Kosmische musik and related 1970s German styles

[Lexi Darling]

This is a thread to discuss 1970s German style kosmische, "krautrock", psychedelic and experimental rock and electronic music.

I first discovered the German 70s kosmische scene around 2008 through Can and Neu! As I detailed in another thread, I first discovered the more electronic side of that genre through Tangerine Dream in 2009 and since then it's been one of my all-time favorite styles of music, just bursting with colorful creativity.

Without spoiling some of the specific albums that will eventually end up in my 100 thread, a few of my personal favorite artists in this category include Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Ash Ra Tempel/Manuel Gottsching, Popol Vuh, Michael Hoenig, Cluster, early Kraftwerk, Harmonia, Neu!, Can, early Deuter, etc., just to stick to the Germans. Not to mention the myriad of side projects and solo albums from a lot of the people in those bands.

So, let's discuss! What are your favorite records in this style? Do you prefer the more rock or the more electronic ends of the genre? I look forward to hearing from you all!

[Janszoon]

I like a lot of this stuff, especially Can, Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream, and Harmonia. I dig Faust and Neu as well, but not as much.

[Rubber Soul]

Not deep into Krautrock but I love Kraftwerk (who doesn't). And I know I like at least one thing from Faust (It's a Rainy Day- Sunshine Girl). Can't say I'm into Can as much.

[Lexi Darling]

My unpopular Can opinion is that most of my favorite material of theirs is from after Damo Suzuki left. Their post-Future Days era is well worth checking out, especially if you like that album since the couple ones after it continue in that more atmospheric style.

[Lisnaholic]

I really like Krautrock too, but perhaps not the same bits of it as you, Mrs. Waffles and Rubber Soul.

My favourite band would be Can, but always their more aggressive style, not the ambient Future Days stuff. Favourite tracks are prob the classic era Aumgn, the over-the-topness of Animal Waves, and the late-career gem of All Gates Open.

I used to like Kraftwerk and T Dream more than I do today. I have a tendency I'm not proud of which is to go to my long established favourite tracks, Autobahn and 3 a.m. At The Border , after which I think, "OK, that's enough of those bands for today."

Neu! and Faust are both ok by me, but, again, small doses are usually sufficient. I prefer Amon Düül II to both of those bands.

Also, Mrs. Waffles, I see that you mention Deuter; a girl I knew described it as "very healing music", but I wouldn't have called him Krautrock, tbh - lacking, as he does, any rock element afaik.

For me to check out: Harmonia, which you mention, Janz, but it's not a band I have come across.

[Lexi Darling]

Regarding Deuter, I'd only consider his first couple albums to be adjacent, and only to the more ambient side of the genre. I don't hear a whole lot of rock in Tangerine Dream after 1973 either.

That's one reason I don't like the term "krautrock" as I find it insufficient in describing the breadth of that scene, aside from the use of "kraut" also being a bit outdated in the modern era.

[Lisnaholic]

Yep, it's not a very useful label and could be seen as borderline offensive. Still, it's hard to get too outraged by the term when it was Faust who thought it up.

[innerspaceboy]

Thanks for starting the topic!

In my mind-opening music thread I mentioned a few favorites that I've tracked down on vinyl:

Neu! - Neu!
Harmonia - Musik von Harmonia
Cluster's first two self-titled LPs followed by Cluster & Eno and After the Heat
Can's Future Days, Tago Mago, and Ege Bamyasi
Manuel Göttsching's Inventions for Electric Guitar and E2-E4
Kraftwerk 1 & 2, Autobahn, Radio-Activity and Ralf und Florian. (The Crown label bootlegs are the most affordable way to secure the two self-titled LPs)
and Popol Vuh's heavenly Hosianna Mantra

And in addition to my digital library of 298 Tangerine Dream albums I have their In the Beginning... vinyl set which comprises Electronic Meditation, Alpha Centauri, Zeit, Atem, and the previously unreleased Green Desert.

And I am still exploring my copy of the 753-album library called, "The Progressive-Kraut-Psych-Avant garde Rock Collection (Vols I-VIII)."

