Stores of the American fast food chain “Waffle House” are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It doesn't matter if it's stormy outside and cows are flying through the air. The Waffle House index has been measuring the impact of disasters in the USA since 2011:
Green = full menu – restaurant has full power, food unlimited, damage at worst limited.
Yellow = limited menu – no power, food availability is limited.
Red = restaurant closed – serious damage or flooding.
Translated to the free-spirited jazz rock of the band Kuhn Fu: the music on the new album Katastrofik Kink Machine jumps back and forth between green and red with enthusiasm and verve, leaving out the tepid middle.
There is something old-fashioned about the word jazz rock: music in which soulless virtuosity has replaced spirit and immediacy. However, the guitarist and composer Christian Achim Kühn plays jazz fevered by electric guitar with his band Kuhn Fu, in which the joy of playing and the fun of profound nonsense (and then also: the virtuosity) oozes out of every pore. Not least fun in the extreme: green and red, no yellow.
The first piece, no wonder it’s called Waffle House, surprises, as is always the case with this band. But in retrospect, it's exactly what you would expect from the opener of an album called Katastrofik Kink Machine. Jazz that rocks, rock that feels as free as a jazz impro, but here in the form of a big band arrangement. In the first few seconds the plucked guitar, then wind instruments (clarinet/alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, baritone saxophone) enter the picture, and Waffle House works its way jauntily from one level of escalation to the next. Repeatedly interrupted by improvised solo passages that balance nicely along the edge of the abyss.

According to Christian Achim Kühn, catastrophe and artificial intelligence are two themes of the album, as the title already suggests. The catastrophic quality always shines through in the music, even though there is no singing on Katastrofik Kink Machine. The album title was generated by AI, but the music, with all its liveliness and unpredictability, is unmistakably made by people: not least an agglomeration of the musicians' musical kinks. The seven pieces on Katastrofik Kink Machine are all very different and yet form a homogeneous whole. Quieter passages, which, if it weren't for the constant jumping back and forth between different tempos and moods, almost seem like classically composed jazz (especially in Low and Slow), with score and all; elegiac-orchestral music (Grand False, Enigma), which is followed by psychedelic, free-spinning music (Kink). Or a kind of surreal rock ballad with a cartwheeling saxophone solo (Die ID).
Singing or reciting, as is usual with Kuhn Fu, is only done in one place on Katastrofik Kink Machine. At the beginning of the last track, Christian Kühn announces “something simple and charming” and in a way this promise fits the entire album. Katastrofik Kink Machine is the most relaxed Kuhn Fu record to date. Even though there are, once again, more compositional ideas compressed into a very small space than the listener can process on a first listen.

The composition “Tantalos” by Christian Achim Kühn is an impressive and haunting piece of music that initially plays slowly and unobtrusively, then suddenly unfolds in all its splendour. The brass unisoni open up a radiant element in the often dark music. The composer knows how to incorporate modern elements into his music and has an almost Zappa-like approach. His music is technically adept, demanding and challenges the listener. “Tantalos” is often associated with pain and despair, but the composer sees it as a metaphor for the commitment of a dedicated musician to find the perfect composition and the perfect ensemble.

Nominee for Composition of the Year 2023 - German Jazz Prize

"The composition «Tantalos» by Christian Achim Kühn is an impressive and haunting piece of music that initially behaves slowly and unobtrusively, only to then suddenly unfold in all its glory. It is a record that does not bow to any trend of the times, but sets up its own coordinates in an uncombed manner."
Jazzpodium

"Here jazz lovingly embraces heavy metal, polka invites prog to dance, and between film music and slacker rock there is a tremendous crackle. Kuhn Fu sound jazzier, rockier and fuller than ever."
Rating: 13/15 points
Betreutes Proggen

"A highlight for all open-eared chocolate lovers who are looking for music that could revolutionize the jazz and rock scene alike."
musikreviews.de

