CLUSTER: I have fallen in love with this band, please help

The two Harmonia records are great and should be mentioned nearly as much as Neu!. Harmonia still sounds very modern and holds up well today. Bowie and Eno copped a bunch of the Harmonia sound on the instrumental tracks for Low and Heroes. Oddly enough, that Harmonia 76 record with Eno isn't nearly as good.

I've never been able to find a copy of "Cluster & Eno" or "Zuckerzeit" that wasn't priced to lunacy, so I can't anything about them.

I used to have an odd, perhaps boot CD version of "Sowiesoso", but the mastering was complete shit done poorly from vinyl. The music was pretty good, but the sound was really bad. Beware.

I wish someone like Warp or another decent sized electronic label would start up an imprint to reissue old electronic albums from artists such as Cluster.

All 3 Kluster (Schnitzler, Roedelius, Moebius) albums - 'Klopfzeichen', 'Zwei Osterei', and 'Schwarz' are fantastic. The Schnitzler/Roedelius CD from a couple years back is also worth tracking down. The Liliental LP (Moebius, Plank, Asmus Tietchens, etc.) is a lost classic. Why has this never been reissued on CD?

'Curiosum' is amazing; 'Grosses Wasser' is OK. I grew to like 'One Hour' after some time. Have some patience with this one - it's well worth it. The last piece on there is really eerie but also strangely moving. I do admit that 'Apropos Cluster' (credited to Moebius/Roedelius) and that Live in the USA CD have never done much for me. The Cluster & Farnbauer cassette from 1980 is quite good too - it's now added to the 'Klopfzeichen' and 'Zwei Osterei' Kluster-with-a-K CDs as bonus tracks. Doesn't exactly belong there, but is good nonetheless and nice to have.

Roedelius solo: 'Durch die Wueste', of course. But I'm very fond of 'Lustwandel' from 1980. This one never gets talked about, for some reason. (Idiots dismissed it as "laid back" w/o having a clue about the real achievement of this album; I'm sure they never got past the second track.) It's quiet - sort of like Cluster teams up with Satie and then they all hop into the time machine in order to play parlor music in the Middle Ages. Very unique and charming. Just the record for those wintry grey rainy days. The 'Selbsportrait' series has great things scattered throughout. 'Der Ohrenspiegel'is another classic - right up there with 'Lustwandel'. Except 'Der Ohrenspiegel' is the most disturbing and extreme Roedelius album there is. Perfect Janus Head sonic thingy: 'Lustwandel' and 'Der Ohrenspiegel'. This man is a genius, truly. (There's also about 1,438 Roedelius albums I haven't heard.... )

Has anyone ever read that book about Roedelius? I didn't know about his early life - child film actor in the DDR, serving 2 years hard labour in same after trying to escape for the first time. Interesting indeed.

Moebius and Beerbohm is nice and trippy; much as I love Moebius and Mayo Thompson, the Moebius/Plank/Thompson collaboration disappoints, unfortunately. I wonder how the recent Dieter Moebius/Michael Rother concerts sounded?

Schnitzler: 'Conal' is probably his best, certainly his first "mature" work. This came out around the same time as 'Lustwandel' - I remember I got them both on the same day. Hard to describe the sonic texture of this one. Very unique. More subtle than prior Schnitzler works. His recent 'Piano Works' is quite something, like Nancarrow on acid. No one ever seems to mention Schnitzler's work after 1979. Honestly, his best work comes AFTER 'Con', but all I ever read is 'Rot' this and 'Blau' that. Good records, yeah, but he did move well beyond this in later years. ('Con 3', however, is a left-field electro pop album that he now disowns. It does have it's moments of inspired stupidity, though, but get all other Schnitzler records before dealing with this, as it's not in the least bit representative of his work. I do have to admit that these irritating, surreal ditties stick in your head whether you want them to or not. Consider yourself warned.)

Just remembered another great Schnitzler CD: 'Con Brio'. This has some of his earliest piano experiments and a whole suite of medieval- sounding weirdness. Is this the frantic answer record to 'Lustwandel'? Never thought of that before. I should listen to both tonight and compare. I haven't heard these in a few years.

There's a lot to discover here. Try it out. Some things you'll like better than others but I've never heard anything that's outright terrible from any of these people.

I also have a Roedilus solo record with a white cover with like, red and yellow bits on the cover from the early 80s? I think it may be on EG, I don't know. I just know I'd listened to a lot of the solo stuff and never been that into it but this one struck my fancy, very beautiful.

I have a pristine Japanese vinyl copy and yet there is still too much surface noise for such a delicate album. I might have to find a cd copy.

Cluster II is really underrated - this record and '71 are IMO their most ambitious stuff, and darkest (unless you count the Kluster records). It's strange because right after this they really scaled back the experimental stuff (though I like their "pop" sound too).

I disagree a bit w/ the "Sowiesoso is ambient" tag — it's clearly one step after Zuckerzeit and a touch more pastoral, but still has those great clavinet-synths-with-drum-boxes sound of its sugartiming predecessor...

I disagree about the difference between Sowiesoso and Zuckerzeit, Dan. They seem practically married to each other for me.

I heard the second track on Cluster '71 and thought "I have never heard music in my life that could SCARE THE LIVING BEJESUS OUT OF ME like that."

I found myself remembering the Fall lyric from Dragnet's "Dice Man":
"Some say music should be fun/like reading a story of love/but I want to read a HORROR STORY!"
---------------
I heard the first track on Cluster '71 and thought "Jesus! That is so fucked up! This music is so wonderfully totally FUCKED UP!"

Cluster are definitely related to Aphex's SAW II, no doubt. I mean, that's really the only adequate comparison at all that I know of.

I'm an absinthe virgin, unfortunately. Heard good things, though...

Dan, I will be more than happy to agree to disagree.

(x-post)

BTW, pardon the ignorance, does "x-post" mean "somebody already said this"?

Because, if so, that last bit was an x-post...

I own every single one of the solo records, 1978-1984, and wouldn't sell any of them. If you're hunting, I'd recommend 'Durch Die Wuste', 'Selbstportrait II' (or III), 'Jardin Au Fou' for Roedelius, and 'Rastakraut Pasta' & especially 'Zero Set' for Moebius & Plank (this one more futuristic by the year, still very few records in existence that have integrated live drumming this well, let alone in 1984. If you have not heard this record, buy it immediately).

The reunion records 'Appropos Cluster', 'One Hour', the two 1996 live records -- I don't have as much time for these. I saw three of the '96 shows, all radically different -- real improv. The shows I saw were much more aggressive and weird than the relentlessly mellow stuff they chose to release.

Roedelius once sent me an email (after reading a web review I had done of one of their '96 concerts) with his phone number in Austria and told me to look him up next time I was over there. Still have it, too...maybe it's time to visit! ;)

But it's no 'Zero Set', which is maximal & covered with overwhelming detail.

All these records were reissued on Gyroscope in the late 90's, and are _already_ all out of print again. 'Durch Die Wuste' already going for $30 used through amazon.com retailers. So if you find them, do not hesitiate.

Stylus should really do a two-part overview...

I wouldn't call the Harmonia/Eno CD 'failed'; it's a collection of demos, not an album. It wanders around a bit, but I still like it a lot (though I always skip the first track).

seriously could not live without everything from 71-84, but here's my bloodstained guide to post-84 solo albums:

Moebius: the first three albums with Plank are the place to start: 'Rastakraut Pasta', 'Material' and 'Zero Set'.

