An Introduction to Krautrock

Written by Philippe Blache

1. A revolutionary spirit
2. The musical roots: in search of krautrock sound
3. The first years (1968-1972)
4. The Golden years (1973-1976)
5. The decline (1977-1980)
6. Krautrock today/ its musical legacy
7. Krautrock influence

1. A revolutionary spirit

Krautrock maybe most undervalued and least listened subgenre of progressive rock. In a
rather short history (from late 60’s to the end of 70’s) this German underground rock scene
features consistent works with a really distinctive aesthetic and musical philosophy.
Krautrock views on sound and cultural/ political freedoms make his movement unique, in
reaction against both commercial and mainstreams. Krautrock was born in German counter
culture whose interest was to destroy a cultural, artistic imported context dominated by
the merciless ideology of the United States since the re-construction of Europe after the
World War II. War’s children from Germanywanted to have the control of their collective
destiny without suffering under the memory of Nazis dictatorship. They didn’t want
anymore to have the feeling that their culture were robbed. During the hippie 60’s, the
young generation estimated that art was the best manner to express its anger, worry to
gain itscultural freedom. In music, the rock scene will highly represent this adventurous,
revolutionary spirit. This was encouraged by free form rock bands, entirely devoted to
experimentation and improvisation in order to create something unique.

Musical formations as Amon Duul (first, original line up), Floh de Cologne, were openly
engaged in politics, so much that the music press created the term polit-rock. Rather
anarchists, communists they were determined to “bomb” underminethe old system. With
their concept of “Machine music”, orientated to the development and technology
capacities of control, Kraftwerk also mentally worked against the traditionalism. They
made connections between technologies, the experimental science, robotic music and new
consciousness. Can’s members also tried to express around the intention to rebuild the
German culture on an new background. The producer Rolf Ulrich Kaiser with his
“kosmischen Kuriers” label brought radical ideas with the pretension to develop world’s
consciousness thanks to LSD, cosmic music and sideral energies.

2. The musical roots: in search of krautrock sound

First of all, the free form rock music developed by Krautrock was inspired by the
psychedelic, hippie movements emerging during the 60’s in the “Anglo-American” world
with the music of the Grateful Dead, 13th Floor Elevator…The difference appeared in the
way of composition and arrangements. Bands as Faust, Guru Guru, Neu!, Can deconstructed
rock standards, making parodies, augmenting their own work with a constant use of
experimentation with electronic collages, weird tape manipulations (inspired by the
"musique concrete”, minimalismand electro-acoustic), monotonous pieces, mystical
atmospheres, precise rhythms, efficient melodies constructed next to improvisations. In
their respective styles, bands as Amon Duul, Embryo, Agitation Free, Popol Vuh rapidly
 found their own combination, providing a strange, mantra-like rock music inspired by the
East and ethnic instruments. The typical German sound can be described as a clever,
original mix between experimentation, avant-garde, contemporary music, weird,
psychedelic rock, jazz, folk and mysticism.

3. The first years (1968-1972)

The scene first rises to public attentionin the end of the 60’s with very atypical bands,
attached to endless drug-inspiredimprovisations and anarchist experimental rock. Among
the most notorious bands we can quote:

• The initial Amon Duul formation with their long 68’s chaotic, folk “trippy” jamming,
published later in four cult albums (“Psychedelic Underground”, “Disaster”,
“Collapsing”, “Paradieswartsduul”). Amon Duul II and their acid folk/ space rock
compositions in the two epic & classic “Phallus Dei” (1969), “Yeti”.

• Guru Guru and their strange bluesy/psych jamming experience (“UFO”, “Hinten”)

• Annexus Quam delivers a solid cosmic/ jazz item with “Osmose” published in 1970. In
early days of kraut/ jazz we can also quote a few others major albums: "Wake up"
(1970) recorded by a fusion/ brass psychedelic band called Out Of Focus, the jazz /
ethnic rock "opal" (1970) released by Embryo, Kraan and their self title album (1972).
All these bands came from Munich.

• Popol Vuh started their spiritual adventure in the esoteric, shamanic “Affenstunde”
composed for ethnic percussions and Moog synth.

• From Berlin, Tangerine Dream (“electronic meditation”, “Alpha Centauri” /1969-71)

Kluster (“Zwei Osterei,” “Klopzechein”/1969-70) took an interest for embryonic
electronic manipulations applied on standard rock instruments. In 1972, one year
after the seminal “Alpha Centauri” which introduces “cosmic music”, Klaus Schulze
writes in solo his hypnotic cosmic “orchestration” (“Irrlicht”). With their original
album “Malesch”, Agitation Free explores psychedelic/ acid rock improvisations with
the add of acoustic, eastern influences. Mythos recorded their self title album in a
rather similar interest for space rock, weird sounds, exoticism and spirituality. Ash
Ra Tempel go further than Tangerine Dream’s “electronic meditation” in their two
first efforts (“ART”, 1971 / “Schwigungen”, 1972). These are largely made of
instrumental psych/rock compositions and pre-electronic arrangements. Wallenstein
also signed their two dynamic symphonic space rock albums “Blitzkrieg” & “Mother
Universe” with the astonishing Bill Barone on the guitars.

During this period, all major albums have been signed on the ohr, Pilz & Brain labels. The
producers Conny Plank, Rolf Ulrich Kaiser, Dieter Dierks had a great importance on the
development of krautrock, German “acid” music.