"Tantalos by KUHN FU is playful sophistication and irresistible coolness, which wanders on musically demanding, albeit supposedly erroneous paths and, as disdainful and superficial as it may sound, is really fun."
4/5 Stars
soultrainonline.de

"The style on this album swings from guitar rock to improvisational ethno jazz fusion and along the way gets into the noisy brass band."
Selected Goosebumps

"That's how jazz or the improvisation stuff is allowed to come along today, little combed and willing to take risks."
JAZZ PODIUM Magazine 12-22 (Best Albums - Top 3)

"This double album deserves an audience beyond jazz specialists and if Kuhn Fu is performing live anywhere near you: go!"
BR Kulturnacht

"It's a headstrong form of jazz rock (or rock jazz), between parody and great seriousness, full of energy and urgent individualism."
JazzZeitung

"Sometimes funky and lively, sometimes plunging into the heights of free jazz, and always dancing back and forth between musical professionalism and joyful nonsense, Kuhn Fu VII put on a zappa-esque show. Between the psychedelic passages, in which the listener can swing into a trance, and the demanding prog themes with a tendency towards rocket science, the humorous interjections provide additional variety."
13 / 15
Betreutes Proggen

"Sly, wacky, enormous, and fierce-like powers, KUHN FU does it again!... this double album is a dish well-served with a shit load of hot spices that’ll make you want more and more to see what you’ve missed!"
Echoes And Dust

"The large group of musicians is perfectly organized. Everything runs smoothly and with excellent feeling. The orchestra achieves an impressive, rich sound with impeccable control over the mood and drama of the performance. A great album!"
jazz-fun.de

"Kühn’s hyperactive and dramatic melodies serve as starting points for enthusiastic improvisations that highlight the perfectly coordinated and powerful front line of three reeds players [...] This dramatic, nonsensical story is a sharp parody of the music industry in the era of social media, which eventually concludes that «jazz is expensive»."
Salt Peanuts - Eyal Hareuveni

"It is so surprising every time that you sit on the edge of your seat until the very end. Apart from the really blistering beautiful music, I think this is such a wonderful example where the connection dominates and the differences only provide diversity, idiosyncratic colouring, an added value that is more than the sum of its parts and simply an all-transcending splendor. Grand!"
subjectivisten.nl

"With thieving joy, the band lulls the audience into a meditative mood again and again, only to unleash a brisk Free Jazz thunderstorm with the power of the drumbeat. Towards the end, one or the other dancing leg is activated."
13 / 15
Betreutes Proggen

"Kuhn Fu's sound seems subversive, but this never-ending flow of ideas fulfills all the quality criteria of enlightened jazz, and above all we have to speak of the sparkling playful flexibility of each individual member. Metal-affine guitar boards, barrage of drums and deep bass eruptions rub comfortably against each other."
nrw.jazz

"The sounds creep up in waves, gaining speed and intensity. Zappa comes to mind, also because Kühn plays a pretty sharp guitar."
Freistil, AT

"The alternation of serious music and humor ensures an intense performance."
4 stars
Dagblad van het Noorden

“If we wanted an Austrian Billy Jenkins, who better than Christian Kühn and his Kuhn Fu combo. Manic in terms of guitaring, puppet-dancing and mention-the-war humour, he roughed up the festival with a bucketload of zany humour, in the guise of avant speed-jazz.”
Jazzwise, UK

“Kühn relies on K & K -Klamauk und Klasse- and is loved for it.”
Salzburg News, AT

“between cabaret and schizophrenia”
Concerto, AT

“The band around guitarist Christian Kühn relies on style duels, as US saxophonist John Zorn used to, and it sounds massive”
DerStandard, AT

“An entertaining chaos, a precisely organized action that is best experienced live – and as a reminder, there is the album for the home sofa.”
JazzThing DE

“a fast-paced, sometimes breathtaking metal-jazz cabaret. A musical punch line chases the next one.“
Jazzthetik, DE