I like 'Tonspuren', a lot.

Both the albums with Beerbohm: 'Strange Music' lives up to title. Noisy, demented, repetitive. 'Double Cut', even more minimal.

'Blue Moon' - his Casio CZ-101 album. a few effective simple tracks I enjoy very much, but wouldn't start here.

avoid Moebius & Plank's 'En Route'. attempt at coming to terms with new digital gear, quirky but stiff & unfinished, and the Moebius/Plank/Thompson 'Ludwig's Law', which is simply Mayo Thompson ranting over a lo-fi dub of 'En Route'.

'Ersatz' and 'Ersatz II' by Moebius & Renziehausen -- soft spot in my heart for these. Though they are pretty silly & have a lot of preset sounds, they are mainline motorik fun, and strange.

His recent solo album 'Blotch', don't like much. And the recent live reunion album with Neumeier, advertised with the line 'Sounds like Zero Set' -- no. It's not bad for a mellow improv session, but that's all it is.

Roedelius went increasingly acoustic after 84. avoid anything that mentions saxophones on the back cover, except for 'Sinfonia Contempora No. 1', 'La Nordica' and 'Der Ohrenspiegel'; he got back into experimenting with electronic textures on those three, they all have great moments.

The 2001 collaboration with Conrad Schnitzler 'ACON', is a single evolving drone split across many tracks; they spend about 20 minutes warming up, then get into some interestingly bent textures. Worth picking up used if you can find it.

The Selbstportrait series are archival compilations of the solo tracks he made in the 70's while in Cluster; basically sinewave organ chords & melodies with no further ornamentation. They're braindead simple, and beautiful. especially II, III, and 'VI (Diary of the Unforgotten)', which has a lot of excellent demo tracks & mixes from the Harmonia period.

The CD of 'Selbstportrait I & II' drops several outstanding tracks from the vinyl version of volume II. Skip the disc, find the vinyl.

Cluster II reminds me of Spacemen 3, oddly enough. The Harmonia is okay, but I eagerly await the other Harmonia album.

Curiosum leaves me a bit cold. Too woozy. Haven't yet spent a lot of time with their earliest works, but stay tuned...

Deluxe really comes alive at night, I think, or in the dark. It conjurs up the color orange, for me. Amorphous 70s architecture. The soundtrack to Romper Room, maybe. Did Romper Room have a soundtrack? I can't remember. Anyway, some long-buried early childhood impressions of sound. I guess that's the kind of thing people get out of Boards of Canada or something, I dunno. I get it from these classic two records, which were in fact released in the 70s.

I just love the title cut, with that simple rhythm box backing, those vocals, and the way it breaks down into that long meditative middle part before the reentry of that big glorious fanfare. I love Rother's slide guitar on "Walky-Talky". I love the way that marching theme on "Notre Dame" just falls away, and all these sparse synth blurps take over, before it returns again. And I find something really affecting about the melody of "Kekse", the final track. It's very sweet, like a lullaby. And then it melts away into those marsh sounds, insectoid chirps and amphibious croaks... Yeah, top 3 AM stuff!

I've actually never heard those records with Beerbohm. I totally want to, though; especially after reading milton's approbation above.

<envisions watching clothes go round in a dryer in a public laundromat while listening to Harmonia>

that's how they started out at least. Selbstportrait III actually includes dates for each track, some go back to '73.

Volumes IV and V were retroactively titled, wenn der sudwind weht and flieg vogel flieg don't make any mention of being a part of the series. they also might actually date from the early 80's, but the aesthetic is consistant; no acoustic instruments, just pure sinewave chords & melodies.

Volume VI returns to the archive, the first half feels like the last leftovers but the second to last track 'hommage a forst' is a 25 minute collage mixed from solo outtakes & alternate mixes from Music von Harmonia sessions, it's super dupes.

I'm spending a lot of time writing about the solo releases, but you only move on to these after getting the 71-84 work... there's no rush either, I bought these records from 1985-1992, even when the vinyl was slightly easier to find, it took years. I'm outing myself as a true obsessive with these posts but there are few bands I spent this much time with...

Still overcome with love for Jardin Au Fou above all right now!

Tonspuren I like better than Harmonia's "Musik Von", though the latter has it's good points.

Gonna give De Luxe another listen right now.

Can't wait until my very own Japanese remastered reissue of Sowiesoso comes in the mail. The last one on the planet? I shall have my fun!

roedelius - mein freund farouk

finding it impossible to track down the early selbstportraits or jardin au fou. surprisingly i didn't like what i heard of durch die wuste. i figured i would love it since its the earliest of his solo things but the trademark melodies are missing and the guitar on it is pretty bad.

i have zuckerzeit, but have only played it once

curiosum isn't for everyone, but it's definitely for me. really subminimal.

like I said upthread, the reunion records are very skippable. but I've got a board recording of their KFJC FM 96 set that hand down beats anything off any of the live albums they released.

though if you needledrop yourself straight into the middle of the rhythmic bit on side 2, you'll be likeably confused for a few minutes

http://mitglied.lycos.de/neuschnee/Clusterdiscs.htm

i was curious about those Ersatz lps, any other opinions? they (Ersatz lps) are hard to find!

actually it is worth getting and i take back my earlier comment. i downloaded it in full and it's very good. think i'll buy it when i get a chance as this mp3 rip is pretty bad.

-Harry

the pfm review of the Eno/Cluster discs last week was good, had one factual error: the Gyroscope CD reissues dated from 1996, not 1984/5

i was curious about those Ersatz lps, any other opinions? they (Ersatz lps) are hard to find!

I was the one posting upthread about these so sorry to post again -- I like them, though seldom play them often or even all the way through. The sounds are very similiar to what Moebius was doing on Moebius & Plank's En Route, which was recorded in 1986 but sounds unfinished and was only released later. The Ersatz records use the same clanking 80's drum machine and new digital synths, but they sound finished & weirder.

If you haven't heard Moebius & Beerbohm's Strange Music, get that first. It didn't strike me at once, but man has that record aged well, sounds like a couple of sessions recorded fast to tape but all the noises are incredibly bizarre -- I think Beerbohm's a drummer, several songs sound very punk. A record like this from 1982 is why I can't find the patience to listen to Black Dice. The second Moebius & Beerbohm record Double Cut is shockingly minimal -- side one is basically just someone strumming a few notes on a bass really fast into delay with no other sounds whatsoever and that's it, there's your money -- but y'know, it actually sounds great -- and side two is a 20 minute lo-fi 2/4 drum machine stomp with a simple two note riff and a lot of phasing & delay -- probably not enough to impress most people but me I wish it lasted forever

if you don't like Moebius/Plank/Neumeier's Zero Set, I can't help you

Tonspuren is Moebius pop melodies and the closest he ever got to Roedelius. Released around the same year as Roedelius' Offnen Turen which is the closest he ever got to Moebius' weird motorik rhythms

's okay, I like it, I have no need of your help!

the Lillental is up at '8 days in april'. apparently ripped from a CD -- news to me it had ever been reissued on disc, I've got to find that. the Lillental is Moebius' group from '78, released around the same time as Durch Die Wüste. most of it is simple atmospheric meandering sub-floydian pulse, but I like it more than a lot of things and there are a couple of standout weird tracks like 'Wattwurm'

Asmus Tietchens' interview in a recent issue of E|I magazine mentioned an unreleased 1978 Roedelius/Tietchens album -- he says it wasn't good enough to put out, apart from one track -- I bet a lot of people would love to hear that track

http://www.dietermoebius.de/s_nurton.htm

Realized a few months ago that my copy of Cluster '71 cannot be found. This is crazy because I am not one to lose CD's. The only thing I can figure is I must have sold it, but I can't imagine why.