I also picked up 81 of Klaus Schulze's albums digitally. Favorites include Irrlicht, Cyborg, Blackdance, Join Inn (with Ash Ra Tempel), The Cosmic Jokers (feat. Klaus Schulze), Timewind, Moondawn, and the minimal electronic symphony, "X." Schulze is one of the greatest Moog synthesizer virtuosos in the world, but unlike Keith Emerson, Schulze explores the minimal sonic space that the instrument can create. I grabbed several of his original LPs on wax. But steer clear of the print-on-demand book by Greg Allen titled, Klaus Schulze: Electronic Music Legend. It's painfully amateur. Instead look for something like Christian Wheeldon's Deep Distance: The Musical Life of Manuel Göttsching for a better biographical work on the scene. I published a brief review of it when it was released.

Here are a few of my Schulze LPs.



I'd also make honorable mention of Steve Hillage's Rainbow Dome Musick. I understand that Hillage is associated with the Canterbury scene rather than the German experimental scene, but there is a strong overlap of listenership so it's worth mentioning. Hillage was a member of Khan, Gong and System 7. Rainbow Dome Musick was commissioned for performance at the 1979 Mind-Body-Spirit Festival, held at Olympia London, recorded at Om in January 1979.

But probably my favorite kosmische musik treasure is the Harmonia Box.

I was a latecomer to Harmonia's music and only heard them for the very first time in 2016. I was already a monstrous fan of Can, Cluster, Schulze, Gottsching, and all the Berlin School ambient classics, but somehow I'd never given Harmonia a proper listen. In fewer than 10 minutes of surveying their music I knew that I wanted their complete discography. Harmonia was everything I was looking for. And astonishingly, I found that the Complete Works box set had been released just a few months earlier and was still available from the label. An instant favorite. Here's my copy.



Interestingly, several contemporary artists have been realizing new recordings in the spirit of classic kosmische musik.

Public Service Broadcasting issued two full-length albums, Inform | Educate | Entertain, The Race for Space, and an EP titled The War Room. Each disc features krautrock instrumentals with spoken word recordings from archival film footage. "Spitfire" and "The Other Side" are wonderful highlights.

The 2010s also brought two collaborations between both Eno and Underworld - two of my greatest musical heroes, with the albums High Life and Someday World, as well as Karl Hyde's first so venture with the reflective album, Edgeland. They are thoughtful explorations of art-pop, contemporary krautrock, and ethereal ambient pop.

Those are a few stand-out LPs which immediately come to mind. I'm excited to see what other classic albums the group contributes.

Edit - had to call special attention to a long-standing favorite track from Eno Moebius Roedelius' album, After the Heat, "The Belldog." Mysterious atmospheric bliss.

Lyics:

Most of the day, we were at the machinery
In the dark sheds that the seasons ignored
I held the levers that guided the signals to the radio
But the words I received, random code, broken fragments from before
Out in the trees, my reason deserting me
Oh, the dark stars cluster over the bay
Then in a certain moment, I lose control
And at last, I am part of the machinery
Where are you?
And the light disappears
As the world makes its circle through the sky

[Lexi Darling]

Jealous of your Schulze vinyls! I've been a massive fan of his work since 2009 as well, Cyborg is probably my favorite of his early pre-sequencer work and Mirage is my favorite in the more traditional Berlin School style. Moondawn and Timewind, hard to beat that stuff.

I would say Schulze, even more than any of his contemporaries, was the single biggest influence on my own composition and playing style. He had a darker, more isolating style, like if Dracula was brooding in his chamber playing synthesizers instead of a pipe organ.

I'm also a big fan of Rainbow Dome Musick and Steve Hillage in general. I'd rather not spoil what position it is on my list, but suffice to say it's very high up there.

[innerspaceboy]

Well-said re: Schulze's thematic style.

Thanks for mentioning Edgar Froese's Epsilon in Malaysian Pale in my original thread - you've reminded me to revisit my pressing and give it another spin. I love all the Berlin School classics.

I'll make sure to follow your Top 100 thread, whenever you can get to your updates. I know we've all got a lot going on. Cheers!