4. The Golden years (1973-1976)

In 1973, Krautrock knows a peak of popularity thanks to feeback from specialized music
press. Bands as Amon Duul II, Guru Guru, Kraftwerk start a successful career outside
Germany. In 1974, Kraftwerk releases “Autobahn”. This classic electronic/ experimental
synth pop album will have a highly popular recognition everywhere. Brain records, Sky
records continue to publish memorable “alternative” krautrock albums, notably with the
pre-ambient Harmonia side project by Roedelius & Moebius (Cluster’s members). In 1973,
the producer Rolf Ulrich Kaiser founded his own label “Die Kosmische Kuriere” for
numerous nice space rock / cosmic synth recordings, his “Cosmic Jokers” project (several
 improvised sessions in studio with ancient krautrockers as Klaus Schulze, Manuel
Gottsching, Jurgen Dollase…). For his prolific production in intergalactic rock music, Rolf
Kaiser has constituted a small community around personalities of the 60’s psychedelic,
esoteric philosophies (Timothy Leary and his collaboration in Ashra Tempel’s “seven up”,
the Swiss esoteric writer Sergius Golowin in “Lord Krishna von Goloka” and the gypsy folk
artist Walter Wegmuller in “Tarot”). The Virgin label founded in 1973 by Richard Branson is
for a large part responsible of Can, Tangerine Dream, Faust’s commercial success. After a
promising success with their first album, Faust rapidly reiterate with “So Far” (1972). This
album had a wide success outside of Germany, notably in England. This album is a
fascinating collection of short avant garde “pop” sketches with a nice technical /musical
background. Thanks to the success of this album, Virgin signed the famous “Faust tapes”
(several recordings from 1971 to 1973). Really appreciated by different public from
England, France, Germany, the successful second Can album “Tago Mago” (1971) is a very
efficient work of strange, “acid” rhythmical rock with a few humorous ballads.

In 1974, Manuel Gottsching records his first solo album “Inventions for electric guitars”
under the Ashra Tempel name. With simple electronic effects, he creates a unique trancey,
space minimalist essay for guitar. In 1975-76, Klaus Schulze publishes two of his most
popular analog synth efforts with “Timewind” and “Moondawn”.

5. The decline (1977-1980)

In the second half of the 70’s, as for the most part of the progressive rock scene, Krautrock
will gradually loose the attention of the public to finally disappear. This is mainly due to
the coming of new musical scenes as Punk (in cold with complexity, musical’s technicity),
heavy metal and new wave. Numerous krautrock bands as Amon Duul, Agitation Free, Guru
Guru split up. Only very popular bands as Kraftwerk, Tangerine Dream success to stay alive.
In solo, several artists as Holger Czukay (Can), Conrad Schnitlzer (Tangerine Dream,
Kluster) counts on faithful fans and the interest of a specialized public. Klaus Schulze, TD,
Ashra (with “New Age Of Earth”, “Blackouts”, “Belle Alliance”, “Correlations”) pursue
their works in a more accessible, ambient synth genre but partially failed to renew their
genre.

A second wave of German prog bands chose to develop their music on a more conventional,
harder and symphonic rock such as Grobschnitt, Novalis, Jane Anyone's daughter, Birth
Control etc.... These groups will reach their apex of popularity in the later 70's.

6. Krautrock today/ its musical legacy

After one decade in the wilderness, Krautrock comes back to life thanks to the rediscovery
of ancient classics. This was possible thanks to the expanded reissues of new independent
labels as Garden of delights, Spalax, Captain Trip and more recently SPV. Several bands
will reform for special occasions during festivals and for the publication of box sets (Guru
Guru, Faust, Can…). Young generations of musicians with Stereolab, Sonic Youth…speak
about their admiration for Neu!, Can, sometimes working with glorious old figures (the
multimedia artist Luigi Archetti and his collaboration with Manni Neumeier for the project
Tier der Nacht…). Other bands such as Cul De Sac are overtly influenced by Krautrock
groups such as Can and Kraftwerk. Today, Krautrock, space rock from Germany is
considered as a pioneer style in the development of musical subgenres which emerged
during the 80’s until now.
7. Krautrock influence

During the seventies, German bands were not alone to explore distinctive musical ideas,
experimenting drugs with music, free jazz and electronic. German first releases received a
percussive feedback from the 70’s underground rock scenes born in France, Swiss, Italy,
England…almost everywhere in Europe. In France, Lard Free is one of the worthy
representative answer to Krautrock’s melting pot of jazz, psychedelic and electronic
influences. The spacey rock of the band in their three first albums obviously resonates with
Krautrock (especially with the Berlin electronic rock scene). Still in France, the innovative
guitarist Richard Pinhas (both in solo and with his group Heldon) also explored electronics,
molecular machines in an hypnotic repetitive mood (“Un Rêve Sans Conséquence Spéciale”,
“Electronic Guerilla”…). The french folk rock band Tangerine published peaceful, dreamy
compositions that have discreet similitudes with Emtidi, Langs’yne beautiful acoustic
music. In their album “Cottonwoodhill (1971), the Swiss of Brainticket made an evident
connection between schizo-bluesy improvisations and psychedelic space rock to create a
jointy, freak out atmosphere that wouldn’t deny most part of krautrock bands. In England,
the glam rocker Brian Eno reaches his music into a cerebral, aquatic ambient style (“On
Land”, “Apollo”, “Music for films”…) during and after his collaboration with the German
musicians of Cluster (“Cluster & Eno”, After the heat”) and Harmonia (“Harmonia 76 tracks
& traces). David Bowie also moved in Berlin to get impregnated with this special ambiance
to produce his Berlin Trilogy (with Robert Fripp at the production).