Could it be this?
http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=22648

I don't know why I have this memory. The album was listed as Roedelius but he was working with one other person.

Roedelius Works 1968 - 2005: Limited and Numbered Copies Hits The Shelves!

A number of limited edition Roedelius Works hit the shops today, a week before its standard release. The impressive package that is comprised entirely out of the foil material that is used to package fresh Salmon (we kid you not!) contains two CD’s that document the highlights of an illustrious musical career.

From being a founding member of Kluster in 1969 who’s eponymous debut pioneered the brick-a-brack approach to electronic music to working with a long list of impressive collaborators such as Holger Czukay (Can), Conrad Plank (Krautrock producer extraordinaire) and forming Cluster by adding luminaries such as Brian Eno and Michael Rother (NEU!) to the ranks. Hans Joachim Roedelius overall impact on many a musical genre is immense and he has often been credited as one of the ubermeiesters of what has affectionately known as Krautrock.

Works is the definitive Roedelius collection avalailable now for the first time and featuring music spanning five decades. We have a limited number of CD’s available through our own little retail outlet… all of which have their own unique number. So if your not in the position to trawl thorugh the more independent record shops... get clicking and we’ll send you one in the post while stocks last.

ROEDELIUS: WORKS 1968 - 2005
Limited and Numbered Release

CDGRON39

2CD Price: £17.99

CD1

1. Harmonia – Monza (Harmonia De Luxe, 1975)
2. Cluster – Hollywood (Zuckerzeit, 1974)
3. Cluster & Eno – Ho Renomo (1977)
4. Harmonia – Dino (Musik Von Harmonia, 1974)
5. Roedelius – Human Being/Excerpt (Live Im Zodiak, 1968)
6. Roedelius – Regenmacher (Durch Die Wueste, 1978)
7. Cluster - Oh Odessa (Cluster Curiosum, 1981)
8. Roedelius – Digital Love (Digital Love, 2002)
9. Cluster - Excerpt (Cluster 71,1971)
10. Lunz Live – Excerpt (taken from the MoreOhr Less Festival 2005) 11. Roedelius – Poetry (Pink Blue And Amber, 1996)
12. Roedelius – Freudentanz (Wenn Der Suedwind Weht, 1981)
13. Kluster – Klopfzeichen Excerpt (1970)
14. Roedelius - Amerika Recycled (2004)
15. Roedelius – Rue Fortune (Jardin Au Fou, 1979)

CD2

1. Roedelius – Zerrissen Zwischen Illusionen
(Lieder Vom Steinfeld, 1998)
2. Roedelius – Isleta (Aquarello , 1998)
3. Roedelius – By This Road (Before & After Science, 1977)
4. Cluster – Sowiesoso/excerpt (1974)
5. Roedelius – Twilighttide (Tace, 1993)
6. Roedelius – Einfach So (Piano Piano, 1991)
7. Lunz – Dew Climbs feat. Half Cousin, (Lunz-Reinterpretations, 2005) 8. Roedelius – Imogen (Remix by Imagine Imagine, NOH1, 2005)
9. Roedelius – Gewiss (Sebstportait I, 1978)
10. Cluster – Emmental (Apropos Cluster, 1990)
11. Kluster – Kluster & Eruption/Excerpt (1971)
12. Roedelius – Persistence Of Memory/Excerpt (2002)
13. Roedelius – Gefundene Zeit (Gift Of The Moment, 1984)
14. Roedelius – Voran (Selbstporait VII, 1990)
15. Roedelius – Blueblut (Roedeliusweg, 2000)
16. Roedelius – First Lesson (Aqueous & Roedelius, 1997)

and this peaks interest:

5. Roedelius – Human Being/Excerpt (Live Im Zodiak, 1968)

Haven't been too taken with most Roedelius of the last 15 years that I've heard. But the BBC had that stream of his Cut And Splice concert with Bayle earlier this year, and after he faded down that clunky beat and things got abstract & collaged -- it was _great_, I would buy a record of that in a heartbeat.

i still dont have 'jardin au fou' =(

1. cluster/eno live metz 77, 29:54
2/3. cluster/farnbauer, live vienna 80, 16:00 / 15:09

the last two tracks are taken directly from the two bonus tracks at the end of the Kluster reissues (if anyone has a copy of the entire tape, please drop me a line). the Cluster/Eno gig is a hissy cassette transfer of a room recording, but the music is one long throbbing drone piece, closer to Cluster II than their late 70's albums, good to know and I'll probably listen to it more than twice.

Following up the Water reissues, Captain Trips is doing limited editions of some of the Moebius this month -- Rastakraut Pasta, Material, Zero Set, Tonspuren & Blue Moon. Blue Moon is the only one of those that isn't a straight-up classic, and even that one has a few tracks I can't live without.

I picked up Moebius' new album Nurton a few months ago. He's definitely trying harder than he was on the last one Blotch -- feels more composed & layered. this structurally sounds the most like Tonspuren than anything since (short motorik pieces built out of weird sounds and riffs) but I still prefer his earlier synth sounds to the all-digital palette he's been working with since 1996 -- plenty of quirky noises, but they just don't sound as elliptical and abstract as the analog days. Still, since most of his other solos & groups since 1996 have been mostly long improvisation jam-band records, I'm happy about Nurton and my favorite couple of tracks are towards the end.

german blogger babelfished on the Paris show this month:

I left myself mental ever more deeply down-slide into the labyrinth from tones and fantasies and horchte up only if a piece were times terminated and the applause of the public a break formed. Occasionally I used also the opportunity to take in or other photo. Pieces of "sugar time" I recognized by the way none, however no miracle, becausethe set consisted to the majority of new, yet veroeffentlchten pieces...

During well the 70-minuetigen of concert I did not bore myself a second, despite the kontemplativen character of the music. In the opposite, I found that high-inspiring and excitingly all. I believe it to the other spectators also very well fell, her donated long lasting applause. Moebius and Roedelius gave themselves the hand briefly and thank you scarcely in national language: "Merci!, Merci beaucoup ".

http://meinzuhausemeinblog.blogspot.com/2007/05/cluster-paris-180507.html

Roedelius is coming to the US in October. I don't see any other shows scheduled besides two in Big Sur, which I can make, but seeing as he and Moebius seem to be playing together again, it seems like one extra plane ticket for Moebius is all it would take for a handful of US Cluster appearences, so I sure hope some electronic-music-loving promoter has enough of their business together to make something happen soon

Let's talk about the records with Eno.

Or...not.

All 3 Kluster (Schnitzler, Roedelius, Moebius) albums - 'Klopfzeichen', 'Zwei Osterei', and 'Schwarz' are fantastic.

