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Founded in the South of the Netherlands, now the OTOMAX vinyl album ‘Ways to Prepare Pets for War’ makes its debut. The selection of tracks is obtained from numerous recordings of gigs and rehearsals, whereat the 5-minute rule structures the improvisations: all songs are improvised, played and programmed on the spot. The only guideline is this time limit of 5 minutes but sometimes we forget to check the clock. (Because ‘the groove is so good’). The improvisations are the intermediate, shared language of all five members as a result of experimenting and a lot of playtime. The diverse backgrounds of the members (art, sound art, DJ-ing and fashion design) are the catalyst for the creative conversation behind the collaborative effort and, as it usually happens when creativity and diversity meet, skills and instruments are being generated, re-imagined, reorganized, deconstructed. Long story short, there's a series of wonders always diverse and never the same. This debut is a landmark in a series of concerts and exhibitions in art spaces, clubs, festivals in between the foundation in 2016 to January 2020 in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, where the audience joined us in the dynamics of the surprise, the experiment and the energy. 

OTOMAX is Nika Schmitt (voice, fx-electronics, tapes, samples), Mike Moonen (turntablism), Fran Hoebergen (hacked Game Boys, fm-synthesizer, tapes, bend toys), Joep Hinssen (drum computers, analogue synthesizers, samples) and Paul Devens (circuit bend drum computers, 
bend toys and modded vintage keyboards) DJ Marcelle, during her show ‘Another nice mess’ 29 Sept: 

“These days there’s only one band I can trust to look over a Muslimgauze record and that’s Otomax. I received this record for the weekend and ever since it hasn’t been off my turn table ... because it's fantastic. 
‘Ways to Prepare Pets for War’ comes with a beautiful colorful booklet full of weirdness ... already legendary record coming from the Netherlands and it hails from Maastricht. ... One of the things Otomax reminds me of is the weirdness of the early German music from the beginning of the 80s”. 

Vinyl album, 12”, total time: 0:36:13, 33 1 ⁄3 rpm, download code, Sleeve-size booklet, 28 pages fc, innersleeve, plastic outersleeve. 

(otomax 2020 MOAB / otomaxelpee 001 / MOABrecords, self-released)