When the machines rock

T. Raumschmiere is one sick, German electro-punk, hardcore dude. More into the flame-throwing violence of the Stooges than the cool sci-fi intellectualism of Juan Atkins, this gloriously odd techno-anarchist says rock and metal were his first musical loves. “When I started clubbing, I was having fun but I found the music so boring,” says Marco Haas, the man behind the T.M. moniker, on the phone from Berlin. “I’m still not so into it, and I prefer rock or ambient music to hard techno. I never listen to it.”

Raumschmiere’s preference shows on his newly-released Mute LP, Blitzkrieg Pop, as hard-charging, wide-ranging and artfully messy an electronic dance record as was ever made. It features straight-up hardcore punk metal stomps (“Sick Like Me” and “A Mess”); a bouncy psychedelic shuffle (“Diving in Whiskey,” with vocals by Berlin comrade Ellen Allien); “A Very Loud Lullaby,” a funky power-ballad sung by Sandra Nasic; and “3 Minutes Happiness,” a sonic swirl consisting of machine noise, fuzz-bass vibrations and Frenchwoman Judith Juillerat’s purring vocals. It’s a sexy record raging with equal amounts of testosterone and raw chick power.

T. Raumschmiere once expressed a desire for his records to be the loudest ever produced, but now says: “I want to make music that people can actually listen to, with real catchy hook lines. I’m lucky I have a lot talented friends who want to help me in this direction. I want to bring the song back to the club.”