I take issue with the characterization of Zwei Osterei as fantastic - unless your definition of fantastic encompasses side-long tracks of a monotonous male voice intoning in German with faint buzzy electronic sounds in the background.

the speaker isnt monotonous at all! hes just very, very serious, which, given the nonsensical cut-up sermon hes reading, is funny as hell.

you'd think those Cluster/Eno collabs. would be great. but they aren't. dry and boring compared w/ Cluster lps.

which, given the nonsensical cut-up sermon hes reading, is funny as hell

Unfortunately, not being a German speaker, the comedy is lost on me.

reposted from upthread

http://mitglied.lycos.de/neuschnee/Clusterdiscs01.htm
http://mitglied.lycos.de/neuschnee/Clusterdiscs02.htm

the Kluster records aren't the most inviting or accessible, but I think they're really effective for what they are, and with every passing year of recent noise / drone shows and CDRs they sound better and better. when I started hearing Yellow Swans drone records, the Kluster CDs are the first things I thought of. Eruption is the one without recitations if you find the vocals too distracting.

tour pushed to spring

in other old news that I missed --

moebius & neumeier 'zero set II' -- http://www.cisco-records.co.jp/html/item/002/114/item241559.html

I read somewhere that this was a japanese reissue of 2003's 'live in japan', which I haven't returned to much, but it's a new album and the samples sound promising

I've also been playing moebius' 'nurton' from last year and it is definitely a grower

um wtf is up with that 6CD box set on Captain Trip, is that stuff legit? looks like it was also released as separate discs.

I love the Eno/Cluster stuff, but that's the only Cluster I've heard. I need to go out and get some more...

You should, you really should..

Milton, where did you get that tour info news? Does that regard the entire tour or just the North American dates?

just the North American dates are being pushed back, so they can do it right. friends are trying to book them in SF.

Captain Trip's pretty legit, they started releasing Moebius & Dinger solo projects in the 90's and now they've worked up to Schnitzler, Pinhas & Cluster reissues. the choices of what they're grouping together for the boxes is a little random though:

BOX 1 - six discs
CLUSTER / '71 / Sowiesoso / Grosses Wasser / Curiosum
MOEBIUS + BEERBOHM / Strange Music / Double Cut

BOX 2 - five discs
CLUSTER & ENO / same
ENO - MOEBIUS - ROEDELIUS / After The Heat
MOEBIUS + ROEDELIUS / Apropos Cluster
CLUSTER / One Hour
MOEBIUS & PLANK / En Route

Box 1 is solid (not everyone loves those Moebius & Beerbohm records but I definitely do -- first one has live punk drumming & instruments, and the side two of 'double cut' is 1982 minimal techno). the last three in box 2 have been out of print for over a decade so it's nice to have them back but those are definitely three of their weaker albums all in a row

Got my Captain Trip reissues of Sowiesoso, '71, and Curiosum last week. The sound is definitely an improvement over the older versions I've got. They're probably worth $20 just for the magical shrunken down LP format.

Also, Lilith have now released Zuckerzeit, Cluster II, Musik Von Harmonia and Deluxe on LP/CD. I think they're using the same tapes as the German Universal versions from a few years ago, but it's nice to have LP's of these. Plus, liner notes by Asmus Tietchens in delightfully botched English and Cyrillic.

I have the Lilith "Zuckerzeit" reissue and it sounds fantastic. Is there a difference between the Captain Trip and Water versions of "Sowiesoso"?

stupid to have 3 labels reissuing the same shit while roedelius solo albums remain oop

Captain Trip's Sowiesoso is supposedly a remastered version, but who knows? I think Water's released were remastered, too.

Agree with am0n. Does anyone know what the hell Captain Trip mean when they put "EMBARGO!" by Roedelius' Jardin Au Fou on their website? Just an awkward way of telling me "not for you!" or are they saying it's sold out? Does it mean that somewhere in the world (like, say, Japan) you can still get it? So frustrating!

Maybe I have to buff up my trade relations with Captain Trip before I get a copy.

Cluster (Moebius & Roedelius) performing live at Dampfzentrale Bern 15. September 2007 feat. Dorit Chrysler on Theremin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srrQ7jLjb24

including that last minute of solo Dorit wasn't the best way to end that montage, but rest of it sounds good to me

http://kraut-team.blogspot.com/2007/10/krautrockteam_7048.html

re: the authenticity of 'Cluster & Eno live Metz 1977' as discussed upthread - this sounds right to me

Greatings from Dennis in South Africa

I listened to the two 1977 pieces , with interest. I should perhaps first explain that I used to be in close personal contact with Hans Joachim Roedelius ( of Cluster ) through the late Seventies and early eighties. I immediately recognised the music and extracted my own tape out of my archives.

My recording was sent direct to me by Roedelius soon after the event. Please note it was performed by Cluster ( Moebius and Roedelius only ) without the involvement of Brian Eno. Also that it was recorded on the 23rd September 1977 , not during November. The music that was performed was from a concert at the Metz Sci Fi festival : in France , but quite some distance from Paris. The full recording is quite a bit longer than that uploaded.

...

Hope this helps to set the record straight

Thanks to Dennis

Conan

Apr 18 2008 8:00P Queen Elisabeth Hall London
May 10 2008 8:00P Palazzo Dei Congressi Rome
May 11 2008 8:00P Camber Sands Rye
May 16 2008 8:00P Detroit Institute of Arts Detroit
May 17 2008 8:00P Knitting Factory New York
May 22 2008 8:00P CINESPIA at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery Los Angeles
May 23 2008 8:00P Henry Miller Library Big Sur
May 24 2008 8:00P Brookdale Lodge Santa Cruz
May 25 2008 8:00P Great American Music Hall San Francisco

=(

Good lord of jesus, May in L.A.???!!!

*faints*

I was planning a trip to Hollywood in May! GOT TO GO GOT TO GO GOT TO GO GOT TO GO GOT TO GO GOT TO GO GOT TO GO!

isn't it Harmonia that are playing that tour, not Cluster?

unless you said that up thread and I'm lazy.

one of the 9 shows theyre doing is in detroit!!!! howd we manage that?!

Floristree
May, 18 2008 CLUSTER w/ Keith Fullerton Whitman, Daniel Higgs, Blues Control, Axolotl and more TBA
Not Available , Baltimore, Maryland
Cost :

<i> "Apr 18 2008 8:00P Queen Elisabeth Hall London" </i>

I am stoked about this concert.

so much that I am using expressions for excitement, not seen this side of the millennium.

or able to do italics properly.

Baltimore:

http://www.wildfirewildfirerecords.com/CLUSTERWEB.jpg

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=81708068&blogID=378857046

FLORISTREE SPACE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THE LINE-UP FOR THE INAUGURAL FULL HOUSE FEST. THIS ONE DAY EVENT WILL TAKE PLACE ON SUNDAY MAY 18TH IN THE HEART OF THE BEAUTIFUL PORT CITY OF BALTIMORE, MD. THE FESTIVAL WAS CURATED AROUND THE RARE US APPEARANCE OF KRAUTROCK/AMBIENT PIONEERS CLUSTER. THE RESIDENTS OF FLORISREE DECIDED THAT RATHER THAN HAVING A NORMAL SHOW, WE WOULD PAY HOMAGE TO THE IMPACT OF THESE LIVING LEGENDS BY CURATING A DAY-LONG EVENT THAT HIGHLIGHTS CLUSTER'S WIDE REACHING INFLUENCE AND SPIRIT IN CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN MUSIC. THE FESTIVAL WILL RUN FROM 4PM TIL MIDNIGHT WITH A SUNSET PERFORMANCE BY OUR GUESTS OF HONOR.