“a feeling of great musical freedom in this excessive music”
culturejazz.fr

“Kuhn Fu have scored another touchdown in their own take of Football with Chain the Snake as if they brought everything from the kitchen table of Jazz, Swing, Ska, Punk, and the Rock In Opposition genre into a delicious Wasabi Mango Pineapple Smoothie.”
zacharynathanson.blogspot.com

“A Colorful Combo, which once more proves that art does not know any restriction.”
rockline.si

“Anyone who is able to think outside the box should definitely have fun with this music close to anarchy.“
musikansich.de

“International line up, the world in art, globalization in good: “Chain The Snake” is a beautiful soundtrack to unnerving news about Brexit and other decay movements – and of course makes otherwise a good mood.“
KrautNick

“Some ideas probably reflect the less cheerful side of the composer, like the melancholic-dark” Oswaldo’s Waltz “, which can compete with the Borrowing & Club of Gore.”
Babyblaue Seiten

“Kuhnspiracy is an incredibly focused work, a commendable take on programmatic writing utilising multiple music blends…an aural kaleidoscope, often mentally exhaustive yet feeling quite pertinent within the current jazz climate.”
Jazz Journal, UK

”the chief attraction lies in the mash-up of genres—punk, funk, classical, folk, metal/grunge, marching music, spoken word (and probably more)—and the easy precision with which the group negotiates the incessant rapid-fire changes, from chugging power riffs to plaintive themes, from aggressive screams to gentle whispers.”
The New York City Jazz Record, USA

”I am left to contemplate Kuhn Fu’s awesomely twisted sense of humor.”
Progression Magazine, USA

”fein gemahlener Avant Edge Rock von der Steiger Mordwand ebenso wie vor gepflegten Disharmonien strotzender Rotz Jazz, 12/15 points”
betreutesproggen.de

”From existentialism to metaphysics; this music has everything in it related to life”
Cumhuriyet, TR

”Humor schwärzester Güteklasse, schaurig, witzig, spannend. Programmmusik im besten Wortsinn, zum Grinsen, zum Grübeln, zum Headbangen”
Jazzthing, DE

”ein purer Genuss für alle vom Radio- und TV-Musik-Mainstream arg geschundenen Ohren, die den Schalter umgehend von Klang-Einheitsbrei auf Extrem-Dissonanz umlegen können, ohne auf das Eine wie das Andere gänzlich verzichten zu müssen.’
musikreviews, DE

”The music is too rich for me to think of it as a potential soundtrack – it’s more like an entire film, translated as album.”
arcticdrones.com

”You can never get comfortable with any of the tracks and that is a good thing as this style of music is made to be radical and shifting under your feet. KUHNSPIRACY is not for the faint of heart, but adventurous music lovers may just get the right kick from their craziness.” rockthebodyelectric.com
”Kuhnspiracy is tons of fun, both in the compositions and the improvisations, and this is definitely a band with a sound all their own and the talent to make it work.”
Jon Davis

”Kuhnspiracy is not just one of the maddest and scariest albums I’ve listened to, but for me, a Holy Shit album!….they are continuing where Don Van Vliet had left off during the continuation of the Trout Mask Replica sessions.”
zacharynathanson.blogspot.com

”To my ears, they have extended the Rock In Opposition genre with their classical leanings and deranged playing. Quite an impressive release that is sure to appeal to anyone tired of the same old, same old.”
Henry Schneider

”Im Spannungsfeld zwischen den ungestümen Avant-Jazz-Prog- und den eher traditionell orientierten Jazz-Einfällen kreieren KUHN FU ihre eigene Version einer Musik, die sowohl die Avant-Prog-Freunde, als auch die offenen Jazz-Hörer ansprechen dürfte.”
babyblaue-seiten.de

”Kunhspiracy n’est certes pas votre disque de prog habituel mais les fans de musiques expérimentales, ainsi que ceux des groupes précités et/ou du label Cuneiform, sont vivement conviés à s’immerger dès que possible dans ce récital extravagant.”
dragonjazz.com

”Wirklich spannende Musik mit schwer treibendem Groove und gelungenen Improvisationen”
Concerto, AT