Fixed Lens

A true exemplar of Deutsch-Amerikanische Freundschaft, FIXED LENS emerged from the smoke-filled basement rooms of Berlin’s DIY scene in 2021 with their eponymous debut EP. Cold, driving machinery beats and ethereal synths establish the foundation for melancholic, chorus-drenched post-punk guitars.

A collaboration between machinist Matthias Gaese and singer/guitarist Robert Hanna, FIXED LENS paints a dystopian picture of an impending future, marred by an incessant surveillance state, colony collapse, and the dreary malaise of a society in decay.

Championing the spirit of guitar-driven bands such as JOY DIVISION, KILLING JOKE, CHAMELEONS UK, and THE SOUND, the group simultaneously nods to the roots of Berlin’s electronic origin story. The EP was engineered and mixed by the band in their studio throughout the first wave of the pandemic in 2020-2021, and mastered by Chris Hanzsek at Hanzsek Audio in Snohomish, WA in March 2021.

Well-received by underground press, the group embarked on a series of debut live shows in Germany, as the lockdown gradually lifted and the Berlin music scene came back from its slumber. Currently a CD version of the s/t EP as well as a reissue of the cassette have been released in collaboration with Leipzig’s Unterschall Records, as well as the Swept Out to Sea 7″ EP in March 2023 alongside an accompanying music video.