LINE-UP IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER:

CLUSTER (kraut-rock legends)

BLUES CONTROL (Holy Mountain)

ERIC COPELAND (of Black Dice, Paw Tracks)

KEITH FULLERTON WHITMAN (Kranky)

DANIEL HIGGS (of Lungfish, Holy Mountain)

TICKLY FEATHER (Paw Tracks)

AXOLOTL (Important)

SUSAN ALCORN (Olde English Spelling Bee)

BLACK VATICAN (Locust)

AFTERNOON PENIS (of Mouthus)

CAGUAMAS (of The Peppermints, Paw Tracks)

PONCE ROCKET (Delaware)

ADVANCE TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW FOR $15 OR $20 AT THE DOOR. CAPACITY FOR THIS EVENT WILL BE KEPT AT 400.

already posted

oh wait, advance tickets? huh.

http://www.donutsparty.com/ac.html

the Berlin September 2007 live show is evidently being released on Important in one month

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HgNTo0XnL._SS260_.jpg

Cluster - "Berlin 07"

http://www.target.com/Berlin-07-Cluster/dp/B0017LFKYW

target?

even Target knew about the new Cluster album before I did

also looks like Schnitzler has a new group he's calling 'Kluster 2007', a bit iffy even if he was the founder of the original Kluster. Important's putting out two 1971 recordings by 'Kluster' (lineup Schnitzler / Freudigmann / Seidel) which is a little confusing because I thought that trio released under the name Eruption and Kluster had officially broken up after Roedelius & Moebius took off, but... well Schnitzler can do whatevers

http://fancymoon.com/mrs/index.php?c=14-

I'm still seething with disgust at my sluggish assed self for not getting it together to buy tickets for the harmonia south bank show, if anyone hears of a spare ticket, please post here

me too. as it is i'm considering going all the way to birmingham to see them in july instead...

still a little on-the-fence on Schnitzler calling these Kluster records instead of Eruption 1971 records. but I have to admit -- one of them, Vulcano, does sound a lot like the first 3 Kluster records -- recorded live with the same instruments and equipment. there's more atonal flute, and it takes about 20 minutes for them to really get going (out of 60+ total), but if you like the instrumental sides of the other Kluster, this is worth it.

the other one, Admira, is studio sessions, much higher fidelity. most tracks are purely space / textural sounds, though with recognizable instruments, drums / guitar / violin / organ. there's one straight-up krautrock track with drummer accellerandos, freakout guitar & everything. last twenty minutes are a weird open-string violin & delay solo spread across 5 tracks and it's beyond minimal, but interesting

I file the first three Kluster albums before my Cluster discs, but these are getting filed before the other Schnitzler discs

their website published some pretty interesting recollections about West Berlin psychedelia i.e. the music that later started getting called Krautrock, I wish these had been included in the packaging

http://www.importantrecords.com/releases/imprec180_release_page.htm
http://www.importantrecords.com/releases/imprec179_release_page.htm

I'm starting to get nervous about how the L.A. tickets haven't gone on sale yet. I'm trying to check www.donutsparty.com every day, but if someone more in-the-know hears that they have gone on sale, please post here or email me or something. Thanks.

got tix to see them at no fun fest so psyched

hello from DONUTS!! we finally nailed down the venue. it will take place at FARMLAB. tickets will go on sale very soon. we hope in the next few days! i'll post again when they're available. the big sur show still has some tickets remaining. if you're in the area - it would be an amazing show. Cluster in a redwood clearing under the stars by the ocean!!! donutsparty.com

love,
donuts

<img src="http://a116.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/55/l_0d6b70e810fd8a4bcf3c8ed06a2012c3.gif";>

donutsparty.com

their night of no fun = definitely the night to go... thinkin about it.

for teh record my favorite cluster is "sowiesoso" but i have great love for everything i've heard by them. except the vocal stuff with eno. but that's only a few tracks.

that's my fave as well. Very pastoral.

Yeah I think a long time ago I was adamant that Zuckerzeit & Sowiesoso were even, but now I think Sowiesoso takes it.

anyone else disappointed by the set at no fun fest? I'm more into the zuckerzeit/sowiesoso/harmonia material, so maybe that's why.

I did like how they were mad at the dj, though.

i had to leave about 30-40 minutes in but what i heard was really really cool. i was warned beforehand not to expect them to sound like zuckerzeit or whatever, so that probably helped.

Well what did they sound like then? Do tell!

they were mad at the DJ?
Peiter of Wierd??
I was too wasted after Demons to understand much of anything

yeah, I had to leave early too. it was just getting way too late. which was part of my problem. I think some of my disappointment could def be attributed to the sheer fatigue that sets in after having already spent hours in a crowded, smelly, enclosed space with noise bands playing the whole time!

and it is more than a little unfair to hope they'll sound like some record from 40 years ago. I think hearing that really outstanding harmonia live record that just surfaced this year set the bar too high in my mind. endlessly looping/permutating melodies and stuff. their set was very much not that.

I'd say they sounded closer to the kluster/early cluster material. mostly pretty dark with a couple pertty ambient bits here and there.

and yeah, they seemed to have gotten fed up with the music the dj was playing. kept gesturing for him to stop it but he seemed to be waiting for a song to play out, the word from someone to stop, or whatever. hard to tell what was going on but a bunch of people in the crowd kept looking back and forth between them and the dj. cluster looked grumpy. it was funny.

I actually thought the DJ was ace, but I can understand Cluster's grumpiness. Not the best idea to put on veterans of their age on in the middle of the night. Or veterans of my age in the audience for that matter!

yeah, by that time, I was pretty grumpy myself!

booking Cluster at No Fun was an interesting idea but I could tell that wasn't going to be the best environment for what they're doing now. on friday they're playing here, much more appropriate

even 30 years ago, live Cluster was all improv, they've never played songs from their records live. structurally the 'Metz 77' mp3 isn't that different than the new 'Berlin 07' CD, space music & textures. the new record has its moments, I love the goony rave music that kicks off the 2nd track

set last night in Chicago was awesome. They are a treasure.

worth $20 to see them? (keep in mind i'm pretty broke)

Pretty excited for the show tonight...

Hey Bus Driver Stu! Wanna hook up? I'm in Hollywood on vacation, looking forward to tonight...

I just emailed you through ILX...

Aw man, I didn't check this thread since yesterday morning. Totally missed your post, Bimble. Didn't get an email either.

Anyway, the show was awesome and Farmlab is the coolest venue I've ever been to. Also, Roedelius is huge.

