Spareness, rigour, and a sense of experiment – that was what Brian Eno appreciated about much of the West German music of the early 1970s. The stoic, almost machine-like drumming in many pieces combined these characteristics and became the hallmark of a new sound that the British music press dubbed Krautrock.
It differed from British pop or American rock, corresponded to the German mentality and – most importantly – had nothing to do with the horrible Nazi past, which was not so long ago. In fact, most Krautrock music was not rock at all, even though the bands used the same equipment as rock bands.
In Düsseldorf, Kraftwerk began to develop their signature sound at the beginning of the decade. Their former drummer Klaus Dinger founded La Düsseldorf, and Wolfgang Riechmann, whose sound allowed machines to express longing, was also active in the Rhine metropolis.
Most Krautrock music was not rock at all
However, much of the musical experiments took place in rural surroundings. In 1971, Faust recorded in their newly built studio and home in a former school building in the small village of Wümme near Hamburg.
In the same year, Cluster members Dieter Moebius and Hans-Joachim Roedelius moved from West-Berlin to a remote old farmhouse in the Lower Saxony municipality of Forst. The influence of the charming landscape of the Weserbergland region on the duo’s rhythmic, spacey and playful electronic music is clearly audible.
After supporting Cluster with equipment such as Farfisa instruments, a four-track recorder and a drum machine, Michael Rother from Neu! joined the band, and they became Harmonia – three individuals with shared ideas about a free life and independence from record companies.
Kalacakra were active in the seedy Ruhrort harbour district of Duisburg with a similar attitude. The duo had translated their curiosity about the spiritual promises of the Indian subcontinent into crude music in an improvised studio in an attic and released the LP Crawling To Lhasa themselves in a limited edition of 1,000 copies.
The vibrant experimental music scene in West Germany in the 1970s aroused the curiosity of international artists who were keen to collaborate with it. After escaping from a Californian prison in 1970, LSD advocate Timothy Leary met with West-Berlin free-form improvisers Ash Ra Tempel in his Swiss exile to record the ultimate psychedelic trip. And in 1976, Brian Eno visited Harmonia in Forst. Since the band had already decided to break up, the meeting was merely an exchange of ideas, with no album planned.
People around the world were pleasantly surprised by the curiosity, originality and friendliness of the young West German musicians. In the seclusion of their home country, however, their music largely played no role. To this day, names such as Hans-Joachim Roedelius, Klaus Dinger and Werner ‘Zappi’ Diermaier are not part of the German collective memory.
45 minutes with Cluster, Faust, Harmonia 76, Wolfgang Riechmann and others.
Featured cover art: Riechmann – Wunderbar
Playlist
Faust – Untitled
From a collection of private audio tapes with spontaneous recordings from the studio and the band’s house in Wümme – originally not intended for release and with no post-production applied. (1973, Virgin)
Can – TV Spot
Recorded in Can’s studio at Nörvenich Castle near Cologne and discarded for an album release at the time of production. (1971, United Artists Records / Re: Spoon Records)
Kraftwerk – Tongebirge
With a tranquil interplay of Minimoog and flute, the Düsseldorf band approached its signature electronic sound. (1973, Philips)
Kalacakra – Jaceline
Rehearsed in an improvised studio in an attic in Duisburg. (1972, self-released / Re: Garden Of Delights)
Timothy Leary & Ash Ra Tempel – Downtown
LSD advocate Timothy Leary meets West-Berlin free-form improvisation artists Ash Ra Tempel to record the ultimate psychedelic trip. (1972, Die Kosmischen Kuriere)
Cluster – Marzipan
Rhythmic, atmospheric and playful electronic music, created under the impression of the lovely landscape of the Weserbergland region. (1974, Brain)
Harmonia – Tiki-Taka At Harmonia Studio In Forst
After Michael Rother from Neu! joined Cluster, the band became Harmonia – three individuals with shared ideas about a free life and independence from record companies. (1975, Grönland Records)
Riechmann – Wunderbar
Wolfgang Riechmann sadly did not live to see the release of his debut album. He was stabbed in Düsseldorf’s old town before its release and died shortly afterwards. (1978, Sky Records)
La Düsseldorf – Rheinita
Rheinita is a reference to Klaus Dinger’s former love Anita Heedman and the Rhine River. The cheerful, exuberant song reached number 3 in the German music charts. (1978, Strand)
Harmonia 76 – Les Demoiselles
When Brian Eno came to Forst in 1976, Harmonia had already decided to disband. The meeting was solely for the purpose of documenting the exchange of ideas; no album was planned. (1976, S3)
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