Berlin-based musicians Julius Conrad and Max Graef make up the duo Ratgrave, producing a distinctive brand of trippy, abstract fusion-funk. On their self-titled 2018 debut and 2020's Rock, the two pit virtuosic guitar chops against fractured synth rhythms and bugged-out electronic effects, resulting in a playful, lo-fi take on space-age jazz-rock. Conrad and Graef recorded Ratgrave, their first album together, over the course of three years, constructing knotty instrumentals using vintage drum machines and analog synthesizers joined by chunky, obtuse bass lines. The record was released by Apron Records in 2018. Ratgrave's second album, Rock, a heavier effort influenced by artists such as Frank Zappa, Blue Cheer, and Jimi Hendrix, appeared on Black Focus in 2020. ~ Paul Simpson