Well I'm glad you liked it. I was bored senseless from the minute I got there.

no fun @ no fun fest. too many blips and bleeps, not enough kraut and rocking. huge letdown after all that waiting and religious knives shaking shit up right before. roedelius solo live is much more entertaining

http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k122/folkyeah/2540447252_951be41580.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k122/folkyeah/2516531789_5617610fd9copy.jpg

I caught the Big Sur, Santa Cruz, SF & Aquarius shows. R had three CD players, a Nord Electro & FX, M had two CD players, a MicroKorg & a Kaosillator. some people were nervous at their use of CD players, but all four shows were completely different -- on the 96 tour, they were using DAT machines for playback with no cueing flexibility or varispeed, and this time around they've got quicker access to a much wider variety of CDRs, so many to choose from that each night had maybe 30% recognizable overlap, and even then every night they'd respond to the other's ingredients in completely different ways -- one night, for M's rave loop, R faded up layers of tibetan bowl hits, the next lay a melody over it with the Nord, the next a minor key pulsing drone

the 96 shows were attended by hardcore faithful, but those CD reissues have obviously made the rounds because these shows were packed with young kids expecting tunes, and probably not this degree of improv ambience. the Big Sur was the most diffused and scattered, no rhythm ever took over, but the constant left turns in the mix were so disorienting as to become hypnotic and the completely silent audience was drawn in (especially those who knew they'd signed up for an outdoor show and brought coats -- it was cold and some people were going under). in Santa Cruz they took the stage after 7 opening bands, all rock, and they played their quietest show to the loudest crowd -- if you speakerhugged, this set had the most keyboard playing from R. in SF the Great American was nearly sold out, 6-800 people -- halfway through the set, they finally met the hallwide chatter with fantastic waves of slowly building white noise and people stopped talking and started screaming for the sudden noise show -- they played for 85 minutes, and the encore was the peak of all 4 nights, noisy atonal cosmic pulse, digital return to 'Cluster II', jaws had been dropped as they left the stage. the Aquarius show was half as long as the other shows, the mellowest & maybe the deepest and definitely the most intimate -- everyone sat crosslegged on the floor, and they were right there in front of us

great projections by Alison Childs, 80's vintage vector computer graphics slowly spinning about, projected wide angle across the entire stage -- but particularly special at the Big Sur outdoor show, where she projected onto the trees behind the stage -- that first picture doesn't even begin to hint at what those grids looked like slowly converging and refracting off thousands of leaves, I realized that I hadn't seen anything quite like that before and perfectly fit the music.

obviously being a beyond-the-pale cluster fanboy I knew I was going to have a great time at these shows, and I was occasionally frustrated that they're of a size now that has them in venues not perfect for what they're currently doing. but I thought they were in fantastic form. and it was pretty easy to see that they seemed to be getting along beautifully.

That all sounds really cool, Milton. Buddy of mine was at the Big Sur show and he was very into it.

one other tidbit. I was in Aquarius when M & R discovered the two new albums Schnitzler re-released on Important as 'Kluster' -- they hadn't heard about them. feeling more and more sketchy about them all the time, seeing them come out the month before Water released the 3 CD box of the three historical Kluster albums (which has great liner notes)

for fans of Kluster / Cluster '71 (or AMM / Stockhausen circa 'Sieben Tagen' / 60's noise psychedelia / the spacier Krautrock) this is my most awaited archival release of 2008: Human Being: Live at the Zodiak - Berlin 1968

http://www.nepenthemusic.com/catalog/humanbeing.html

http://www.jambase.com/Articles/Story.aspx?StoryID=14066
http://www.strangeattractor.co.uk/further/?p=818

Kluster and Friends - 1969-1973 6xLP Box $199.99 (QBICO)
black vinyls/black labels/black inner sleeves. box, spray painted (stencil/lettering by Troglosound) in gold or silver or bronze (3 versions) and with clear plastic insert (rare photos). UNRELEASED MUSIC ! here's a little story for you:
when i mailed the news about the closure of qbico in 2010, some friends and musicians wrote me back... one was Conrad Schnitzler wondering if i wanna close with THE BOMB ! i said "yes, why not !?". so Con sent me 6 CD-R of UNRELEASED Kluster music, rec. in 1969-73 (along with Klaus Freudigmann and Wolfgang Seidel) ! he said to choose yr favourite 40 (+/-) from the 1 hour lenght of each CD-R, so to adjust to vinyl format... well, that's was one of the most joyful experience of my life ! this 6LP box collect that music which it's simply some of the most outstanding and revolutionary music that i ever heard !!! One of the most legendary release on Qbico ?! YES (screaming)!" - QBICO

any thoughts other than "too broke to buy?"

jeezus, that's expensive. and the write-up is pretty.... uh, hyperbolic?

and why not just release 6 full-length cds along with the edited 40min. lps?

but I'm more into the zuckerzeit/harmonia era stuff, so I guess I wouldn't be too excited anyway...

qbico is always expensive

well, let the buyer beware, I think -- Schnitzler / Freuigmann / Seidel historically played under the name 'Eruption' from 69-73, and he's now retroactively taken to calling that band 'Kluster' for new CDs of unreleased music, like the two on Important last year. Which I liked all right, though nowhere near as much as Kluster proper. The three Moebius / Roedelius / Schnitzler Kluster albums have their own sound (the sound = the instrumental lineup) and I think Schnitzler's muddying the waters a bit with these.

I'm glad they're coming out & there's got to be some good music somewhere on that box, but I'm not really tempted by this.

The real news though is this: April 30th, 2009:
http://www.nepenthemusic.com/catalog/humanbeing.html
http://www.amazon.com/Human-Being-Live-Zodiak-Berlin/dp/B001UTXAV6/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1236707860&sr=8-4

Rastakrautpasta's getting a release on Water this week.

I saw that at Aquarius last week, I'd love to see an opened copy, they do such a great job with their booklets. The original Sky CDs are all 1-sided inserts.

there are late 60's film clips from the Zodiak Free Arts Club in the Kraftwerk and the Electronic Revolution DVD, which is actually a very interesting documentary on the origins of Krautrock -- the first hour is all about Tangerine Dream / Kluster / Ash Ra Tempel, with interviews with Schulze / Moebius / Roedelius / Schnitzler & lots of clips. Kraftwerk's first record isn't even mentioned until 60 minutes in, at which point the documentary switches over mostly to critics talking about the records and the archival footage becomes far less interesting, but if you like Krautrock 68-71 you definitely want to see that DVD

whoa, that sounds great! just bumped the kraftwerk dvd to the top of my netflix queue.

never heard of human being before.

Me too! Thanks Netflix!

the Human Being record is interesting if you're already into the Kluster records. it makes the Kluster records sound hi-fi by comparison, sounds like it's recorded one auditorium over from the one they're in, but it actually makes for weird ambience. no bongos or flutes or anything even remotely recognizable or hippy, this is just strange drone music

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VMepLvJZL._SS500_.jpg

new cluster record out next tuesday: http://www.nepenthemusic.com/catalog/qua.html

produced by tim story in his studio, sounds like this is the first time since 1981 they're releasing a proper studio record instead of just putting out live stuff or live-to-DAT improvs

PR fluff on that link makes it sound pretty good, but I caught them at no fun fest last year and wasn't too into it.

will still check this out, tho. hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Milton, how is the new Cluster record?

it's like the recent live shows / records, but with more layers overdubbed. But the layers still feel largely improvised and meandering, there's less in the way of chords / melody / counterpoint or any pre-composition than I was hoping, it's all about texture. Shorter tracks means it's paced faster than the last three official live records, so I've already listened to it more times than those, and I love how they never really repeat themselves, every record they've done is very different and this one is too. The sound samples at amazon give you a good idea of what's going on.

