With TK-745, Berlin-based multi-instrumentalist Adi Gelbart dives into a raw, guitar-driven sound world, full of psych-garage energy and synth weirdness. The album comes less than a year after his previous release, Liquids & Flesh, and features new works alongside pieces he has been performing live for 15 years, now recorded for the first time.
The title comes from the Grundig TK-745, a budget 1970s reel-to-reel tape machine Gelbart used for drums, drum machines, and other elements. Dutch consumer-grade plastic mics from the same era, along with basic tape effects, rounded out the DIY setup, leaving the sound dirty and beautiful.
The core of TK-745 is guitar-driven, with echoes of pre-Brian-Eno Devo, the raw psych energy of Thee Oh Sees, and hints of Link Wray. Beyond Gelbart’s guitars, the album explores more overt textures, like on The Egg, which evokes Krzysztof Komeda’s soundtrack work, or the ending section of Crawl Into Your Cloud, where Gelbart multi-tracks an entire orchestra by himself.
This new entry in Gelbart’s catalog is different and yet unmistakably Gelbart — bold, unpredictable, and deliciously surreal.
Ever since landing in Berlin’s electronic scene in 2005, Gelbart has earned a reputation as one of the city’s most innovative musicians. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist, composer, filmmaker, and author, his work exists at the intersection of the surreal and the visceral, blending the high-brow with the low, and the accessible with the complex.
With a discography spanning more than 20 LPs and EPs (on Joyful Noise, Gagarin Records, and Lo Recordings, among others), Gelbart has built a distinctive sonic universe—one that defies categorization while maintaining a singular vision. His compositions, ranging from toybox electronica to avant-garde orchestrations, reflect not only a fearless commitment to pushing creative boundaries but also a deep mastery of the craft of music, with resonant melodies and warm harmonies. His upcoming solo LP, TK-745, set for release on Kitchen Leg Records in February 2026, reinforces his standing as an artist unafraid to challenge conventions.
Beyond recorded music, Gelbart has composed for live ensembles, including a 70-minute commissioned piece for Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin, slated for release as a double LP in 2027. He has also written a long-form composition for string quartet and electronic voice, performed in venues from Casa del Lago in Mexico to Berghain in Berlin. His work has been a mainstay on WFMU and featured in festivals worldwide, while his animations and films, such as the sci-fi short film Vermin, have gained international recognition—including a screening at the US Library of Congress. Gelbart is also the author of the surrealist novel Egglike.
