The publicity material for German electro-rock band Super 700 tells me that 700 is a sacred number. The hidden temple has 700 entries, there are 700 sins, there are the 700 spices of Alu Ben-Grachier, and there are 700 famous mountains. This is clearly going to be a band who, as they promise, like to explore the extraordinary, and embrace the complex.
The band is, unsurprisingly, made up of seven members. Lead singer/siren Ibadet Ramadani is backed up by her two sisters Albana and Ilirjana. Then there is Johannes Saal on guitar, Simon Rauterberg on keys, bass player Michael Haves, and drummer Sebastian Schmidt. Together they form the impossibly cool Super700, a Berlin based band with enough style and sense of art to fill several galleries.
Super700 create waves of electro rock, amid occasional grand orchestral sweeps, delivered with a vibrancy that has seen them become the darlings of the Berlin underground. Ultra smart, infectious tracks lure you like a siren’s call. The magnetism of that siren, lead singer Ibadet, reels you in towards those rocks in a helpless daze.
It is little wonder that Super700 has something of a cult following in their homeland. For a while this was a well kept secret, held by those in the know, but with the release of their second album Lovebites, the genie is truly out of the lamp. The album has now arrived in the US and is available on the Motor Music label.
If I have to make comparisons then the band’s own publicity is spot on. Fans of Goldfrapp or M83 and the genuinely open minded need to check this album out. Lovebites opens with “Tango” an addictive song that will not get out of my head. That style, that sense of art, the need to be extraordinary and complex, are all quickly apparent.
An early stand out follows with the summery pop of “S.T.T.S.M.Y" (Somebody Tried To Steal My Car), introduced by the hypnotic, brief, “Come To The Other Side”. The video for this one, on the bands site, acts as a great introduction to all things Super700.
The lovely Ibadet possesses a magnetic and charismatic presence that is all so rare and impossible to define. Her voice is alluring, enticing, exciting, haunting, and, I’ve got to confess, dangerously sexy.
In 2006 they emerged from the Berlin underground scene where they had gathered quite a following and released their debut self-titled album. A tour took them to Los Angeles where they played the Viper Room and The Key Club. After seeing them playing live KCRW-DJ Nic Harcourt invited them to appear on his radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic.
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