I like Moebius' last one 'Nurton' better, especially the last third. The last Roedelius / Tim Story album 'Inlandish' has some nice piano & counterpoint on it that approach the early solo stuff, though the production is on the glossy side.

the Human Being CD that just came out, though, that one's bonkers, and in this case the press release is not hyperbole, knowing that Tangerine Dream & Agitation Free were hanging out at Schnitzler's club, and that that was the house band -- that music predates every single Krautrock record & resets the whole history. listening to it with what Stockhausen was doing before and after, going from Hymnen to Aus Den Sieben Tagen / Stimmung is also interesting

I need to hang out on this thread more often. Human Being, wha?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CKhYoeC-X-Q

http://www.nepenthemusic.com/catalog/humanbeing.html

yeah, summing up after more listening, the California 2008 live sets (esp. Big Sur & Aquarius) >>>> Berlin 07 and Qua

i've been playing some of a roedelius record a bunch lately (i can't remember which, but the one with cafe culture, i think it's called, and mitsommer as a bonus track (which is lovely)) - there's a crazy limited box set (<200 copies) getting a lot of play on fabio's show on fmu if anyone's interested on geeking on unheard classic cluster.

that box set is Schnitzler's Kluster (no Moebius / Roedelius) but I am interested in checking it out, thanks for repping the playlists

Schnitzler on Kluster / Eruption:

http://www.eurock.com/Display.aspx?Content=Kluster.aspx

Seidel: There is some confusion about Kluster/Eruption recordings. This is rooted long ago in the past but should also be solved after these many years. Kluster was always Conrad's brainchild. Eruption was used for events where Kluster was open to other people

Episodes 8 & 10: feed://www.eurock.com/Podcasts/EurockLive.xml

I've enjoyed most everything I've heard from that Kluster box, but ye gads it's expensive.

http://www.importantrecords.com/releases/imprec308_release_page.htm

On June 12, 1980 Cluster performed at the Wiener Festwochen Alternativ with Farnbauer. The performance was recorded and released as a limited edition cassette on the British York House Records (YHR) label. It was reissued in Germany on the Transmitter label of "Grüne Kraft" owner Werner Pieper The style of the music is highly experimental and discordant and very reminiscent of Moebius and Rodelius' early work with Conrad Schnitzler in Kluster, albeit with updated electronic instrumentation.

yeah, I'm curious about this one. anyone heard it?

have only heard the two 15-minute excerpts tacked on as bonus tracks to the original Kluster CD reissues, and they definitely fit in there. atonal drones & fields with a lot of bowed cymbal & scraped percussion, no melodies to speak of, very abstract. the excerpts fade out just as they seem like they're about to get going, so I'm looking forward to hearing the whole thing.

http://boomkat.com/cds/340331-cluster-farnbauer-live-in-vienna-1980

2nd sample = Roedelius had a piano there after all

digging those samples.

picked up the Cluster & Farnbauer CD. there are some good sections for those who are very patient -- it was obviously an improvised concert and appears to be presented in moderate fidelity with no editing, the sound is thin and the textures are very spare. I don't think I'm ever going to need to listen to the first disc again. track 5, the 25 minute 'Metalle' on the 2nd disc is where they finally get there. the drumming on 'Drums' is so haphazard & sideways, you can kind of see why the collaboration happened, they did share an aesthetic.

upthread I mentioned bowed cymbals, but that was from memory, there's nothing bowed here, all the drones come from synths.

the bootleg of Cluster's 77 Metz show has slightly more repeat listenability than this, which is truly fans only. that being said, I'm happy it's out.

& here's stephen illife's review (the only guy who's reviewed nearly every single Cluster album). he likes it more. who am I kidding, of course I'm going to listen to the first disc again. just not today.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/5036327861/

starting to think sowiesoso might be the prettiest album ever made

Good news that the long awaited CD re-release of Roedelius' Selbstportrait is now finally out. Here's my review of it:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/5208519329/

hey Stephen. thanks for posting.

original track order and everything! can hardly wait for volumes 2-3-5. especially 3.

awesome, had no idea these were in the works

I am told by the record label Bureau Buskies that they will definitely do all the Selbstportrait volumes up to vol. 6.

4 and 6 are already with 1 and 2 just coming out now, and 3 and 5 to follow in 2011.

looks like they're redoing cluster II as well? guess the water label has gone under [ba-dum-tsssshhhh]

i'm all confused now. i have Selbstportraits I, II, III, and VI. what is IV? and V?

http://www.discogs.com/Roedelius-Wenn-Der-S%C3%BCdwind-Weht/master/28323
http://www.discogs.com/Roedelius-Flieg-Vogel-Fliege/release/1426718

mentioned nowhere on the packaging -- no one realized these albums were IV & V until he put out another one in 1990 and called it VI.

I, II, III & VI are all archival 70's recordings from Forst, some of the themes ended up reworked on the studio albums. I suspect IV & V were new recordings, but that he later decided were in the older style and so retroactively annointed them. they definitely sound different than the other new solo recordings on Sky from 78-84.

oh! thanks! i do have those two too. anyhoo, kudos to Bureau for reissuing all of these.

And not forgetting the wonderful Selfportrait volumes 7 to 8 (7 = Ahead of the Wind, 8 = Introspection) these were recorded much later on after year 2000 and are digital rather than analogue but they have the same small scale intimacy and warmth, plus added colours and textures.

I really like this one a lot. I caught their performance in NYC last year and it was pretty magical.

For those who might be interested, here is a haiku-style poem about Cluster's Grosses Wasser that was reproduced on the sleeve of the Water label's CD-rerelease of the album:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/5208523107/in/set-72157624709969408/

Discovered the Moebius/Plank/Neumaier record Zero Set today.
Enjoying the tracks that are up on youtube.

Here's a new and lengthy review of the classic Moebius/Plank Rastakraut Pasta:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/5051492108/in/set-72157624709969408/

“In Conny’s hands, his mixing desk became
a sophisticated instrument,” says Petrus Wippel.

“He customised it with a quad stick so he could pan any
instrument left and right, as well as dry and wet, with one
fingertip, and make it fly through time and space.”

should come standard

Ah. I was listening to Jardin Au Fou just this evening. Such a lovely record. It is nice to see some appreciation for it earlier in this thread.

Here's a lengthy text about the Harmonia Eno 76 album Tracks and Traces:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/5377752168/

i want to start a Zuckerzeit vs. Sowiesoso poll but i don't know if enough people here have heard those albums
besides, Sowiesoso should win in a landslide!

you are underestimating ILM.

for real

Curiosum vs. Metz 23-9-77 poll

i'm not sure how many of the above posters post anymore? I know Cluster is spoken very highly of but they're nowhere as well known as Neu! or Can

ok, ok, the real reason is that i have made too many polls lately

but seriously, Sowiesoso is amazing, did these guys do anything else like it?

There are moments that echo Sowiesoso spread throughout Moebius' and Rodelius' respective discographies.
Like this tune has that vibe imo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKr2rfheAAM

Roedelius is playing at a small club here in town next month, very curious to see what that'll be like.

thats a sweet tune Trip

go Geeta

http://blog.frieze.com/interview-dieter-moebius/

i want to start a Zuckerzeit vs. Sowiesoso poll but i don't know if enough people here have heard those albums

lol @ this

tbf I think a lot of those posters left but yeah lets do it

36 votes: CLUSTER / Moebius & Roedelius solo & group recordings 1970-1986 poll

almost started Moebius solo poll. there is no Moebius solo thread.

