Haujobb - The Machine In The Ghost

The Machine in the Ghost marks Haujobb’s tenth studio album and once again breaks new ground. The Leipzig-based duo consistently refuses to repeat themselves, and this release is no exception.

What sets The Machine in the Ghost apart is its heavy reliance on field recordings to generate its core sounds. Haujobb employed a mix of software and hardware—often everyday objects repurposed as instruments—to achieve their desired effects. This approach nods to an era of analog experimentation, adding a retro flavor without lapsing into nostalgia for its own sake.

The album explores the charged tension between mind and matter, analog and digital—a fitting theme in an age increasingly defined by artificial intelligence.

Formed in Bielefeld, West Germany, Haujobb originally drew inspiration from the Vancouver school of industrial, particularly acts like Skinny Puppy and Front Line Assembly. That influence is especially apparent on their debut Homes & Gardens (1993), though they quickly forged their own identity. With albums like Freeze Frame Reality (1995) and Solutions for a Small Planet (1996), the group began fusing IDM with industrial and EBM, a shift that earned them cult status in the U.S. and brought them international acclaim.

Now a duo, Haujobb continued to evolve, with 2011’s self-released New World March hailed as a creative high point.

With The Machine in the Ghost, Haujobb adds another compelling chapter to their storied career—an album that feels both timely and forward-looking at the dawn of a new creative revolution.