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Synth Ear Pain

Five-Centres's picture

Coming soon (not this Friday). I'm genuinely excited:

Krautrock: The Rebirth Of Germany
BBC4 Friday

This documentary film examines how a radical generation of Krautrockers rebuilt a new German musical identity out of the cultural ruins of war.
Overlooked in their own country, these bands were grouped under the unsympathetic heading of Krautrock by an inquisitive British music press, when Dad's Army and war jokes were the lingua franca of the times. Nearly all of the bands objected to the term, apart from when it helped to shift records.
Today, Krautrock is one of the coolest influences any band aiming at credibility can drop.
Devotees include The Fall, Franz Ferdinand, Radiohead and Kasabian.
In 1968, the world was in the grip of a youthful revolution, and nowhere were the stakes higher than in Germany. Despite a post-war economic boom, the youth of the country felt that nothing had changed for a generation growing up in the aftermath of war. Power was still in the hands of an older generation and Germany's once magnificent artistic culture lay trashed and looted, much of it sullied by Nazi associations. For young people in cities like Berlin, Dusseldorf, Cologne and Munich, it was time for something new.
Between 1968 and 1977, bands including Neu!, Faust, Can and Kraftwerk looked beyond Anglo-American pop to create some of the most radical and original sounds ever heard in the country. The experiments of Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk and Cluster would give the world its first taste of electronica.
By the late Seventies, some famous English and American ears took notice as David Bowie, Brian Eno and Iggy Pop decamped to Germany in an attempt to tap into the Zeitgeist. Meanwhile, in a studio overlooking the Berlin Wall, Iggy and Bowie would record Low, Heroes and Lust For Life, taking the sound and feel of Krautrock to the bank and to the world at large.

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Looking forward to this

I have suggested before that I would love to see a feature in the mag. on Eno's trip to Germany and his collaboration with Cluster/Harmonia. I've just ordered the newly rereleased Tracks and Traces CD and am hoping for good things.

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Martin | 1 October 2009 - 3:01pm

Mojo

Have gone all Kraftwerk this month

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Five-Centres | 1 October 2009 - 3:34pm

Nice play on words

Five.

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ChaosandMorphine | 1 October 2009 - 3:02pm

Do they take

luncheon vouchers?

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Molesworth | 1 October 2009 - 3:04pm

Only if you're

Hun-gry.

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Vulpes Vulpes | 1 October 2009 - 3:33pm

Keine Ahnung!

As someone who lives in Germany, though, I find the Germans' lack of knowledge of most of these bands a bit depressing.

If you were to listen to most German radio stations, you'd think it was still 1986.

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Brookster | 1 October 2009 - 3:41pm
Uncle Wheaty | 1 October 2009 - 6:19pm

Yes

It's actually very good. I'd recommend his japrocksampler too. He should stick to writing and give up the music (if he hadn't already some time shortly after Kilimanjaro was released).

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James EB | 1 October 2009 - 7:11pm

Isn't this book fetching

ridiculous sums on e bay, and copey refuses to reprint?

Having a second go with Krautrock/Kosmische Musik, tried it out a while ago with some Can and Faust, and frankly couldn't see what all the fuss was about, just didn't get it at all. Then picked up Neu 75 from the library a year or so ago, and it all dropped into place, revisted Can and it all kind of made sense. Think Neu are the best exponents though

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Mint | 1 October 2009 - 9:30pm

I Love BBC4

By far the finest sequence of music-related scheduling ever seen on television. OK, you at the back - put your hand down, I KNOW the programmes are far from perfect, and suffer from talking-head soundbite addiction, but on the whole it's been a great time to have access to Freeview. I was already eagerly looking forward to the Synth Britannia doc, and now this... great news!

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Paul Vincent | 1 October 2009 - 7:35pm

Typical

A whole wodge of PR text and nary a mention of the mighty Düül. But I have faith. One day their time will come. Oh yes.

Bowie and Iggy in Berlin? Four blokes with synthesisers? That's not Krautrock. This is Krautrock:


As is this:


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Archie Valparaiso | 1 October 2009 - 7:49pm

Kraut it out loud

A bit of Ash Ra Tempel


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Molesworth | 1 October 2009 - 8:11pm
tudobom | 5 October 2009 - 11:53am
tudobom | 5 October 2009 - 11:55am
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