Cluster II, the one with the stars on the cover, we made with Conny Plank. It was all very big improvisations, and we recorded it in Hamburg. We didn’t have a lot of time, because it was not our studio. I think we made it in one night, or something like that.

good interview

there is that 15 minute track 'Live In Der Fabrik' on Cluster II, so probably not quite all in one night. but yeah these guys had this music on tap, those early records are incredible

yes, sweet interview! I would love to participate in a Moebius solo thread or poll, I think I have almost all the albums. The other poll had way too many great albums so it was impossible to really get any worthwhile results IMO.

thanks for reading, guys! glad this is finally up, so i can focus on the next Big Frieze Piece, which also involves germany & the 1970s & electronic music

germany & the 1970s & electronic music

<3

(plz to link on ILX when up, thank you)

saw Moebius live a year ago and he seemed genuinely touched that people (and a pretty young crowd) came out and were into it - seemed like a super nice guy

(plz to link on ILX when up, thank you)

i will! if you liked the moebius piece you will love the next one - it incorporates some quotes from moebius & also new insights from eno & many other people i'm talking to for it - it's a real labor of love along the lines of the conrad schnitzler piece i did a few months back

geeta, are these pieces heading in the direction of a book? b/c that would be nice

ha!

from what i've heard, a book on krautrock is already in the works with a major publisher & it's not by me

but i wouldn't want to write a 'krautrock' book per se but something more specific

For those of you who might be interested, I have posted the entire Kluster / Cluster / Harmonia / Roedelius discography here - along with the album reviews here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/sets/72157624709969408/

Best wishes, Stephen Iliffe (author of Painting with Sound - the life and music of Roedelius)

Qluster?

new lp sounds great on first listen

a fourth one already? yikes

being a return to analog synth sound design, these are some of the most casually listenable Roedelius CDs in a long time; they're pretty and floaty, like new age versions of the first three Kluster records. but as unedited improvs, with no tunes, there's not much to hang on to once they're over. I'd probably love this live.

wait, who is Qluster

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Qluster

Lauschen very synthy, yes. i had a quick listen to one of the others (Antworten) online and it was more acoustic piano.

The updated complete album reviews of Cluster/Harmonia/Roedelius albums is now available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stepheniliffe/sets/72157624709969408/with/5209118924/

are you any relation to April Iliffe, formerly of the Legendary Pink Dots?

wow, can't wait to read these

I have to rep for the first two Selbsportrait volumes, extremely pretty pastoral stuff. Roedelius is a true genius.

Digging around spotify tonight thinking about Moebius led me to check in with Roedelius - did not realize Qluster just put out a new album a couple of weeks ago, Taten: http://open.spotify.com/album/3aJzfWhyzzkk8ixFTF6xlg

er, Tasten

What is this "Cluster" tour notice for an April show in MA I just got in my Songkick? Qluster?

He says on Facebook he will tour "all around the world!" in 2016, but the only April listing now is in Belgrade.
https://de-de.facebook.com/Roedelius/

Trivial query: Does anyone know why After the Heat is credited to Eno Moebius Roedelius, rather than to Cluster & Eno (as Cluster & Eno was?). Given the array of collaborative groupings in the Cluster/Harmonia/Neu! universe, it's as if there was deliberate effort to undermine any sense of group identity. I could see putting Eno's name first as a marketing decision, but on the other hand having his name be one of three might indicate his contribution was proportionately less, or that you were getting individual efforts from these three people (as the similarly-credited Begegnungen comps later were, in part; these did have less Eno, overall).

I probably had no idea that Cluster consisted of Moebius and Roedelius when I first saw the albums (not that it's that tough to figure out). Visually, Cluster & Eno (with the microphone in the clouds) had a stronger identity than the three names in a row against a landscape; the first looks more like a progressive rock record and the latter more a jazz/new age/avant garde document.

I think that's exactly right - the songs on Cluster & Eno have more of a Cluster-vibe and the other tracks show more of a dominant Eno-vibe, so they labeled the albums thusly.

It's all some of the most magical music I've ever heard.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tE32JKmzDA

fun little demo of the Elka Drummer One, which Cluster & Harmonia used quite a bit. I recall some interview with Moebius where he said some of the weirdo rhythms on Zuckerzeit were made by pushing the tango & cha cha buttons at the same time? or something like that? idk I find that super cool, because that album has some rhythms on it which strike me as very "undefined", plus I think this is the exact approach that modern IDM groups use. like I think of Cluster as less the peers of Tangerine Dream or Klaus Schulze and more as a proto-Autechre/Mouse on Mars.

cool! I've always loved the drums on the first track of Zuckerzeit, the way they sound as if they are turning inside out is very trippy

Sly Stone did the same thing recording There's a Riot Goin' On, pressing multiple buttons on his rhythm boxes to get something less square than any of the individual beats.

Hollywood's rhythm track sounds like it's rotating between 2 or 3 different settings at various intervals. I don't know if there's a steady pattern to it. If there is it's probably in some time signature like 29/24 or whatever. I love it too because it's not unlike what I used to do as a kid when my keyboard would generate little rhythms like that

God I love those primitive drum machines so much. I have a Realistic Concertmate Electronic Accompanist, which is a cheap scaled down version of that type of rhythm box sold at Radio Shack in the 80s. Run it through a delay pedal and hit the Rock and Foxtrot buttons, you've got hours of knob-twiddling fun!

I love the fact that one of their frequent collaborators is a guy named Tim Story, always makes me think of On Cinema

husband of semi-famous Windham Hill artist Liz Story!

Curiosum is such a baffling record. I've listened to it 4 times in the last 24 hours and can't figure out if it's a load of wank or a portal to some primitive form of consciousness. "Oh Odessa" has been in my head constantly. "Tristian in der Bar" makes me laugh. "Seltsame Gegend" makes me wanna play QWOP. "Ufer" makes me crank the volume up and then I'm so calm I forget to turn it back down again. This is what they did after Grosses Wasser?? What other albums sound like this?

I'm obsessed with Oh Odessa, it's got this childlike primitive quality that I can't get enough of.

(xp) Maybe some Moebius albums? Though the childlike quality is more Roedelius' thing.

Haha yeah, it's a deeply weird and addictive record. "Portal to some primitive form of consciousness" is OTM. A couple tracks have a kind of "demented clown" vibe, which I'm not that into (e.g. "Oh Odessa", "Seltsame Gegend"). The queasy major-key waltz duo of "Tristan In Der Bar" -> "Charlic" is probably my favorite part of the record.

I haven't heard anything else that sounds exactly like Curiosum, but parts of Moebius and Beerbohm's Double Cut sound like a slightly less primitive version of its more menacing moments, like "Proantipro" with a hardware update.

I heard "Oh Odessa" on a Cluster compilation, sounds to me like a theme song from a public television educational kids' show from the era.

yeah, also get a little bit of a hardcore devo vibe from "oh odessa"

love this record

great 420 record too, close your eyes and put on "Tristan In Der Bar" and you will see a man tumbling around in a laundromat dryer

lol YES

Tristan in Der Dryer

listening to Sowiesoso yet again now and something that comes to mind is that a lot of this sounds like you're hearing the most incredible, cool, and joyous music ever but it's somewhere in the distance. so your mind fills in the blanks. like you know how some people say books are more intense than movies because your mind fills in images that will match the emotion? that it kind of what happens here. I think this is what James Ferraro was trying to do with all those lo-fi "Summer Headrush" albums.

yeah for sure it’s this sorta pointillist quality that it shares with the vibiest lofi stuff eg older James Ferraro and that amazing KWJAZ album. Walking through benevolent fog on a starlit night..

frogs u should listen to moebius's tonspuren if you haven't already, def has that childlike vibe

oh yeah that one's on my wantlist. I recall hearing it once a while back and really liking it.