At three in the afternoon on Thursday, September 28, Amon Düül II took the stage of the Aula der Pädagogischen Hochschule. Freshly split from the ‘nonmusical’ portion of their Munich commune, the eight-piece ensemble intended to make waves, not as a leftist collective, but as a strict musical unit.
Category: Krautrock
Agitation Free :: ORTF Studio, Paris 1973
Rare footage of experimental krautrock travelers Agitation Free, captured via the French television program Rock en Stock in the summer of 1973. Shot in black & white, sixteen minutes of sweaty, glassy-eyed improvisation riffing on the track “Laila II” off the band’s sophomore album, 2nd.
CAN :: Live in Stuttgart 1975
Over the course of Live in Stuttgart 1975‘s 91 unbelievable minutes, Can emerges as the ultimate jam band—forget whatever negative connotations you may have with the term. Here, jamming isn’t about technical flash or aimless noodling; rather, it’s about the quest for collective ecstasy, for both the musicians and the audience.
Roedelius :: A Retrospective
To celebrate the 86-year-old’s latest pair of releases – a return to the Selbstportrait series of albums he began in 1979, and the demo collection Tape Archive Essence 1973-1978 – the time felt fitting to compile a chronological musical retrospective. Of course, it barely skims the surface of Roedelius’s countless projects and partnerships, but should provide a pleasant introduction to the life of a man spent painting with sound.
Damo Suzuki :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
The mythic Damo Suzuki is out on the road, traveling the highways of the United States, to team with up with “sound carriers,” local musicians assembled from each town he visits. Freelance scribe and One Eleven Heavy bassist Daniel A. Brown—known for his work with Royal Trux, ‘68 Comeback, the Screws, and South Filthy—recently caught up with Suzuki via Skype to discuss his artistic approach and history.
Michael Rother :: The Aquarium Drunkard Interview
With Kraftwerk, Neu!, and Harmonia, guitarist Michael Rother was instrumental in developing Kosmische Musik, or Krautrock. A new boxset charts his often pastoral and filmic solo trajectory.
Holger Czukay :: Cinema (A Retrospective)
Holger Czukay was a genius of rhythm of the highest possible order, on par with Fela Kuti, James Brown, Steve Reich, and pretty much anyone else to ever braid together […]
Auf Wiedersehen to Can co-founder Holger Czukay
Auf Wiedersehen to Can co-founder Holger Czukay, one of the primary architects of the krautrock sound, a sampling pioneer and a fearless sonic adventurer. Surrounded by virtuoso instrumentalists in Can, Czukay […]
Tangerine Dream :: Live At Conventry Cathedral, 1975
Sad news from the camp of kosmische/space music/soundtrack pioneers Tangerine Dream today regarding the passing of founding member Edgar Froese. “Dear Friends, this is a message to you we are deeply sorry […]
Can :: University of Essex – Colchester, England, May 17, 1975
There are those among us who will shudder when I say this, but let’s face facts: Can was a jam band. Indeed, jamming was at the heart of pretty much everything […]
Klaus Dinger :: 1946-2008
“There were three great beats in the ’70s: Fela Kuti’s Afrobeat, James Brown’s funk and Klaus Dinger’s Neu! beat.” – Brian Eno The very word, “Krautrock,” seems like a […]