships with bands like these as opposed to Øresund Space Collective which is more dramatically Space Rock in nature. This is a fascinating album which deserves to be listened to on headphones when one has the time to really get inside what is going on, and fans of Krautrock certainly need to discover these guys if they have yet to come across them. 

Kev Rowland, August 2026

Links:
https://www.spacedebrisprojekt.de/
https://www.fruitsdemerrecords.com/